Virtues
The definition of virtue is to be the best version of yourself that you can possibly be, someone who is in good flow with life, someone who is content and rational, someone who is reasonable and deliberate actions and thoughts, even in the face of adversity, and someone who values good.
Achieving virtue means to train yourself to break free of the bad habits and instincts you have inherited, and to take control of your thoughts, feelings, and desires, rather than be led by them.
Stoics believe that virtue is the only true good, and that everything else is an unimportant distraction (or an indifferent). By following the path of the Stoics, you'll be resilient to confrontation, stress, anxiety, and anger, and find fulfilment not from external sources, but from within.
Wisdom (Sophia)
Associated with the Discipline of Assent, Wisdom is the art of deliberate reasoned actions and thoughtfulness.
Wisdom requires attention and self awareness of your own thoughts, and when combined with the discipline of avoiding your initial reactions and thoughts, can be used to guide the focus of your mind onto truly evaluating and understanding the situation you're in and your environment. To be wise, is to be free from impulsive or instinctive thoughts, and to be considered in your thoughts and actions.
Wisdom can be divided into:
- Good sense
- Good calculation
- Quick-wittedness
- Discretion
- Resourcefulness
A part of wisdom is to change your value system, steering yourself away from placing value in things or “indifferents”, but on virtue (i.e. the things you can control, your thoughts, your actions, and your aversions).
Courage (Andreíā)
Linked to the Discipline of Desire, Courage is about mastering fears and standing in opposition of cowardice. It means standing strong against impulses, against vain aspirations and acquiring possessions. It is in favour of striving for virtue, even in moments of adversity. When things get tough, or when we fall into bad habits, you require courage to push through and stand by your virtues.
Courage can be broken down into:
- Endurance
- Confidence
- High-mindedness
- Cheerfulness
- Industriousness
Courage demonstrates that nothing is bad for you, for as long as you do what is right by your virtues and you can be confident that you have done all you can to be the best version of yourself at all times.
Courage allows you to finally stop avoiding or fearing what cannot harm you virtues, because your fears are merely a construct of your mind, it only works if you choose to be fearful. Courage means not giving in to these negative thought patterns, but being resolute in the thing that you control completely and can never be taken away from you or by anyone else.
Justice (Dikaiosynē)
Related to the Discipline of Action, Justice refers to the broader definition of morality, not necessarily the law. It encompasses all interactions with others, and pushes you to collaborate and work with others, even if they choose not to, and even if they oppose you.
Justice means you should always be fair to others, even with people who compete with you, or even if they are enemies. You shouldn't allow others to drag you into the traps of uncontrolled thinking, such as anxiety or anger. No one is voluntarily evil, even those who act in horrific ways and in their own self-interest, their value judgements and their sense of justice are simply not aligned.
You wouldn’t trip up an opponent in a marathon, so you don’t need to harm or judge others living their lives around us.
Justice can be broken down into:
- Honesty
- Equity
- Fair-dealing
- Goodwill
- Benevolence
- Kindness
“When people injure you, ask yourself what good or harm they thought would come of it. If you understand that, you'll feel sympathy rather than outrage or anger. Your sense of good and evil may be the same as theirs, or near it, in which case you have to excuse them.”
– Marcus Aurelius
Moderation (Sôphrosunê)
Related to the Discipline of Desire, Moderation works with Courage in opposition to excess, to only desire virtue, to be reasonable in what you want, and to be generous with what you already have.
Moderation can be broken down into:
- Appropriateness
- Modesty
- Self-control
Remember, you don’t truly own anything in this life. Nothing is permanent, and nothing is yours alone. We are a collection of molecules, you possessions are molecules, and everything is a part of one thing, a part of nature. When humans make or manufacture things, they are assembling molecules, but you cannot own the molecules themselves - they belong to the universe. When you are long gone, those molecules will still exist in some form, but they won’t be yours.
By accepting that nothing is permanent and that everything is borrowed, you can realise that the only valuable thing is your own virtue. You can still enjoy what you have while you have it, but you'll learn not to depend on it, because it’s not in your control. This is true whether it is a relationship, a physical item, a house, a job, or even your own body. All these things can be broken, lost, or destroyed and remain outside of your control.
As described in Epictetus’ famous quote, life should be treated as a banquet. If you were to overindulge or pile your plate high so you don’t miss anything, you may experience temporary pleasure or instant gratification, but it will pass and fade, and once consumed, your life will not have been enriched. If you take what is needed, pass it on, or even go without to benefit others, you'll have achieved virtue.
"Remember that you ought to behave in life as you would at a banquet. As something is being passed around it comes to you; stretch out your hand, take a portion of it politely. It passes on; do not detain it. Or it has not come to you yet; do not project your desire to meet it, but wait until it comes in front of you. So act toward children, so toward a wife, so toward office, so toward wealth."
– Epictetus
