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Applying Stoicism With Travis Hume

July 11, 2017July 30, 2017 Justin Vacula Leave a comment

Travis Hume joins me to talk about applications of Stoicism in many areas of life including college and the workplace.

Travis Hume is the creator, administrator, and writer at ApplyingStoicism.com. He is 27 years old, and currently serves as a Special Education Paraprofessional. He aims to write full-time on the application of Stoic philosophy, and the restoration of its system.

My Stoic Philosophy series explores the tradition of Stoicism with goals to inform, empower, and help others benefit from practical wisdom of Ancient Greek, Roman, and modern thinkers including Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Seneca.

For the Stoics, a main focus is pursuing virtue to attain a well-examined life through practical applications of Philosophy – acting with good character, using reason to form accurate careful judgments about the world, and achieving contentment. Stoic writers focus on many perennial human concerns and urge people to take action applying what they learn to everyday life. Self-improvement is central to Stoic thought – strengthening and improving one’s mindset.

Listen to my new Stoic Philosophy episode on SoundCloud.

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Stoic Philosophy: Desolation

July 5, 2017 Justin Vacula 1 Comment

I talk about desolation; self-reliance worth wanting; benefits of good relationships; explain the drawbacks of desolation; and argue for courageousness.

Listen to my new Stoic Philosophy episode about desolation and its cure on SoundCloud and YouTube.

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Stoic Philosophy for Secular Humanists Speech

June 29, 2017July 2, 2017 Justin Vacula Leave a comment

I recently presented on the topic of Stoic Philosophy for the Humanist Association of Greater Philadelphia. Watch the video on YouTube and listen on SoundCloud.

From the introduction to my speech:

Secular humanists — subscribing to no religious worldview — face questions of how they can find meaning in life, have an ethical foundation, cope with hardships, and come to terms with death. Religious individuals draw upon their various traditions for answers to many of life’s big questions, but non-religious individuals may find themselves to be at a loss – especially in the eyes of the religious – to establish and explain a solid framework for living a coherent examined ethical life.

Stoic Philosophy – popularized by Ancient Greek and Roman thinkers like Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Seneca – offers practical wisdom with which Secular Humanists and people of all backgrounds can improve their lives by finding responses to many perennial challenges.

For the Stoics, a main focus is pursuing virtue to attain a well-examined life through practical applications of Philosophy – acting with good character, using reason to form accurate careful judgments about the world, and having contentment through casting away anxiety and certain desires. Stoic writers urge people to take action applying what they learn to everyday life. Self-improvement including strengthening and improving one’s mindset is central to Stoic thought. Even though many Stoic writers are centuries removed from us, their wisdom endures and is extremely relevant to our time.

This speech – referencing Epictetus’ ‘Discourses,’ Marcus Aurelius’ ‘Meditations,’ and Seneca’s ‘Letters from a Stoic’ — will focus on central themes within Stoic Philosophy including having an ethical foundation for life, finding purpose, dealing with death, overcoming adversity, acceptance, distinguishing what’s inside and outside our control, and working toward contentment.

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Stoicism and Anger with Gregory Sadler

June 27, 2017July 2, 2017 Justin Vacula Leave a comment

Gregory Sadler joins me for a conversation about Stoicism and anger.

We talk about the negative consequences of anger; how to reduce anger and stress; how to better handle testing situations; benefits of a more content mindset; and much more.

Gregory B. Sadler is a philosopher, consultant, speaker, and online content producer.

He served as a Combat Engineer in the US Army, then attended and graduated from Lakeland College with a degree in Philosophy and Mathematics. He went on to earn a Masters and Ph.D. in Philosophy at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

After his graduate work, for six years, he taught Philosophy and Religious Studies for Ball State University’s extended education 4-year degree program, at Indiana State Prison. He then moved down to Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, where in addition to teaching Critical Thinking and Philosophy classes, he coordinated university-wide assessment, wrote portions of the 10 year Quality Enhancement plan, and began designing and facilitating workshops for educators.

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Stoic Philosophy: Acceptance

June 16, 2017July 2, 2017 Justin Vacula Leave a comment

I talk about the benefits of a mindset including an attitude of acceptance drawing upon passages from ‘Seneca’s Letters From a Stoic.’

Rather than merely complaining — lamenting our situation in life and events happening around us which are outside our control — we can work to improve our mindset by being more content and in doing so reduce our anger, stress levels, and anxiety. We can work to be aware of our emotions, prepare for hardships, and respond to events more appropriately with an attitude of acceptance.

For the Stoics, a main focus is pursuing virtue to attain a well-examined life through practical applications of Philosophy – acting with good character, using reason to form accurate careful judgments about the world, and achieving contentment. Stoic writers focus on many perennial human concerns and urge people to take action applying what they learn to everyday life. Self-improvement — strengthening and improving one’s mindset and life — is central to Stoic thought.

Click on this post’s title for more.