Stoicism

Stoicism is an ancient Greek philosophy that teaches the cultivation of inner peace, virtue, and resilience by focusing only on what we can control and accepting what we cannot. Founded by Zeno of Citium and later advanced by thinkers like Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius, Stoicism emphasizes reason, ethical living, and emotional discipline. Rather than suppressing emotion, Stoicism encourages facing life’s challenges with clarity, courage, and composure—seeing obstacles as opportunities for growth and living in alignment with one’s values regardless of circumstance.

Memento Mori: A Practice for the Living

August 16, 2025August 14, 2025 B. John 2940 Views 0 Comments mortality reflection, life purpose, reconnecting with friends, mortality salience, Gratitude, Memento Mori, Stoicism, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca

This entry is part 25 of 50 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

We don’t know how much gas is left in the tank. That truth, far from morbid, can be a guide to living with gratitude, courage, and clarity.

Memento Mori is the Stoic reminder that life is finite. For me, it has meant fewer grudges, more calls to friends, and a better sense of when to set work aside. It has reminded me that my “last great days” may already have happened, or they may still be ahead—but I will only recognize them if I am paying attention.

This is not about fearing death. It is about remembering life. When we keep the end in view, even quietly, the days we have become more precious and more alive.

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Stoic Practices: The Dichotomy of Control

August 14, 2025August 13, 2025 B. John 1189 Views 0 Comments Stoic practices, practical philosophy, Stoicism, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, personal growth, Dichotomy of Control

This entry is part 24 of 50 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

The Dichotomy of Control teaches that some things are up to us and some are not. My own health journey and a job loss taught me that lesson in very different ways. Both proved the same point: act fully where you can, and accept what you cannot change.

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The Graduation Gift

August 12, 2025August 15, 2025 B. John 2806 Views 1 Comment life transitions, personal growth, Epictetus, appalachian state university, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Stoic philosophy, high school graduation

This entry is part 23 of 50 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

A framed silhouette of my niece, standing before the mountains at sunset, carries a message for her high school graduation: “Behind you, all your memories. Before you, all your dreams. Around you, all who love you. Within you, all you need.” It is a blessing, but also a challenge — to live with gratitude for the past, purpose in the present, and trust in the strength we already carry. In its quiet way, it’s pure Stoic wisdom.

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When the Other Shoe Drops: Practicing Premeditatio Malorum

August 10, 2025August 9, 2025 B. John 1222 Views 0 Comments Premeditatio Malorum, Massimo Pigliucci

This entry is part 22 of 50 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

When I lost my job, I wasn’t surprised, but I wasn’t ready. In this essay, I explore the Stoic practice of Premeditatio Malorum, the art of imagining setbacks before they happen, and how it can help us meet life’s blows with steadiness instead of panic.

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Stoicism Journey: Evening Reflection

August 7, 2025August 6, 2025 B. John 3107 Views 1 Comment Epictetus, Aurelius, Seneca, Journaling, Evening Reflection, Meditations

This entry is part 21 of 50 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

We’ve all had days we wish we could do over — moments of frustration, things said too quickly, or chances missed. At night, the mind often replays them with no resolution. The Stoics gave us another way. The practice of Evening Reflection invites us to examine the day with honesty, take note of our missteps and our better moments, and prepare to live more intentionally tomorrow. It’s simple, quiet, and backed by modern science. You don’t need special tools — just a few minutes and a willingness to learn from your own life.

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Do We Define Our Stories, or Do They Define Us?

August 4, 2025 B. John 3007 Views 1 Comment CBT, Epictetus, Aurelius, Hidden Brain, Donald Robertson, Jonathon Adler, Journaling

This entry is part 20 of 50 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

On an early morning walk, I queued up a podcast to pass the miles. By the time I’d finished mowing the lawn a few hours later, I was hearing my own life in a new way. Psychologist Jonathan Adler was explaining how the stories we tell about ourselves can either close our world or open it. Redemption stories, he said, often lead to hope and growth. Contamination stories do the opposite.

It sounded strikingly familiar. The Stoics taught that we cannot control what happens, but we can control the meaning we give it. Their nightly reflections were, in a way, acts of storytelling—choosing which moments to carry forward and how to frame them. Modern psychology and ancient philosophy were meeting in the same place, and I realized I’d been practicing this without knowing it.

