Your interpretation and Nietzsche’s completely misses the point. Stoicism is not about turning away from external events or avoiding them because they’ve hurt you. It’s about refusing to be enslaved by your perspectives or by things outside your control. It’s about striving for your goals, placing your energy into actions rather than fixating on outcomes.
This shift in focus doesn’t drain your energy, it redirects it entirely toward meaningful action, making you resilient immune, even to the whims of fortune.
Take Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, two renowned Stoics who exemplify this principle. Both men were incredibly resilient, powerful, and wealthy. But their wealth didn’t define them; unlike others, they weren’t paralyzed by the constant fear of losing what they’d accumulated. They derived satisfaction from their achievements without becoming prisoners to the fleeting pleasure of their fortunes.
Stoicism isn’t apathy or cold indifference it’s liberation. It doesn’t teach us not to care; it teaches us how to be truly free.
Moreover, Stoicism is about becoming a better person every day and directing your energy toward constant self-improvement. It’s about adopting a broader perspective to see clearly, learn, and grow. It’s about cultivating antifragility using failure and setbacks as fuel for continuous self-improvement.
Nietzsche, on the other hand, struggled deeply in life, suffering from alcoholism and unhappiness. Why follow someone whose personal example was one of turmoil and despair? In stark contrast, Marcus Aurelius and Seneca faced tremendous adversity: Seneca experienced exile, Marcus Aurelius endured the loss of all his children, betrayal by a trusted friend, and rumors of infidelity by his wife. Yet both men remained content, grateful, and resilient. Given these contrasting examples, who would you prefer to take guidance from?
Love this! Finally someone explores, explodes and exposes Stoicism. I also now have a new favorite speaker. I suggest you turn this into a book. Excellent!
Being able to hear your lecture live is a genuine aspiration.
Your interpretation and Nietzsche’s completely misses the point. Stoicism is not about turning away from external events or avoiding them because they’ve hurt you. It’s about refusing to be enslaved by your perspectives or by things outside your control. It’s about striving for your goals, placing your energy into actions rather than fixating on outcomes.
This shift in focus doesn’t drain your energy, it redirects it entirely toward meaningful action, making you resilient immune, even to the whims of fortune.
Take Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, two renowned Stoics who exemplify this principle. Both men were incredibly resilient, powerful, and wealthy. But their wealth didn’t define them; unlike others, they weren’t paralyzed by the constant fear of losing what they’d accumulated. They derived satisfaction from their achievements without becoming prisoners to the fleeting pleasure of their fortunes.
Stoicism isn’t apathy or cold indifference it’s liberation. It doesn’t teach us not to care; it teaches us how to be truly free.
Moreover, Stoicism is about becoming a better person every day and directing your energy toward constant self-improvement. It’s about adopting a broader perspective to see clearly, learn, and grow. It’s about cultivating antifragility using failure and setbacks as fuel for continuous self-improvement.
Nietzsche, on the other hand, struggled deeply in life, suffering from alcoholism and unhappiness. Why follow someone whose personal example was one of turmoil and despair? In stark contrast, Marcus Aurelius and Seneca faced tremendous adversity: Seneca experienced exile, Marcus Aurelius endured the loss of all his children, betrayal by a trusted friend, and rumors of infidelity by his wife. Yet both men remained content, grateful, and resilient. Given these contrasting examples, who would you prefer to take guidance from?
Love this! Finally someone explores, explodes and exposes Stoicism. I also now have a new favorite speaker. I suggest you turn this into a book. Excellent!