{"id":10291,"date":"2021-01-05T14:01:25","date_gmt":"2021-01-05T19:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailystoic.com\/?p=10291"},"modified":"2021-01-30T04:23:46","modified_gmt":"2021-01-30T09:23:46","slug":"what-this-philosophy-is-here-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailystoic.com\/what-this-philosophy-is-here-for\/","title":{"rendered":"What This Philosophy Is Here For"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve got problems. We all do. Maybe you\u2019re having a difficult time in your relationship. Or work has worn you down. Or you\u2019re trying to figure out what to do with your life. Maybe the pandemic has shaken you to your foundation and you\u2019re still reeling from the blow. Or things have gone exceedingly well and now you\u2019re overwhelmed by opportunities you never thought possible. Or you\u2019re stuck, or you\u2019re lacking motivation, or you\u2019re terrified by all the uncertainties facing the world as we enter this new decade.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Who can help you with this? Can anyone? Yes. \u201cWould you really know what philosophy offers to humanity?\u201d <\/span>Seneca<\/span><\/a> wrote. \u201cPhilosophy offers counsel.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Philosophy isn\u2019t something for the classroom. It isn\u2019t about abstract questions, or debating the existence of free will\u2014it\u2019s something that helps you with life. <\/span>Epictetus<\/span><\/a> is here, and he knows about freedom. He\u2019s here to show to how to \u201cwork day and night to attain a liberated frame of mind. Instead of a rich old man, cultivate the company of a philosopher.\u201d Marcus Aurelius is here to show you how to accept success without arrogance and setbacks with indifference. Agrippinus is here to show you how to follow your conscience, how to <\/span>be the bright red thread<\/span><\/a> in a sea of conforming colors. And on and on and on.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But you have to keep turning to these counselors. You have to engage. You can\u2019t <\/span>treat philosophy like a side job<\/span><\/a>, as Seneca reminds you; it must be <\/span>the main thing.<\/span><\/i> Love it like your birth mother, Marcus reminds you, <\/span>return to it again and again<\/span><\/a>. Stop drifting. Start committing. Find others who have committed too\u2014<\/span>find yourself a Cato<\/span><\/a> or a Zeno to measure yourself against. <\/span>Find a Junius Rusticus<\/span><\/a> who can give you advice and check in with you.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The wisdom is there. It\u2019s here and has been, sitting, patiently waiting for you, for over two thousand years. The question is if you\u2019ll listen. If you\u2019ll take heed of the counsel. Or will you be like Nero, if you\u2019ll leave Seneca disappointed again, proving the idea that a horse can be led to water\u2026 <\/span>but not made to drink<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Will you drink? Will you listen?<\/span><\/p>\n

P.S.\u00a0<\/i>This was originally sent<\/i><\/span><\/a> on January 6, 2021. Sign up today for <\/i>the Daily Stoic\u2019s email<\/i><\/span><\/a>\u00a0and get our popular\u00a0<\/i>free 7-day course on Stoicism.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve got problems. We all do. Maybe you\u2019re having a difficult time in your relationship. Or work has worn you down. Or you\u2019re trying to figure out what to do with your life. Maybe the pandemic has shaken you to your foundation and you\u2019re still reeling from the blow. Or things have gone exceedingly well […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat This Philosophy Is Here For<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dailystoic.com\/what-this-philosophy-is-here-for\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What This Philosophy Is Here For\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You\u2019ve got problems. We all do. Maybe you\u2019re having a difficult time in your relationship. Or work has worn you down. Or you\u2019re trying to figure out what to do with your life. 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