Stoicism explained in exactly 500 words

They were overly concerned with the quality of their character and sought to lead a virtuous life irrespective of their circumstances.

They stressed the need for courage in the face of adversity, moderation while indulging in materialism, and a strong moral compass while making decisions.

If you’ve heard the term ‘Amor Fati’ and wondered what it meant, today’s your lucky day. It was popularized by Nietzsche and translates to ‘A love of fate’. It also encapsulates a central pillar of Stoic Philosophy – that reality doesn’t care about your opinion, so quit living in denial and accept it as it is.

‘Memento Mori’ is another Latin phrase that is common in Stoic literature. It translates, rather morbidly, to ‘Remember that you will die’.

Stoicism manages to inflate deflated egos and deflate inflated ones.

No matter what you’re going through, good or bad, however extreme, meditating on your mortality is bound to center your ego and stabilize your emotions. 

As humans, our survival instincts trick us into worrying about more than we should. There’s never been a worse time for that instinct to exist than 2020.

The Stoics understood this tendency and campaigned against it.

They knew that while most things were outside their control, their thoughts, actions, and reactions were entirely controllable. They preached a singular focus on these internal events, and an indifference to external ones.

In life, the outcomes of your decisions compound over time.

Stoicism is a framework for decision making that maximizes your chances of success in the long term.

Access to opportunities, the ability to make better decisions, and an increase in efficiency sound like jargon you’d find in a business school brochure. 

However, these are useful outcomes in any pursuit of success, irrespective of whether it involves getting rich. 

The best part? You can start working towards them today.