The stoics were a group of ancient Greek and Roman philosophers who followed a realistic but morally idealistic way of living. This philosophical group prizes virtue over all else; doing what is good, both for yourself and others.
The philosophy of stoicism may have been developed and influenced by other Greek philosophies at the time, and philosophy is usually broken down into 3 major groups;
- Logic: a way to determine if your perceptions of the world are correct.
- Physics (meaning natural science): a way to understand the natural world as both active (figured out by reason and things we can control) and passive (existing and immutable substance and things we cannot control)
- Ethics: the study of how to live one’s life the best way possible.
Seneca and Marcus Aurelius are two massively important, well recognised stoic philosophers — their respected writings have helped us gain most of our information about the philosophy.
Stoicism is all about living your best life, in the simplest terms. It’s about striving to be better, improving 1% every single day, and being guided by virtue. It’s all about being courageous, extending kindness and preserving your energy — this includes removing the things that drain you.
