I've been reading Meditations for the last two years. Many days, I would read no more than two or three pages, uncapping my highlighter as many as five times per page. Meditations is a cornerstone work for anyone interested in Stoicism, and it's often the catalyst for my journaling. Nothing fuels my desire to journal more than copying a few quotes from Meditations into my notebook. At some point, after rewriting the words, my own thoughts take over. It’s cathartic, it’s a reprieve, it’s a process I hunger to complete every single day.
Stoicism is a philosophy that teaches the development of self-control and fortitude as a means of overcoming destructive emotions. The core principles of Stoicism are perfect for guiding the way I want to live my life post-diagnosis:
Living in the moment: Not worrying about the past (but learning from it) or the future.
Doing the work: Focusing on the right thing in front of me, right now.
Accepting fate: Everything happens as it should; the only thing I can control is how I react.
Embracing tranquility: Anger is never the answer.
I wouldn’t call Meditations a roadmap for living, but more of a remedy—a tool for injecting reminders of the core behaviors I want to embody in my life. It lives by my bed, has accompanied me on trips, and has even come up in conversations with random people, often to find that they, too, are engaging with its content.
I discovered Stoicism about a year or so after my surgery through an indirect recommendation from a friend. There’s a guy, Ryan Holiday (https://ryanholiday.net/), who has written several books about it. He has a podcast, newsletters, and other resources that help break down the core tenets of Stoicism, making the philosophy accessible and digestible for anyone. Check him out if you don’t know where else to start.
Stoicism helps me immensely when I worry about death and the impact my passing might have on my family. It helps me snap out of the trap of rumination and take steps toward making the most of every moment by being present.
To me, Stoicism is action-oriented. There’s not a moment in my life where I can’t deploy Stoic tools and principles to guide me.
I plan to share some of my favorite quotes from Meditations here in the future. If you feel like you’re in a funk, uneasy, or not being the best version of yourself, I recommend at least passing through Meditations. I can’t imagine a scenario where you won’t gain something from the time.
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