“It is precisely in times of immunity from care that the soul should toughen itself beforehand for occasions of greater stress.” — Seneca, Letter 18
“Nothing happens to any man which he is not formed by nature to bear.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5
“The soldier performs manoeuvres... in order that he may be equal to unavoidable toil.” — Seneca, Letter 18
Seneca would deliberately worsen his days.
To fortify himself against poverty, he’d wear simple clothes, eat plain food, sleep on the floor and ask himself-
“Is this what I was afraid of?”
He didn’t love suffering or aim to prove how tough he was- as the modern notion of Stoicism seems to propose.
He just didn’t want the riches he had been fortunate to have turn him to a punk.
It’s the same with us. Our lives today are full of convenience. With AI, things are even going to get worse. We get warm showers, fast internet connecting us to a global community, food with a few taps, a means of transport for a distance we’d otherwise walk, and endless entertainment.
Life should be good.
Until power goes out for a day, someone disappoints us, or we miss our usual meal.
Stoics therefore recommended a deliberate practice on discipline, called askēsis.
The principle is to welcome and even create discomfort in our lives before life throws it at us.
It’s something you should start today.
You pick one form of comfort you’ve become dependent on- could be your phone, takeout, sugar, air conditioning, hot showers, being driven everywhere. Basically what you think to yourself and say, I wouldn’t want to give this up.
Then run this exercise-
1. Remove it
Skip the thing you’ve chosen for a few hours or a day. Keep the challenge just uncomfortable enough to challenge you- but reasonable and safe.
2. Watch Yourself
Notice what your mind says- I need this. This sucks. Why am I doing this? I can’t wait until it’s over.
Don’t immediately abate the discomfort. Stay with it for a bit.
Ask yourself, “What exactly am I feeling?”, “Is this harmful, or just uncomfortable?” or “Can I push myself for ten more minutes without complaining or escaping?”
3. See things as they are
Ask yourself- What’s really happening right now?
You could be hungry. Bored. Cold. Impatient. Tired. Keep it at that.
That’s different from This is unbearable.
Don’t imagine your whole life at once, Marcus Aurelius would advice. Deal with this moment, and then the next. Until we’re done.
4. Finish with Seneca’s question
Ask yourself- Was this as bad as I imagined?
Often times, you’ll come to realize that what you fear is much easier tolerated once you’re in it- if you keep going and keep a positive attitude. You have something in you more powerful than the discomfort you feel. I promise.
Do this once or twice a week with different comforts. Wake up earlier. Run further, faster. Do a fast
And don’t get me wrong, I don’t want you to hate pleasure or make your life unnecessarily difficult. Enjoy good things. Just ensure your happiness and enjoyment of life doesn’t depend on having them.
You’re teaching your mind and your body who’s in charge.
This is how you fortify yourself against the whims of fortune and become the captain of your ship. You won’t be easy to rattle. And you’ll find happiness, peace and success more easily.
That’s the idea behind our private community, The Stoa.
I’m building it for serious readers- new and experienced- who want to practice and integrate Stoicism as a way of life through weekly challenges, exercises, real-life dilemmas, accountability and rich philosophical discourse that traverses all areas of life. This will be a year long program that only requires little of your time in a day, as you’ll spend most of your day living by the principles.
The goal is to make Stoicism so ingrained in you that you automatically turn to it when you actually need it. That’s the only way it can change your life.
We launch in under 1 week. People on the waitlist will be invited first and receive a special launch discount.
If you want to join the waitlist, reply to this email with the word STOIC and I’ll add you.
Ignore if you already did.
With love,
Antonius Veritas, M.D
What we fear is not as bad as what we think! So true!
I loved this.