It is true that Stoics were not prone to getting lost in the clouds. As we discussed recently, they were too busy running their empire—imperial or business—to deal in theory and abstraction (read more about the professions of the various Stoics in Lives of the Stoics). They didn't see 'philosopher' as a job so much as a thing that informed their job, whether that job was at the top of the hierarchy or at the bottom, as Cleanthes and Epictetus both were.
But still, we should not mistake this professionalism for provincialism. Marcus Aurelius was dragged to the Colosseum as part of his job, but the crowds noticed that he did not enjoy the games. Instead, he was seen pouring over his philosophy books, possibly even writing some of the pages in Meditations. Indeed, in Meditations (we carry a premium edition if you're looking for one), Marcus reminds himself to 'not be all about business.' He needed time for reflection, for big ideas. Cato loved to have dinner parties where he debated philosophy for hours. The Scipionic Circle, as we've talked about, was another such meeting place for Stoics (we see Daily Stoic Life as a modern-day version).
And the older Stoic writings are filled with speculations about the origins of the universe, the animating substances of life, the physics of existence. They liked logic problems. Cicero wrote a whole book on Stoic paradoxes! So yes, the Stoics were practical and real and tried to orient most of what they did toward the cultivation of virtue in the course of everyday life.
They still made time for contemplating big ideas, though. For asking big questions. For getting lost in thought. It's okay for you to make time for that too!
But we have to create structure and boundaries around this kind of contemplation, as the Stoics did. That's why we send these meditations each morning—to design a space for us to consider those big ideas, examine them, hold them up to the light, and then continue on our day. It's also why we started Daily Stoic Life—to build a meeting place for Stoics like us to go deep, debate this philosophy, and consider life's big questions.
In a short time, Daily Stoic Life has transformed from a modern-day Scipionic Circle into a global community of Stoic thinkers and practitioners dedicated to becoming the best versions of themselves. No spam, no trolls, just people who want to learn and grow. In fact, one of the major perks of joining Daily Stoic Life is FREE access to all our challenges and courses (a $500 value, by the way), each tailored to overcoming the specific obstacle you're facing right now (we keep hearing rave reviews for our Habits for Success, Habits for Happiness course and Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge). We also send you an extra meditation on Saturday and Sunday—like the one you're receiving right now—to carve out that territory of reflection for yourself on the weekend.
And because we believe the more voices in our community the better, we're doing this extra perk for new members. Typically, when you join, we send you this cool gift set that features a hardcover copy of the year's very best meditations. Well if you join NOW, we'll ship you a copy of the 2023, the 2022, and the 2021 Daily Stoic Meditations for FREE. These books are only available to DSL members and not for sale to the general public. We only have a limited quantity remaining for these years, and once they're gone, they're gone!
Devote yourself wholly to philosophy, as Seneca advised. Don't just give it your leftover time or the random thought walking down the street. Join our community at Daily Stoic Life full of doers and thinkers TODAY over at https://dailystoic.com/life/!
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