Reviewed Date: June 19th, 2022
Best book I ever read on stoicism. Unlike Ryan Holiday’s books, which lack depth and are extremely shallow, this book thoroughly explains stoic concepts by employing notes and quotes from the stoic leaders. Also, the book is easy to read and follow. I highly recommend this book if you want to read a good stoicism book.
Here are my takeaways from the book:
The purpose of ‘negative visualization’ is to prepare ourselves when a negative situation arises; instead of getting overwhelmed by emotions in that situation, we stoically observe and think of what is the best course of action. These negative situations could be losing money, a job, a friend, and even a loved one. This exercise keeps our feet on the ground.
To enjoy ‘pleasure’ in our lives, we have to voluntarily seek discomfort and practice poverty. To appreciate what we have (things that we take for granted), we should ask ourselves, what if we lose them completely? It helps in two ways. First, we would be grateful for what we have, and second, it would prepare us for the future in case we lose them.
We humans take ‘insults’ personally and get angered by them. But Stoics have mentioned what we should do when we are insulted. First, from Seneca, we should look at insulters as outgrown children. Just like a mother doesn’t get upset by her children, we should tolerate them. It is important to remind ourselves that when we react to an insult, we are giving pleasure to the insulter.
On relationships: Stoics are advising us to have friends who share similar values and also befriend people who are doing good. So that we could learn from them. Seneca says we should avoid people who constantly complain and are always melancholy. These people disturb our tranquility and happiness.
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