Stoic Joy - Review 4 of 5

This is my fourth post in my series of five, of the teachings that I've learned from Stoicism. By no means comprehensive, but my thoughts on the book that I read by William Irving, A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy. We've already talked about the technique of Negative Visualisation as a means to help you learn to enjoy the things that you have. We've also discussed abstinence and living simply. Forgoing things and enjoying the basic things that are around you. This goes hand-in-hand with negative visualisation because the visualisation helps you remember that things could be worse, and that you are indeed lucky to have what you have. Living simply adds the notion of exercising your will to forgo those riches in life. Taking the bus when you could be driving. Eating a piece of bread when you could be enjoying a sumptuous steak. And then finally, we also talked about living in the present and not minding the past or the future. Not ignoring them, but knowing that you have absolutely no control over them, and that they are essentially there to help you deal with the present, the here and now.

The purpose of Stoicism is Tranquility. To quote William Irving, "Someone who thinks something is more valuable than tranquility would therefore be foolish to practice Stoicism." It's true that most of the major religions would also claim that this is their purpose, however, the difference is in how it's obtained. How does the Muslim seek tranquility. How does the Christian seek tranquility, or the atheist? The goals might look the same, but the main difference is in how it's obtained. There might also be a difference in opinion. When speaking of tranquility, are the religions talking about the same thing? Stoicism looks at tranquility in a deeply personal, introspective way. Ultimately the goal is for you to have that peace, that tranquility by going through a set of prescribed steps, very defined activities, such as negative visualisation, self-denial of pleasure, of frugal living. Each lesson supposed to allow you to strengthen that appreciation of the things you have, where you are, so that tranquility instead of frustration sets in. You're supposed to feel OK, alright, at peace with the things that are at this moment, not in a rush to be somewhere else, to be on the move to attain your enjoyment somewhere else. You're supposed to find that enjoyment in the present moment.

And so another instrument that Stoicism uses in its goals to achieve tranquility is aimed at the illusion of control. The illusion that we have control over what's around us and that we control our environment. In this respect, the first realisation is that we don't have control over our environment. We don't have control over events. But we have control over ourselves and over our emotions. We have control over how we feel about certain things, but not the existence of those things. We're told that in seeking goals, many people tend to think that they can change their environment. That if they change their environment, say like go on a vacation, then they will be happy. They will then be content. But the Stoics say that this is the wrong approach. That instead, the goal, as difficult as it sounds, is to try and find that happiness in the things that are already in existence around you. Rather than try and change your surroundings, your environment, you should change yourself, or your desires in that attempt to find tranquility. Epictetus further states that there are some things that we have control over, and other things that we have no control over. William Irving goes on to expand this into a trichotomy. There are some things over which we have complete control, some thing over which we have some control, but not complete control, and lastly some things over which we have no control at all.

I prefer the absolutes of Epictetus. Absolute control over whether or not I will enjoy my meal, right now, or if I will eat it grudgingly. Absolute control over if I will smile at my friends, or look morose. Absolute control over whether I should read, watch TV or sleep. Irving gives an excellent example of the instance where you have some control. Whether or not you win a tennis match isn't totally up to you. Where you have control is whether or not you will give it your best. How hard you'll play. Winning or loosing isn't totally in your control. Of course, if you fail to show up at the tennis match, you lose by default, consciously, knowingly. You can also choose to lose. Finally, you have no control over the weather, or if the sun will rise. You have no control over any future events.  You may plan for a successful wedding, you may hire the best people and spend the best money, but that doesn't guarantee that your guests will like it. It doesn't guarantee that there will be a calamity that day that puts it off. However, what you have in your control is that ability to hire the best people, to book the best rooms and to invite your guests. Whether they come or not isn't in your control.

The issue of control is big. It goes to a lot of what we want in life. To be in control seems to be a basic conditioning of western thought. Not just independence, the right to exist and to be free. But the right to manage not just yourself, but to influence those around you. We want control in the west. We drive ourselves based on the control we have over others. The fact that the Stoics say that you should not desire control doesn't mean that they eschew public life. In fact, Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor was a stoic. Yet his writings show that he struggled with some of the basic character flaws, dealing with incompetence, jealousy, backstabbing, deceitfulness and all the complexities of human interaction. Some famous Stoics, such as Seneca, were also financially very well off and lived in public service. Yet their writings show that they didn't let this wealth go to their heads. They struggled also with trying to find tranquility, which goes to show that wealth doesn't translate to happiness, a recurring theme in many religions.

And so the lesson here is that control is an illusion. That the only things we have control over are ourselves. That we should only aspire to those things that we have control over. And since the only things we have control over are ourselves, we should spend more time thinking over, brooding over and spending time with our attitudes and our immediate surroundings. Yes, you can paint that wall. But the result may not make you happy, however, if the action of painting, the work, the journey, makes you happy, then that it what you have control over. There's a Chinese saying, "The journey is the reward."