The Daily Stoic - This Is Who To Turn To When You’re Struggling

Episode Date: May 12, 2020

"For thousands of years people have been turning to Stoicism when they had problems, big and small. Obviously you know that on some level or you wouldn’t be reading this email. But do you really practice this? Or, are you treating philosophy like some sort of side gig, as Seneca put it, or treating it, as Marcus termed it, like a stepmother?Whatever you’re going through, the Stoics have written about it." Find out what else Stoicism applies to in today's Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode was brought to you by Magic Spoon. Magic Spoon makes delicious cereal just like you remember from when you were a kid—only this version has only 3g carbs and 11g of protein. Use code DAILYSTOIC at magicspoon.com to get free shipping.****If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest into it and make it even better.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: DailyStoic.com/signupFollow @DailyStoic:Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanholidayInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanholiday/Facebook: http://facebook.com/ryanholidayYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/dailystoicSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey, prime members, you can listen to the Daily Stood Podcast early and add free on Amazon Music. Download the app today. Hi, I'm David Brown, the host of Wondery's podcast business wars. And in our new season, Walmart must fight off target. The new discounter that's both savvy and fashion forward. Listen to business wars on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. music or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to the Daily Stoic. For each day we read a short passage designed to help you cultivate the strength, insight, wisdom necessary for living good life. Each one of these passages is based on the 2000-year-old philosophy that has

guided some of history's greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us at dailystowach.com. This is who to turn to when you're struggling. In the introduction to James Rahm's fascinating biography of Senaqa, he tells a story of an immigrant janitor at Columbia University who said it was Senaqa's letters that inspired him to get his degree at the school. He's certainly not the only person who turned to the Stokes for inspiration or support in a difficult situation. We're told

that Tussant, Leve Lentour, read Epic Titus while he languished in one of Napoleon's prisons. At Theodore Roosevelt's birthplace in Manhattan, you can even see a copy of Epictetus and Marcus Realis that Teddy read as he laid dying in a Brazilian jungle. George Washington watched a play about Cato at the Depth of the American Revolution, the journalist, Eli Fauderman,

has written about how reading Listoix helped her when she was living alone overseas, struggling in a long-distance relationship and depressed by a deteriorating political environment. Even some of the best writings on Stoicism by Cicero, Montenna, and by Seneca was done while these men were forced into exile or hiding while the world tore itself apart.

The point is, for thousands of years, people have been turning to stoicism when they had problems big and small. Obviously, you know that on some level or you wouldn't be reading this email or you wouldn't be listening to this podcast. But do you really believe this? Or are you treating philosophy like some sort of side gig

as Seneca put it or treating it as Marcus did like a stepmother? Whatever you're going through, the Stoics, have talked about it. Really angry about something. Sennaka has a great essay about that, and actually we have a teaming your temper course with Daily Stoic. Are you sad about losing someone you love?

Sennaka has written beautiful essays on grief. Are you wondering about God? Cicero has a great dialogue about this. Have you lost everything in a bankruptcy? Zeno's life story is about exactly this. Are you afraid of dying? Well, Senaqa wrote about that. Marcus did too. Are you wrestling with ego? There are so many great meditations from Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus about this. Are you wasting time or are you unproductive? Senaika is your man. Injured or facing the disability, epictetus knows all about it. In jail or feel like you're in jail, read James Stockdale. Feeling stuck,

experiencing a lack of motivation, fed up with the people around you. Marcus has a passage on overcoming these exact things. Is your boss a deranged tyrant? Well, Senaika's was too. Dream of living on a farm, but haven't the first clue of where to begin. Kato the Elder wrote a book on it. Remember, Stoicism isn't this thing you do once. It's an active ongoing pursuit. It's more like the Torah than the Ten Commandments. You read and you reread, study and debate. Lean on it. When you're going through hard times, it's ritual, it's routine, it's something to rely on. So whatever it is, whatever you're going through, the stoics are there for you. If you return to them, if you let them be.

Hey, prime members, you can listen to the Daily Stoic early and ad-free on Amazon Music, download the Amazon Music app today, or you can listen early and ad-free with Wondery Plus in Apple podcasts. Ah, the Bahamas. What if you could live in a penthouse above the crystal clear ocean working during the day and partying at night with your best friends and have it be 100% paid for. FTX Founder's Sam Bankman Freed lived that dream life, but it was all funded with other people's money, but he allegedly stole. Many thought Sam Bankman Freed was changing the game as he graced the pages of Forbes and Vanity Fair. Some involved in crypto saw him as a breath of fresh air from the usual Wall Street buffs with his casual dress and ability to play League of Legends during boardroom meetings.

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