Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons for Modern Resilience – start your day with a Stoic EDC Reminder Coin
Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy that flourished throughout the Roman and Greek world until the 3rd century AD. Stoicism is predominantly a philosophy of personal ethics which is informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world. According to its teachings, as social beings, the path to happiness for humans is found in accepting this moment as it presents itself, by not allowing ourselves to be controlled by our desire for pleasure or our fear of pain, by using our minds to understand the world around us and to do our part in nature's plan, and by working together and treating others in a fair and just manner.
EDC challenge coins as physical reminders
The Stoic EDC Coins in our collection represent the daily physical reminders of the key teachings of Stoicism like the 4 cardinal virtues that are regarded as the basic virtues of a virtuous life or Amor Fati – seen as the practice of accepting and embracing everything that has happened, is happening, and is yet to happen.
This too, shall pass.
If something is outside your control, it is nothing to you. You cannot influence the outcome, and having anxiety, fearing it, or otherwise reacting has no bearing on reality. You are needlessly suffering twice over.
Impressions are not reality
Remember, it is not circumstances or outcomes themselves that upset us, but our judgements about them. If you are not feeling at peace, it is simply a case of changing your judgement about what is in your mind.
You must learn to reason well. You have the power within you to remove any disturbance from your mind. You have the power within you to be at peace. If you want anything good, get it from within yourself.
Amor Fati — Love Fate
Have gratitude for everything that has happened, for it has taught you who you are.
Let this determine what you do and say and think.
Be Grateful
Gratitude is a virtue that enjoys high standing among the Stoics generally. Seneca, in On Benefits, said, “He who receives a benefit with gratitude repays the first instalment on his debt.” The first book of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations is a poignant and grateful accounting of his indebtedness to family, friends, teachers, and others. Cicero called gratitude the greatest of the virtues, and “the mother of all the others” (Pro Plancio).
If you are a stoic or aiming at becoming one, bringing gratitude to the fore in your life will likely require a conscious effort. If you frequently pray, meditate, or practice some form of reflection focused on self-improvement, an easy step might be to add a minute or a few to explicitly acknowledge those things, and events from your day for which you are particularly thankful. With the Gratitude Coin from the EDC Reminder Coins collection, it’s not difficult, and once you get started, the number of good things happening in your life, even within the space of a single unremarkable day, may surprise you; they will certainly encourage you.
Carpe Diem — Today is the day. The Latin phrase that is translated as seize the day, meaning make the most of each moment of your life, live life to the fullest. The entire phrase is “carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero”, which means “pluck the day, trusting as little as possible in the future”. Horace championed Epicureanism, a philosophy taught by Epicurious around 307 BC which expounded the idea that pleasure is the most important thing in life and is attained through simple living. Th phrase is as an exhortation to grab opportunities and live life to the fullest, without any reference to the future.
Take action! Stoicism is the philosophy of action, so act! Spend as much or more time DOING than reading.
and turns whatever happens to his own benefit.”
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