The ultimate goal of most humans is to achieve happiness in life. Over time, false ideas of how to attain that happiness have remained. Many believe happiness is attainable through certain milestones, such as building a career, owning a big house, getting married, having kids, or buying a new car. Though a fundamental need, the real meaning of joy eludes us, and the good Stoics would say that we are searching for it in the wrong places.
The Stoics characterize happiness as “the end, for the sake of which everything is done, but which is not itself done for the sake of anything” (Durand et al., 2023).
Stoics are confident that absolute joy does not emanate from external sources. If happiness does not derive from wealth, achievements, or good health, how could one achieve it? In what ways do the Stoics prescribe a happy, suffering-free life to the modern world?
Imagine an archer whose task is to shoot an arrow at a target. With the aim in mind, the archer takes a shot with utmost sincerity and concentration. Nevertheless, it is not sure that the archer’s arrow will hit the bull’s eye. Even if the archer is skilled and did everything right, they do not have control over the arrow once released from the bowstring.
The archer loses control over the success or failure of their action the moment the arrow is released. Sudden changes in wind and the direction of the arrow are external factors that could change the outcome of the archer’s action. A Stoic wouldn’t measure their happiness depending on the outcome of their action but instead on the accuracy of their performance. A Stoic archer wouldn’t concern themselves with victory or failure as long as they performed to their best. This approach would save them from anger, distress, and false suffering.
Amidst the crowded and bustling community center, where people gathered for business, social, and artistic life, Zeno of Citium began teaching Stoicism in 300 B.C. Chrysippus, the third head of the Stoic school and the inventor of the Stoic logic, Diogenes and Antipater, concluded the early Stoa period. Stoicism found its way to Rome through Panaetius and Posidonius, whose works featured a comprehensive shade of Stoicism. The most familiar Stoics, Seneca, Epictetus, Rufus, and Marcus Aurelius, instructed Stoicism through their nuanced and inclusive writings.
The timeline of Stoicism can create a false impression of out-of-date and archaic philosophy in the minds of those who hear Stoicism for the first time. Nothing can be further from the truth. The familiarity and usefulness of the philosophy can be found in modern-day CEOs, businesspeople, entrepreneurs, engineers of Silicon Valley, and everyone affected by bustling life. They find solace and wisdom in the words of Seneca and Marcus.
The popularity and reach of Stoicism soared through the pandemic times. The sales of Stoic Books like Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations and Seneca’s Letters from the Stoic have increased, thanks to the young people searching for peaceful living and happiness in modern times. These ancient texts are exceptionally relevant and up-to-date. Over the recent years, Stoicism has become more than a teaching or a philosophy. It has become a practical guide, followed by the masses, to achieve tranquility and true happiness.
