How Stoicism Gave My Life New Meaning

Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash

If I remember correctly, it was around July or August of last year when I first truly learned about stoicism. I was doing my routine Youtube browsing on different topics within the realm of personal development and inevitably stumbled across a video by Ryan Holiday from his Youtube channel called Daily Stoic.

After watching a few videos, I realized that stoicism was a concept that rung a vague bell. I remembered taking a Philosophy course during my brief run in college but to be honest, very little actually resonated with me. I guess it was one of those things that I loosely engaged with out of circumstance but never gave much thought after the fact.

I recalled hearing the names of Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus who many would consider the founding fathers of Greek philosophy. Fast forward about a decade later and it was the names of these men (along with many other philosophers) that I now found myself fully immersed in. Their teachings and personal stories of bravery, discipline and superior levels of morality were all things that left me captivated.

Prior to all of this, I definitely considered myself to be a critical thinker but stoicism was the new foundation that widened my scope of rationality. I was now able to apply a newer mind to some of the beliefs I had towards the meaning of life and ones purpose.

“Momento Mori — Remember You Will Die.”

This phrase alone was one that gave my life greater perspective. It was a solemn reminder that I needed to constantly be pursuing the things that mattered to me the most while making everyday count. It also instilled in me how we should never take our time on earth for granted because one day, with no warning at all…it would all be over.

Learning about stoicism couldn’t have came at a better time in my life. I found a greater appreciation for the practices and beliefs of the ancient stoics. It has served as the extra fuel I needed to continue along on this journey called “life,” with a fresh and positive outlook of how to carry myself and navigate through the world around me.