Speaker 1: All right, so get this today, we're getting life advice
Speaker 1: from like a Roman emperor.
Speaker 2: Crazy, right, Okay, now you've got me curious. Tell me more.
Speaker 1: We're talking about Marcus Aurelius, you know, the philosopher emperor
Speaker 1: rule Rome at its peak.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I know him.
Speaker 1: But this isn't about conquering barbarians or anything like that.
Speaker 1: It's about conquering something way harder.
Speaker 2: What's that yourself? Oooh, now we're talking. Yeah, so tell
Speaker 2: me how does a Roman emperor from what eighteen hundred
Speaker 2: years ago teach us about self improvement?
Speaker 1: Well, that's the really cool part. It's through his meditations. Basically,
Speaker 1: it's like his personal journal. But forget Cherius and Togas
Speaker 1: and all that. It's packed with like surprisingly relatable wisdom,
Speaker 1: stuff that's still relevant even with all our modern day anxieties.
Speaker 2: Interesting, what kind of wisdom are we talking about?
Speaker 1: We're talking about Stoic philosophy.
Speaker 2: Stoicism. Oh, that sounds kind of serious, doesn't it.
Speaker 1: I know, it gets a bad rap for being all
Speaker 1: about like suppressing your emotions and stuff, but it's so
Speaker 1: much deeper than that. We actually have excerpt from this
Speaker 1: chatbot conversation where someone asked it to, like imagine a
Speaker 1: podcast about Marcus Aurelius. Okay, and it came up with
Speaker 1: some really good episode titles like Mindfulness and Virtue. How
Speaker 1: Marcus Aurelius Defines True Strength.
Speaker 2: Wow, that's actually a pretty good title. What happened next?
Speaker 1: So then the user asked the chatbot to like write
Speaker 1: an entire essay based on one of the titles Stoic
Speaker 1: Wisdom life Lessons from Marcus Aurelius's meditations. Interesting, and let
Speaker 1: me tell you this chatbot delivered. It dove into the
Speaker 1: core of Stoicism and how it can be applied to
Speaker 1: today's world.
Speaker 2: You know, all right, you've piqued my curiosity. So where
Speaker 2: do we even begin with this Stoic wisdoms? Okay?
Speaker 1: So picture this. It's a one seventy a d. Marcus
Speaker 1: Aurelius is leading the Roman Empire, right, He's dealing with
Speaker 1: barbarian invasions, devastating play. Yeah, it's gonna say that sounds
Speaker 1: a little stressful, right, maybe even a rebellious teenager, you know,
Speaker 1: relatable stuff.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'd say those are a few stressors.
Speaker 1: And in the middle of all that chaos, he's writing
Speaker 1: the notes to himself, not about how to be a
Speaker 1: better emperor or anything, but about how to be a
Speaker 1: better person.
Speaker 2: Wow, even emperors had self help books. Uh so what
Speaker 2: was Aurelius' secret?
Speaker 1: Well, one major takeaway from meditations is this whole idea
Speaker 1: of control. The chatbot essay sums it up really nicely,
Speaker 1: the art of.
Speaker 2: Calm, The art of calm, I like that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, right? So basically, Marcus Aurelius realized that a lot
Speaker 1: of our stress comes from well, trying to control things
Speaker 1: we simply can't like like other people, the past, the future,
Speaker 1: all that stuff.
Speaker 2: That's so true.
Speaker 1: What he could control, though, were a own thoughts and reactions.
Speaker 2: That's so true. I think when I think about the
Speaker 2: times that I feel the most stressed, it's usually when
Speaker 2: I'm trying to control the uncontrollable, you know. But how
Speaker 2: do we actually put that into practice?
Speaker 1: And that's where it's really interesting. The chatbot actually gives
Speaker 1: a great example. Like, imagine you've got a big presentation
Speaker 1: at work, right, Yeah, So instead of stressing about whether
Speaker 1: your boss will like it, or if your colleagues will
Speaker 1: be impressed, all that stuff that's totally out of your control,
Speaker 1: you focus on what you can.
Speaker 2: Control like your preparation and the clarity of your ideas,
Speaker 2: like your delivery, bringing your a game.
Speaker 1: Exactly. It's all about like taking ownership of the situation.
