Development and Transformation: On Stoic Philosophy as a Practice Leading to Happiness

Any time is a good time to start working on yourself, m.in. to be able to enjoy life more. The impulse to meet Dr. Tomasz Mazur – philosopher, writer and contemporary stoic was the European Week of Sustainable Development. The theme of the event, co-organized by PwC Poland, was: “Development and Transformation: On Stoic Philosophy as a Practice Leading to Happiness”. The meeting with the Guest was moderated by Monika Bogdanowicz from the communication department of Olivia Business Centre.

“Stoicism is like a first aid kit” – this is how this philosophy and art of life practiced by the Greeks and Romans was described by Dr. Tomasz Mazur. Because of its practical dimension, Stoicism has been and still is a constant source of inspiration for generations. Today, perhaps more than ever, it is useful to learn the Stoic rules and exercises. Modern man is overwhelmed by an excessive number of stimuli and desires. He sets himself unrealistic and impossible goals and is unable to be happy with who he is. He cannot, because he is a prisoner of emotions and succumbs to things without any meaning.

^{Fig. We Love Foto, welovephoto.pl}

The ancient Stoics looked at man differently than we do today. The Romans were skeptical of emotionality, which they believed was the source of… bad decisions. Therefore, Stoicism teaches above all how to react to external stimuli. A Stoic examines himself carefully, observes his reflexes, and knows that he can change them. He is aware that there is space for reflection between the stimulus and the automatic response. And this awareness allows the Stoic to reduce his susceptibility to reflexes. A practising Stoic, according to Tomasz Mazur, has thoughtless reflection. “You can’t control whether you’re stuck in traffic, but you can control how you plan your route the next day, or what you do during the trip – like listening to an audiobook.” In the flood of goals and stimuli (one of the culprits is social media), we are unable to control the emotions that lead to what Dr. Mazur calls “running downhill”. Everyone knows how it ends when it’s impossible to stop.

Besides, stoicism teaches you to limit your needs and desires. It is not the outside world, but our own expectations that make us unhappy.

Thirdly, Stoicism is about focusing on what is dependent on us. Don’t think about the consequences, don’t imagine possible scenarios. To be like Adam Małysz, who thinks only about making the best of two jumps. The same is important in life. It’s not about whether you win, it’s how you play. Stoicism does not look for the causes of problems in the world, because we often have no influence on them. What can we change? Your reaction to what happens to us. A person has the power to change himself and his own habits.

What the ancient Stoics intuited is confirmed by modern psychology and neuroscience. Epictetus recommended starting small. Where do you start?

See the full photo report from the meeting in Olivia with Dr. Tomasz Mazur