There’s a big difference between having fortitude and hiding away in a fortress. In the latter case, we physically separate ourselves through self-isolation. Oftentimes, this is an attempt to hide from the big, bad things in the world. It's not unlikely that serial self-isolators suffer from feelings of powerlessness, believing that what’s happening outside is too much for them, as they lack the strength and skill to cope. Unfortunately, they miss out on many life experiences, simply because they do not want to face the malevolence of humankind. Now, there’s another way to go about this. Instead of self-isolation, we could choose to strengthen our faculties, meaning that we become more resilient towards unpleasant people and situations, and don’t let them stop us from living a good life. This video explores Stoic philosophy that can help us to build fortitude. What exactly does ‘fortitude’ mean?

The definition of fortitude according to online dictionary Merriam Webster is: “strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage.” Stoic fortitude, therefore, is the art of strengthening the mind with Stoic principles, so we become less inclined to hide away in our fortresses, and live life more fully. The Stoics were masters at approaching the world with logic and reason, showing us that many external things are actually unworthy of our attention. Other people’s opinions aren’t as important as we think, and a good reputation is just a commodity that brings us from point A to point B. According to the Stoics, we can’t change the world, but we can change our mindset and, thus, the position we take towards the world. With the right mindset, we can overcome any adversity. Of course, this isn’t easy. It takes a lot of practice.

So, how can Stoic principles transform our
mindset? First of all, we might have certain beliefs
that evoke irritation in us, sometimes so much so, that it becomes a difficult task
to merely live. Thus not life itself, but our beliefs about
how life should and shouldn’t be are the cause of our pain. The logic behind this is that we tie our happiness
to certain expectations. So when these expectations repeatedly do not
come to fruition because they don’t align with an undeniable and inevitable reality,
we suffer. An example of this we can find in a letter
that Stoic philosopher Seneca wrote to his friend Serenus. Serenus wished that people wouldn’t treat
each other with rudeness and scorn. But Seneca explained to him that this is the
wrong way to look at it. I quote: “You are expressing a wish that the whole
human race were inoffensive, which may hardly be; moreover, those who would gain by such
wrongs not being done are those who would

do them, not he who could not suffer from
them even if they were done.” End quote. Thus, by changing how we look at the world,
we relieve ourselves from the pain of resistance. Life is full of pain, and full of people that
are rude, selfish, and violent. The less we resist this fact, the more we
can face the world in a tranquil manner. In his work Of Peace of Mind, Seneca argued
that we cannot live well if we don’t know how to die well. If we know that death is the fate that was
laid upon us the moment we were born, we will live according to it. This realization adds to our mental fortitude:
knowing that we could die anytime, nothing can befall us unexpectedly. I quote: “For by looking forward to everything which
can happen as though it would happen to him, he takes the sting out of all evils, which
can make no difference to those who expect

it and are prepared to meet it: evil only
comes hard upon those who have lived without giving it a thought and whose attention has
been exclusively directed to happiness. Disease, captivity, disaster, conflagration,
are none of them unexpected: I always knew with what disorderly company Nature had associated
me.” End quote. We’ll continue with Epictetus. Epictetus teaches us the foundation of mental
fortitude, which is the curbing of our desires and aversions. Most people that go into the world desire
certain outcomes. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but such
a stance has its consequences. I quote: “He who is making progress, having learned
from philosophers that desire means the desire of good things, and aversion means aversion
from bad things; having learned too that happiness and tranquillity are not attainable by man
otherwise than by not failing to obtain what he desires, and not falling into that which
he would avoid; such a man takes from himself

desire altogether and defers it, but he employs
his aversion only on things which are dependent on his will.” End quote. This very much applies to everything we do. As Epictetus states in his work the Enchiridion,
things beyond our control are weak and slavish. And if we let our mood depend on things that
are not up to us, we find ourselves in quite a feeble position. Therefore, according to Epictetus, we should
be indifferent towards anything independent of our own will. Because if we aren’t, we let external factors
rule over our ability to be happy. Mental fortitude, therefore, entails a healthy
contempt for the things beyond our control; things we normally approach with desire and
aversion. This means ceasing to desire that people like
you, ceasing to be averse to losing your possessions and focusing entirely on your own actions. Epictetus goes as far as to say that we should
even wish to be ridiculed, despised, and come

off as losers if that preserves our peace
of mind. I quote: “You must watch, you must labor, you must
get the better of certain appetites. You must quit your acquaintance, be despised by your
servant, be laughed at by those you meet. Come off worse than others in everything,
in magistracies, in honors, in courts of judicature. When you have considered all these things
round, approach, if you please. If, by parting with them, you have a mind to purchase equanimity,
freedom, and tranquillity.” End quote. The next one is Chrysippus, who is often regarded
the greatest of all Stoics. Chrysippus made great contributions to Stoic
philosophy, particularly in regards to the Stoic system of propositional logic. He was quite an industrious man, having written
more than 700 volumes. Unfortunately, none of them survived. Chrysippus further expanded on the Stoic system
of ethics and followed the idea that living