Speaker 1: And as the chappop pointed out, this is where mindfulness
Speaker 1: comes in, which from Marcus aurelia Is wasn't just about meditating,
Speaker 1: but like a.
Speaker 2: Way of life mindfulness. Now, how does that fit into stoicism.
Speaker 1: So aureli Is believed that mindfulness, you know, like being
Speaker 1: present and aware of your thoughts without judgment, is the
Speaker 1: key to living a virtuous life. You see. He saw
Speaker 1: awareness of our thoughts as like the crucial first step
Speaker 1: to choosing how we react. It's about recognizing those negative
Speaker 1: thought patterns we all have and choosing not to let
Speaker 1: them control us, you know.
Speaker 2: So it's about being mindful not just of what's happening externally,
Speaker 2: but also about what's going on in our.
Speaker 1: Own heads exactly. And that mindfulness then gives us the
Speaker 1: ability to exercise that stoic control we're talking about. Think
Speaker 1: about it. If we're not even aware of our thoughts,
Speaker 1: we can't choose to shift them in a more positive direction.
Speaker 2: It's amazing how relevant these ideas are. I mean, it
Speaker 2: was thousands of years ago, but still, I mean, sure,
Speaker 2: we have smartphones and the internet all that, but deep down,
Speaker 2: don't you think we're still wrestling with the same questions
Speaker 2: about how to be happy, how to find peace of mind,
Speaker 2: purpose in life.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, we might have different distractions now, but the human
Speaker 1: experience is still fundamentally the same. And in a way,
Speaker 1: Marcus Aurelius was trying to answer those same questions just
Speaker 1: in a toga.
Speaker 2: So we've got mindfulness as a way to deal with
Speaker 2: our thoughts and reactions. But what about all the other stuff,
Speaker 2: the things we really can't control. How does stoicism approach those? Well,
Speaker 2: that's where acceptance comes in, you see. Marcus Aurelius, he
Speaker 2: believed that a lot of our suffering comes from like
Speaker 2: fighting against reality, fighting against what already is.
Speaker 1: Like when you order an iced coffee but they accidentally
Speaker 1: give you a hot coffee. You can get upset and
Speaker 1: demand they fix it, or you can just be like, Okay,
Speaker 1: I guess I'm having a hot coffee today.
Speaker 2: Exactly. We can like rage against the coffee machine of life,
Speaker 2: you know, or we can accept what is and move forward.
Speaker 1: I like that raging against the coffee machine of life.
Speaker 1: I'm using that, But seriously, how does this whole radical
Speaker 1: acceptance thing actually work? Like, how do we just accept
Speaker 1: the things we don't like?
Speaker 2: Well, the chatbot essay actually highlighted this quote from Meditations
Speaker 2: that I thought was really powerful.
Speaker 1: Okay, let's hear it.
Speaker 2: Aurelius writes, the mind adapts and converts to its own purposes.
Speaker 2: The obstacle to our acting the impediment to action, advances action.
Speaker 2: What stands in the way becomes the way.
Speaker 1: Okay, unpack that one for me. What does that even mean?
Speaker 2: It means basically, we have a choice. We can view
Speaker 2: obstacles as like these insurmountable roadblocks right right, or we
Speaker 2: can find a way to adapt, to shift our perspective
Speaker 2: to turn those obstacles into opportunities for growth.
Speaker 1: It's like that saying, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Speaker 2: Right, But Aurelius is taking it a step further. I
Speaker 2: think he's saying, when life gives you lemons, use them
Speaker 2: to build something amazing.
Speaker 1: Okay, I can get behind that. So instead of getting
Speaker 1: stuck in the yme phase, it's more about Okay, this
Speaker 1: is happening.
Speaker 2: Now, what exactly and that shift in perspective can make
Speaker 2: all the difference. Two people can face the exact same obstacle,
Speaker 2: but their reactions will be totally different based on their mindset.
Speaker 1: It's like that old saying, it's not what happens to you,
Speaker 1: but how you react to it that matters, exactly. So
Speaker 1: we've got mindfulness for controlling our reactions to the things
Speaker 1: we can control, and acceptance for the things we can't.
Speaker 1: What other Stoic gems did Marcus Aurelius leave for us?
Speaker 2: Well, he also talked a lot about virtue.
