Stoic Week of Living Philosophically
This week I participated in the Stoic Week of Living Philosophically in order to complete an Actum. I had previously gone through the Epicurean Week of Living Philosophically, and this week was equally (if not more) impactful and valuable for me, and without a doubt easier to adjust to.
The Stoic Week of Living Philosophically fit my life-views closely, and aided me in being deliberate in my thoughts and actions throughout the week. Everything I did felt planned out and under control, something that is extremely important, especially in college. Every day when I woke up 10 minutes early to do the “Early-Morning Meditation”, I left my room to go to class feeling more confident, and much more directly motivated towards a certain goal or attitude for the day. Evening meditations allowed me to go to sleep with a clear image of what I was proud of from that day, and what I can improve on tomorrow. Stoicism was much closer to my real-life virtues and thought-processes then I would have imagined. I am always very intentional about my goals and mindsets, and the guidelines provided for this week showed me how to be even more pragmatic with my mindset. The activities also allowed me to create spaces for healthy reflection and calm in my day-to-day life, something I have not actively done before this week.
The Stoic Maxims presented in the handbook stuck with me, particularly the one that reads ““Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.” (Seneca). Each Maxim presents a point-of-view on daily life, and helps to create more stability, taking away any overly volatile emotional responses. This particular one from Seneca helped remind me to live each day to its fullest, regardless of what tomorrow may bring, or what happened yesterday. I found myself thinking of this quote several times throughout the week, when I was dreading an event later in the week, or dwelling over an event from the previous day. This maxim helped me remain calm, and refocus my energy in a positive manner.
Sunday’s activity (which was Wednesday for me since I started then) was particularly impactful. It helped me detach from problems that are not mine, and ones which I cannot control whatsoever. This activity being placed on the very first evening helped me to “lock in” to the Stoic mentality for the rest of the week, checking in with every emotion on whether it was under my control, or whether it was something I should let go and live my life.
Overall, I am appreciative of the opportunity to take part in the week of living like a Stoic, and I sincerely hope to continue some of the Stoic practices throughout the rest of the semester. Compared to the Epicurean week, the Stoic week was a lot more structured (much like the philosophies), and I enjoyed that significantly more. Everything that I did throughout the week positively impacted my mentality and daily life, something that was surprising to me.
