Five Reasons Why Stoicism Matters Today Posted: 09/29/2012 4:34 pm For all the press that Bill

Clinton has gotten for his epic, seemingly half impro!ised con!ention stem "inder, one of the most re!ealing lines has #arely earned a mention at all$ %e "ere s&rprised to hear Clinton call Barac' (#ama )a man cool on the o&tside, #&t "ho #&rns for *merica on the inside$) ('ay, ignore the )#&rning for *merica part,) "hich is cheesy e!en #y B&##a standards$ %hat+s interesting here is that President (#ama act&ally needed someone to go onstage and testify to his passion to insist that, yes, it "as in there some"here$ ,ost p&#lic fig&res are all o&t"ard passion, all #ac'slapping, #ear h&gs, and -"hen the occasion calls for it. #arely repressed tears$ )Cool on the o&tside) is something *mericans rarely see in a politician/ less charita#le o#ser!ers loo' at the same presidential 0&ality and see )aloofness,) )standoffishness,) )arrogance,) and e!en the great *merican sin of not #eing )a people person$) 1ometimes it seems that "e don+t 'no" ho" to process a politician "ho "ears emotions any"here other than on his slee!e$ B&t Clinton+s line on (#ama str&c' a familiar chord for &s, #eca&se "e+!e spent the past fe" years st&dying and "riting on another politician famo&s for his coolness: Cato the 2o&nger$ 3e "as a practitioner of 1toicism, an ancient 4ree' religion that he helped #ring to 5ome$ %e aren+t claiming that the president+s a secret 1toic$ B&t "e do thin' that the p&#lic response to his self control sho"s ho" poorly 1toic 0&alities can go o!er in o&r times: a philosophy #&ilt on emotional control seems strange in the age of o!er sharing$ %e thin' that+s a shame$ 1toicism still has a tremendo&s amo&nt to teach &s, especially in these passion sat&rated times$ %hat+s more, the 1toic legacy has shaped o&r "orld in more "ays than yo& might e6pect$ 3ere are fi!e reasons "hy 1toicism matters: 1. It was built for hard times. 1toicism "as #orn in a "orld falling apart$ 7n!ented in *thens 8&st a fe" decades after *le6ander the 4reat+s con0&ests and premat&re death &pended the 4ree' "orld, 1toicism too' off #eca&se it offered sec&rity and peace in a time of "arfare and crisis$ 9he 1toic creed didn+t promise material sec&rity or a peace in the afterlife/ #&t it did promise an &nsha'a#le happiness in this life$ 1toicism tells &s that no happiness can #e sec&re if it+s rooted in changea#le, destr&cti#le things$ (&r #an' acco&nts can gro" or shrin', o&r careers can prosper or falter, e!en o&r lo!ed ones can #e ta'en from &s$ 9here is only one place the "orld can+t to&ch: o&r inner sel!es, o&r choice at e!ery moment to #e #ra!e, to #e reasona#le, to #e good$ 9he "orld might ta'e e!erything from &s/ 1toicism tells &s that "e all ha!e a fortress on the inside$ 9he 1toic philosopher :pictet&s, "ho "as #orn a sla!e and crippled at a yo&ng age, "rote: )%here is the good; 7n the "ill$$$7f anyone is &nhappy, let him remem#er that he is &nhappy #y reason of himself alone$) %hile it+s nat&ral to cry o&t at pain, the 1toic "or's to stay indifferent to e!erything that happens on the o&tside, to stay e0&ally happy in times of tri&mph and disaster$ 7t+s a demanding "ay of life, #&t the re"ard it offers is freedom from passion freedom from the emotions that so often seem to control &s, "hen "e sho&ld control them$ * real 1toic isn+t &nfeeling$ B&t he or she does ha!e a mastery of emotions, #eca&se 1toicism recogni<es that fear or greed or grief only enter o&r minds "hen "e "illingly let them in$ * teaching li'e that seems designed for a "orld on edge, "hether it+s the chaotic "orld of ancient 4reece, or a modern financial crisis$ B&t then, :pictet&s "o&ld say that as long as "e try to place o&r happiness in perisha#le things o&r "orlds are al"ays on edge$ 2. Stoicism is made for globali ation. 9he "orld that ga!e #irth to 1toicism "as a parochial, often 6enopho#ic place: most people held fast to age old di!isions of nationality, religion, and stat&s$ 7f openly em#racing those di!isions so&nds strange to &s, "e ha!e 1toicism to than'$ 7t "as perhaps the first %estern philosophy to preach &ni!ersal #rotherhood$ :pictet&s said that each of &s is a citi<en of o&r o"n land, #&t )also a mem#er of the great city of gods and men$) 9he 5oman emperor ,arc&s *&reli&s, history+s #est 'no"n 1toic, reminded himself daily to lo!e the "orld as m&ch as he lo!ed his nati!e city$ 7f the 'ey to happiness is really in o&r o"n "ills, then e!en the #iggest social di!ides start to loo' tri!ial$ 9he 5oman 1toic

1eneca li!ed in a society #&ilt on sla!ery, #&t he also &rged his fello" 5omans to )remem#er that he "hom yo& call yo&r sla!e sprang from the same stoc', is smiled &pon #y the same s'ies, and on e0&al terms "ith yo&rself #reathes, li!es, and dies$) 9his em#race of cosmopolitanism -a "ord in!ented #y 1toics, "hich literally means "orld city. made 1toicism the ideal philosophy for the 5oman :mpire, "hich #ro&ght an &nprecedented range of races and religions into contact$ 1toicism made sense for a glo#ali<ed "orld and it still does$