We may not get to choose every plot twist, but we can decide how to tell the tale. And that choice might just shape the life we live next.

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The Stoic Path I Didn’t Mean to Take

August 1, 2025October 5, 2025 B. John 2823 Views 0 Comments John Lewis, James Stockdale, Memeto Nori

This entry is part 1 of 50 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

I didn’t go looking for Stoicism. It showed up in fortune cookies, old sermons, Facebook posts, and a quiet reply from my pastor. This essay reflects on the strange, almost fated path that led me to Stoic thought, even before I had a name for it. From “My Creed” to Admiral Stockdale to John Lewis, these moments formed a pattern I couldn’t ignore. Maybe it’s true what Public TV personality Bob Ross said about “happy little accidents.” This was one of them.

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Rising from the Defeat That Wasn’t

July 28, 2025August 1, 2025 B. John 2421 Views 0 Comments Seneca, Maya Angelou, Grace, Stoicism, Marcus Aurelius, Amor Fati

This entry is part 19 of 50 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

Sometimes the worst defeats are the ones you didn’t cause but still feel responsible for. A job ends. A friendship slips away. You tell yourself it wasn’t your fault, but that doesn’t stop the questions. Maya Angelou once wrote that defeat might be necessary—not because we deserve it, but because it reveals who we really are. This essay reflects on regret and unexpected renewal through the lens of Stoic thought and lived experience. What you rise from, it turns out, may be the truest part of you.

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Boone, Facebook, and Marcus Aurelius…Oh My

July 23, 2025July 24, 2025 B. John 1286 Views 0 Comments Modern Wisdom, Healing Places, Reflection, Appalachian State, Stoicism, Boone, Marcus Aurelius, Inspiration, Seneca, NC

This entry is part 18 of 50 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

I came across a meme that read, “There are two places you need to go often: The place that heals you. The place that inspires you.” It struck me deeply, because for me, one of those places is Boone, North Carolina, where I went to college. But as I reflected on that idea through the lens of Stoic philosophy, I realized the Stoics might offer a very different kind of guidance: to go inward. This essay explores the contrast, and surprising harmony, between modern healing and ancient inner retreat.

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A Way Out of No Way: John Lewis and the Moral Will

July 20, 2025 B. John 2499 Views 1 Comment Abrahamic traditions, John Lewis, tikkun olam, Bodhisattva, Stoicism, nonviolence, Selma, justice, Epictetus, Heather Cox Richardson, Civil Rights, Marcus Aurelius, moral courage, good trouble, Buddhist, Jewish justice

This entry is part 17 of 50 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

“Lewis did not need a theory of justice. He lived one.”
Five years after the death of Congressman John Lewis, his words and witness still call us to the hard, necessary work of moral courage. Drawing from Christian theology, the Black church, and the discipline of nonviolence, Lewis embodied a philosophy of action that mirrors the core of Stoic thought—and resonates just as deeply with the teachings of Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism. He did not merely protest injustice. He met it with clarity, hope, and a soul unshaken by cruelty. His legacy extends beyond American history. It is human wisdom.

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Warriors for Justice: A Stoic Response to Robert Reich

July 18, 2025July 16, 2025 B. John 1155 Views 1 Comment methodism, Epictetus, Robert Reich, Pigliucci, Seneca, John Wesley

This entry is part 16 of 50 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

Your first thought might be: One more warrior is exactly what we do not need in this moment. The world feels overrun with conflict already. But what if the kind of warrior we need now is not one who fights for dominance or control, but one who stands calmly for conscience, who chooses clarity over chaos and courage over comfort? That is the kind of warrior Robert Reich wrote about — a woman on the front lines of immigration defense, who meets injustice not with rage, but with a quiet joy rooted in purpose. Her story holds a lesson as old as the Stoics and as current as the morning’s headlines.

This reflection is part of the ongoing “Stoicism Journey” series, which explores how ancient Stoic principles can offer clarity, strength, and moral direction in today’s world. Each piece connects Stoic thought to real-life challenges, often intersecting with faith, justice, and the pursuit of a meaningful life. In this installment, we respond to a story shared by Robert Reich, considering what it means to be a warrior for justice in dishonorable times.