a happy life is the end goal, which all of
our actions should be geared towards. And to reach this goal, we should examine
the universe to find out what’s good and bad. Or how he put it: “To live in accordance
with one’s experience
of the things which come about by nature.” From this view, the Stoics gave birth to a
system that differentiates between virtue, vice, and everything that’s in between, and
concluded that living virtuously means living happily, and living viciously means living
unhappily. One of the cardinal Stoic virtues is ‘courage’
(as opposed to ‘cowardice’, which the Stoics consider a vice). Courage can be considered an essential element
of building Stoic fortitude. Oftentimes, the path of virtue requires us
to face our fears and go through pain instead of avoiding it. Courage allows us to make the right choices
and reach our goals despite the obstacles.

that lay on our path. Typical everyday vices are quick fixes. Using substances immoderately, or replacing
challenging tasks by easily digestible pleasures, are ways in which we cower away from difficult
situations. The problem is that vices bring short-term
pleasure that is immediately followed by the misery of not reaching our long-term goals,
of gambling away opportunities we’re too afraid to take, and the inevitable low that
follows from doing something that isn’t good for us and our environment, which often
manifests in shame and guilt. Virtue, on the other hand, may involve temporary
discomfort, but the long-term satisfaction we gain is absolutely worth the struggle. Therefore, we could see virtue as a star in
the sky that we continuously aim for. And by anchoring ourselves in a goal that
transcends pain and pleasure, it’s much easier not to falter in the face of adversity.

This mindset requires an indifference towards
the external situation we’re in, not letting it overshadow our faculty of choice. Thus, we focus primarily on our own actions,
and whether or not they’re virtuous. What’s happening around us comes secondarily,
as it’s a matter of fate, which is beyond our control. I quote: “If I knew that it was fated for me to be
sick, I would even wish for it; for the foot also, if it had intelligence, would volunteer
to get muddy.” End quote. Sickness to the body, or whatever else may
overcome us, doesn’t impede our ability to act. According to the Stoics, what happens is how
nature has intended it to be, so we shouldn’t wish for things to happen differently; instead,
we should accept it and do what’s best in that given situation. This accepting position towards fate, and
how this benefits fortitude, brings us to the next Stoic philosopher and once emperor
of Rome:

(4) Marcus Aurelius. As the leader of the world’s largest empire, Marcus Aurelius knew exactly how harsh life can be. Rome was not only in continuous war with its enemies; it was also struck by the plague. And on top of that, Marcus suffered various illnesses, and a betrayal by his wife Faustina. Also, to cope with all the difficult people he faced on a daily basis, he invented a Stoic exercise called the ‘negative visualization’ that fortifies the mind by adjusting our expectations. In the eleventh book of his meditations, Marcus encourages himself to live virtuously, without being stopped by the people that stand in his way. Not everyone wants the best for us, and some try to sabotage us. But regardless of what they do, we can’t blame them for our faults, as they’re unable to affect our ability to choose. Thus, we are responsible for our own choices.

I quote: “Someone despises me. That’s their problem. Mine: not to do or say anything despicable. Someone hates me. Their problem. Mine: to be patient and cheerful with everyone, including them. Ready to show them their mistake. Not spitefully, or to show off my own self-control, but in an honest, upright way.” End quote. To summarize: Seneca advised us to let go of our ideals about how the world should be, and, instead, take it how it is. Also, he told us that we cannot live well, if we don’t know how to die well. Thus, we shouldn’t close our eyes for misfortune; instead we should expect it, and see it as a part of life. Epictetus told us that the things beyond our control are weak and slavish, so they’re unreliable factors to base our happiness upon. It’s better to be indifferent towards anything independent of our own will.

These things are inferior to what’s truly in our power: our own actions. Chrysippus, the greatest of all Stoics, further developed the Stoic system of ethics, showing us that a happy life is a virtuous life. Courage is one of the cardinal virtues, meaning that we must be willing to endure discomfort and face our fears, in order to live well. If we choose to engage in vices instead, we may experience short-term pleasure, but this will lead to unhappiness in the long run. Marcus Aurelius wrote in his meditations that no matter how severe the external circumstances are; they won’t impede our ability to choose. Therefore, we can’t blame other people for our faults. We are responsible for our own choices. The less we care about the things that don’t matter, the stronger our determination will be. Thank you watching.

“Someone despises me. That’s their problem.” | How to Build Stoic Fortitude

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