Speaker 1: Virtue.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he believed that virtue was the key to living
Speaker 2: a good life, a life of like meaning, purpose, even happiness.
Speaker 1: So like virtue in the sense of being a good.
Speaker 2: Person exactly, But for the Stoics it went beyond just
Speaker 2: like being nice. They believe that true strength came from
Speaker 2: aligning your actions with wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance.
Speaker 1: Those are some pretty hefty virtues. What did he mean
Speaker 1: by that?
Speaker 2: Well, take wisdom, for example, a really assaul wisdom as
Speaker 2: this ability to see things clearly, to see them for
Speaker 2: what they truly are, not how we wish they were.
Speaker 2: Right and in our modern world with so much information
Speaker 2: overload that's more important than ever.
Speaker 1: It's like we're constantly bombarded with all these different perspectives,
Speaker 1: all these truths. It's so easy to just blindly accept
Speaker 1: what we see online without like even questioning.
Speaker 2: It right, And really this would probably encourage us to
Speaker 2: engage in what the Chatbock called active wisdom.
Speaker 1: Active wisdom I.
Speaker 2: Like it, Yeah, to be critical thinkers, to seek out
Speaker 2: diverse perspectives to like form our own informed opinions.
Speaker 1: So wisdom in the age of social media. Check what
Speaker 1: about the other stoic virtues justice, courage, and temperance. What
Speaker 1: do those look like today? So how do these other
Speaker 1: virtues like justice, courage, temperance, How do those fit into
Speaker 1: our modern lives? Those seem like big kind of old
Speaker 1: fashioned ideas.
Speaker 2: You know, well, they might sound old fashioned, but they're
Speaker 2: actually like incredibly relevant to the challenges we face today
Speaker 2: even now. Take justice for example, Okay, Marcus Aurelius, he
Speaker 2: really believed in acting fairly and ethically even when it's hard, yea.
Speaker 2: And in today's world, where it's so easy to get
Speaker 2: caught up in our own little bubbles, that sense of justice,
Speaker 2: of like standing up for what's right even when it's unpopular.
Speaker 2: I think that's incredibly important.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's like choosing to speak out against injustice, even
Speaker 1: if it means like going against.
Speaker 2: The crowd exactly. Or think about courage. Okay, In ancient Rome,
Speaker 2: courage might have meant like facing down a line in
Speaker 2: the colisseum, right, but today courage it might mean speaking
Speaker 2: your truth in a meeting, or like setting healthy boundaries
Speaker 2: in your relationships, or even just you know, facing your
Speaker 2: fears head on.
Speaker 1: It's about that inner strength to do what you think
Speaker 1: is right, even when it's like uncomfortable or challenging.
Speaker 2: Right exactly. And then there's temperance, which the stoics all
Speaker 2: as like the art of moderation, of finding balance in
Speaker 2: all areas of life, which in our you know, always
Speaker 2: on constantly connected world, that virtue can be tough to practice.
Speaker 1: Especially with social media right constantly tempting us with the
Speaker 1: comparisons and instant gratification and.
Speaker 2: All that exactly. Yeah, but really, as would remind us
Speaker 2: that true contentment it doesn't come from chasing like fleeting
Speaker 2: pleasures or external validation. It comes from finding joy in
Speaker 2: the simple things, from cultivating inner peace, and from like
Speaker 2: living in alignment with our values.
Speaker 1: Okay, this is all starting to make sense now, but
Speaker 1: I have to admit it can feel a little overwhelming,
Speaker 1: Like how do we actually like live this way? How
Speaker 1: do we incorporate all of this stoic wisdom into our
Speaker 1: daily lives? Well?
Speaker 2: Remember, for Marcus Aurelius, stoicism wasn't about achieving like some
Speaker 2: kind of perfect state. He saw it as a practice,
Speaker 2: you know, a lifelong journey of self improvement.
Speaker 1: So it's less about being a perfect stoic and more
Speaker 1: about just like taking it one step at.
Speaker 2: A time, precisely, it's about those small, consistent efforts to
Speaker 2: like align your actions with these principles day after.
Speaker 1: Okay, so like baby steps, where do we even begin?
Speaker 1: What are some practical things we can do to bring
Speaker 1: more stoicism into our lives?
Speaker 2: Well, the chatbot has say, had a great suggestion journaling.
Speaker 1: Journaling huh sounds so simple?
