New Year, New Stoic: 3 Stoic Lessons for a Great Year
This post was originally published on The Stoic Student
In the past few weeks, I’ve started to hear a familiar trope. One that appears near the end of every year: “Man, this year sucked!” The complaint is certainly understandable: a raging pandemic, quarantine, and tough economic conditions dominated 10 months of this year. What happened this year was unexpected.
In an odd way, however, I had my best year yet. I was not hit nearly as hard as others during the pandemic. My family is safe. I did not have financial issues. I am grateful for my fortune. But, those reasons are not why this year was so transformative.
2020 was the year that I immersed myself in Stoicism. The year I sought therapy when I was feeling alone. The year I cultivated my character and worked to learn and improve myself. That is what made this year so great: my thoughts; my words; my actions.
I learned a lot over the last year: from my experiences, from the Stoics, and from the lessons I learned applying what the Stoics taught. Here are a few of those teachings:
“…I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own…And so none of them can hurt me. Nor can I feel angry at my relative, or hate him.” — Marcus Aurelius
We’ve all had negative interactions with others. It’s easy to get caught up in that and assume the other person is rude, evil, and not like us at all. However, Marcus reminds us that, as humans, we have more similarities than differences. Try to meet them halfway and forgive those who have wronged you. Now, this isn’t a call for you to do nothing — stand up for yourself but do so with respect and acceptance that the other person is trying their best. If they do not change, know you did the right thing and walk away. But try to find what you both share and be patient with them.
“You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” — Marcus Aurelius
What do you want to accomplish in your life? Who do you want to be? These questions are important. If this pandemic has taught me anything, it’s that things can change quickly. Our time matters. And the way you spend it defines you. So decide for yourself what you want to accomplish, how you want to spend your time, and what you want to leave behind in life. Then, do it.
“But true good fortune is what you make for yourself. Good fortune: good character, good intentions, and good actions.” — Marcus Aurelius
You can’t decide what happens to you, but you can decide how you respond. Your happiness comes from your character, and your character is influenced by your actions. Decide the person you want to be and live by that. As Marcus suggests, begin with good intentions. Those intentions will turn into actions. Those actions make up your character. That is true good fortune — that which you make yourself.
These lessons may not change your life into sunshine and rainbows. But they can help you regain lost time and start living life on more virtuous terms. Pursue these, and I think 2021 will be yours for the taking.
Quotes derived from:
Marcus Aurelius, and Gregory Hays. 2002. Meditations. New York: Modern Library.
Originally published at https://www.thestoicstudent.org on January 1, 2021.
