Stoicism And Its Four Cardinal Virtues
Staying positive is overrated. It’s a good marketing tool but doesn’t even cover the tip of the iceberg.
COVID has revealed a completely different dimension to staying upbeat. One terrible news can rip out our social, professional, and emotional life in a moment. Forget about planning a vacation; even going to a grocery store could be an adventure.
In these times, I ask myself, how can one set of people find every opportunity to protest against lockdowns and vaccination while another group of people tries to reach out and help others in need?
I think the reason behind this is the mindset. The mindset is to accept the way society is and work within the setup to improve the lives of others. It does not mean that we don’t do anything to stop injustice. We should always strive for better things, but if results don’t go our way, we accept our life situation and be happy and content.
People like Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi are prime examples of such mindsets. Their struggle for freedom had many hurdles, but they never changed the core values they believed in.
In this article, I would like to talk about one such philosophy which promotes this mindset. It’s known as Stoicism.
What is Stoicism?
Stoicism, or Stoic philosophy, is a philosophy of personal ethics and a methodology that advises not to worry about things beyond our control. A stoic is someone who remains calm under pressure and avoids emotional extremes.
History of Stoicism
Zeno of Cyprus was a wealthy merchant who lost everything in a shipwreck in Athens. Instead of complaining and mourning about the loss, he decided to immerse in the teachings of Socrates and gave birth to Stoicism. The Stoics are known for teaching virtue is the only good.
The name “Stoicism” comes from Stoa Poikile, a colonnade decorated with mythological and historical battle scenes, on the north side of the Agora in Athens, where Zeno and his followers gathered to discuss their ideas.
Sometimes Stoicism is referred to as “The Stoa,” or the philosophy of “The Porch.”
Four Cardinal Virtues
Virtues come from the Latin word “virtus,” which means — “Moral Excellence.” Stoicism preaches four cardinal virtues to tackle every life situation.
- Temperance — The Virtue of self-restraint and moderation in all aspects of life. Socrates was the first to write — Everything is good in moderation. Nothing in excess. Zeno believed that humans need to learn to use practical wisdom to differentiate between the good and the bad. The ideal way to do so is to do everything in moderation and then watch for its results.
- Justice — Treating others with fairness no matter what. The virtue of justice is much broader to the modern understanding of being fair. The contemporary interpretation of “Justice” is around the legal differentiation of right and wrong. According to Zeno, justice’s virtue is to treat others fairly even if they are wrong.
- Courage — According to Seneca, a Roman Stoic philosopher said — “Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.”. The virtue of courage preaches facing daily challenges with clarity and integrity. The purity of courage is to deal with each life situation without any complaints or anger.
- Wisdom — The virtue of practical knowledge in handling complex situations logically, calmly, and in an informed way. It’s the ability to identify the most logical response to any challenge. According to Zeno, Everything around us is operating due to the cause and effect of many events in the universe. Most of these events are out of our control.
Summary
To summarize the four virtues, it’s in our hands to be happy. If we can let go of things out of our control, it will keep the emotions away from any life situation. We cannot allow external events to determine our happiness.
Suppose we can practice the art of being courageous to face any life challenges using our moral judgment of right and wrong and ensuring fair behavior to everyone around us. In that case, we can stay away from constant pain, frustration and anxiety.
Thanks, Tarun
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