Speaker 2: It is simple, but incredibly powerful. Remember Meditations itself, that
Speaker 2: was essentially Marcus Aurelis's personal journal. You know, it was
Speaker 2: his space to reflect, to like grapple with challenges, to
Speaker 2: work through those difficult emotions. And we can do the same.
Speaker 1: So it's like our own personal meditations a place to
Speaker 1: get real with ourselves and see where we can do better.
Speaker 1: But like, what do we actually write about?
Speaker 2: Well, you can start with a quote from meditations that
Speaker 2: like resonated with you and then just reflect on how
Speaker 2: it applies to your own life. Or ask yourself, where
Speaker 2: did I act according to my values today? Where did
Speaker 2: I fall short? What am I grateful for?
Speaker 1: I love that it's like creating that pause in our
Speaker 1: day to like check in with ourselves and be more
Speaker 1: intentional about our.
Speaker 2: Choices exactly, And don't put pressure on yourself to write
Speaker 2: like pages and pages. Even just five minutes of reflection
Speaker 2: each day, I think can make a huge difference journaling.
Speaker 1: Check what other practical tips did you come across in
Speaker 1: your research?
Speaker 2: Well, remember that stoic principle of control. Yeah, one of
Speaker 2: the most like effective ways to put that into practice
Speaker 2: is to focus on your sphere of influence. Okay, ask yourself,
Speaker 2: what can I actually impact in this situation.
Speaker 1: It's like when you're stuck in traffic, right, Like you
Speaker 1: can't magically teleport yourself out of the car, but you
Speaker 1: can choose how you react to the situation exactly.
Speaker 2: You could get like angry and frustrated, or you could
Speaker 2: use that time to listen to a podcast, or like
Speaker 2: practice some mindfulness techniques, or even just enjoy the forced
Speaker 2: break from your busy day.
Speaker 1: It's about like finding those little pockets of control throughout
Speaker 1: our day and like making conscious choices about how we
Speaker 1: respond even to like the little annoyances.
Speaker 2: You got it. It's about like training ourselves to find
Speaker 2: those opportunities for growth, for practicing those stoic principles in
Speaker 2: the midst of everyday life.
Speaker 1: You know, one thing that really struck me about stoicism
Speaker 1: is that it's not about like becoming some kind of
Speaker 1: emotionless robot.
Speaker 2: That's such a common misconception. Stoicism acknowledges the full spectrum
Speaker 2: of human emotion. You know. It's not about suppressing your feelings.
Speaker 2: It's about choosing how you respond to them.
Speaker 1: So instead of letting our emotions like completely control us,
Speaker 1: we can learn to experience them fully without letting them
Speaker 1: like dictate our actions.
Speaker 2: Exactly. It's about finding that balance between like feeling deeply
Speaker 2: and acting wisely.
Speaker 1: This has been such a great conversation. I always learn
Speaker 1: so much from you. So as we wrap up here,
Speaker 1: what's the one thing you hope our listeners take away
Speaker 1: from our deep dive into Marcus Aurelius and stoicism.
Speaker 2: You know, I think it really just boils down to this.
Speaker 2: Even though Marcus Aurelius lived, you know, ESSENTIALI as ago
Speaker 2: the wisdom he shared in meditations, it's incredibly relevant to
Speaker 2: our modern lives. Whether it's you know, dealing with anxiety,
Speaker 2: or navigating difficult relationships, or just simply trying to find
Speaker 2: more peace and purpose in life. Stoicism offers a framework
Speaker 2: for living with more intention, more resilience, and even more joy.
Speaker 1: It's like he's saying, Hey, I know life is tough,
Speaker 1: it's fully challenges, but you've got this. You have the
Speaker 1: inner strength to face whatever comes your way.
Speaker 2: And the best part is this inner strength, this stoic mindset,
Speaker 2: it's available to all of us. It's not about being perfect.
Speaker 2: It's about, you know, showing up each day and striving
Speaker 2: to be the best version of ourselves.
Speaker 1: And on that note, we'll leave you with this powerful
Speaker 1: reminder from Marcus Aurelius himself. The happiness of your life
Speaker 1: depends upon the quality of your thoughts. Thanks for joining
Speaker 1: us for this deep dive, and we'll see you next
Speaker 1: time