!. If you"re #hristian$ you"re already %art&Stoic. 7magine a religion that stressed h&man #rotherhood &nder a #ene!olent creator 4od/ that told &s to moderate and master o&r #asic &rges rather than gi!ing into them/ that ne!ertheless insisted that all h&mans, #eca&se "e+re h&man, are #o&nd to fail at this mission/ and that spent a lot of time tal'ing a#o&t )conscience) and the m&ltiple aspects, or )persons,) of a &nitary 4od$ *ll of that might so&nd familiar$ B&t the philosophy that in!ented all of those ideas "as not Christianity, #&t 1toicism$ 7t ma'es sense that Christianity is a deeply 1toic religion$ 1toicism dominated 5oman c&lt&re for cent&ries and Christianity "ent mainstream in the same c&lt&re$ %hat+s more, many of the leaders of the early Christian ch&rch "ere former 1toics$ (f co&rse Christianity #orro"ed m&ch of its tho&ght and terminology from 1toicism #eca&se thin'ing a#o&t religion in the early first millenni&m meant thin'ing li'e a 1toic$ *s Christianity contin&ed to gro", ch&rch leaders, "ho "anted to emphasi<e the &ni0&eness of their faith, #egan to do"nplay this 1toic connection$ B&t 1toicism is still there at the fo&ndation of the Christian religion, in some of its most #asic terms and concepts$

'. It"s the unofficial %hiloso%hy of the military. 7n 19=>, ?ames 1toc'dale+s * 4: 1'yha"' "as shot do"n o!er @ietnam$ 3e later remem#ered the moment li'e this: )*fter e8ection 7 had a#o&t thirty seconds to ma'e my last statement in freedom #efore 7 landed$$$*nd so help me, 7 "hispered to myself: +Fi!e years do"n there, at least$ 7+m lea!ing the "orld of technology and entering the "orld of :pictet&s$+) 1toc'dale spent more than se!en years in a @ietnamese prison, and he "rote that 1toicism sa!ed his life$ 1toc'dale had spent years st&dying 1toic tho&ght #efore deploying, and he dre" on those teachings to end&re his capti!ity$ 9hese "ords from :pictet&s 'ept coming #ac' to him: )Ao yo& not 'no" that life is a soldier+s ser!ice;$$$7f yo& neglect yo&r responsi#ilities "hen some se!ere order is laid &pon yo&, do yo& not &nderstand to "hat a pitif&l state yo& #ring the army;) %hile some of his fello" P(%s tormented themsel!es "ith false hopes of an early release, 1toc'dale+s 1toic practice helped him confront the grim reality of his sit&ation, "itho&t gi!ing in to despair and depression$ 1toc'dale "as not alone as a military man "ho dre" strength from 1toicism$ 7n her #oo' The Stoic Warrior, Bancy 1herman, "ho ta&ght philosophy at the Ba!al *cademy, arg&ed that 1toicism is a dri!ing force #ehind the military mindset especially in its emphasis on end&rance, self control, and inner strength$ *s 1herman "rites, "hene!er her philosophy class at *nnapolis t&rned to the 1toic thin'ers, )many officers and st&dents ali'e felt they had come home$) (. It"s a %hiloso%hy for leadershi%. 1toicism teaches &s that, #efore "e try to control e!ents, "e ha!e to control o&rsel!es first$ (&r attempts to e6ert infl&ence on the "orld are s&#8ect to chance, disappointment, and fail&re #&t control of the self is the only 'ind that can s&cceed 100 percent of the time$ From emperor ,arc&s *&reli&s on, leaders ha!e fo&nd that a 1toic attit&de earns them respect in the face of fail&re, and g&ards against arrogance in the face of s&ccess$ 1toicism has an appeal for anyone "ho faces &ncertainty that is, for all of &s$ B&t leaders are especially s&#8ect to ris' and fl&6, so it+s not s&rprising that many of them find a 1toic attit&de cr&cial to their mental health$ %e mentioned Barac' (#ama+s 1toic demeanor a#o!e and there+s some more e!idence for it in his recent inter!ie" "ith ,ichael Ce"is$ )7+m trying to pare do"n decisions,) he told Ce"is$ )7 don+t "ant to ma'e decisions a#o&t "hat 7+m eating or "earing$ Beca&se 7 ha!e too many other decisions to ma'e$$$2o& need to ro&tini<e yo&rself$ 2o& can+t #e going thro&gh the day distracted #y tri!ia$) %hate!er yo&r opinion of (#ama+s politics, that+s classic 1toicism trying to dra" lines #et"een the essential and the inessential at e!ery le!el of life$

(f co&rse, 1toicism doesn+t g&arantee res&lts$ (ne of Bill Clinton+s fa!orite #oo's "as ,arc&s *&reli&s+s Meditations and he+s no one+s idea of a 1toic$ Cato the 2o&nger s&#scri#ed to the philosophy from his yo&ng ad&lthood to his death/ he "as also prone to !iolent o&t#&rsts of anger, o#stinate pride, and occasional dr&n'enness$ B&t in his most co&rageo&s moments "hen he faced do"n the army of ?&li&s Caesar and certain defeat "itho&t #lin'ing Cato li!ed o&t the 1toic ideal$ 9he 1toics ta&ght that "e fail far more often than "e s&cceed, that to #e h&man is to #e fearf&l, selfish, and angry far more often than "e+d li'e$ B&t they also ta&ght a realistic "ay to #e more$ 9he more "e practice 1toic 0&alities in good times, the more li'ely that "e+ll find them in o&rsel!es "hen they+re most needed$ This post originally appeared on Forbes.com.