Stoa Conversations: Stoicism Applied Four Ways To Be Happy (Episode 220)
Jan 27, 2026
A short tour of Marcus Aurelius' four obstacles to happiness and how avoiding them can free you. Conversations cover surrendering to reality, cultivating healthy relationships, resisting being driven by pleasure or pain, and living with clear purpose. A closing reading from Meditations ties the ideas together.
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Happiness As Avoiding Self-Harm
- Marcus Aurelius lists four failures that make the soul harm itself and thus make us unhappy.
- Seeing happiness as removing what causes misery reframes pursuit into avoidance of specific harms.
Stop Fighting Reality
- Change your desires to avoid being vexed when expectations fail.
- Care appropriately about externals by focusing on excellent decisions rather than outcomes.
Harmony Requires Living With Others
- Living well with others aligns you with your nature and the world's nature, creating harmony.
- External success without social harmony is a fragile, likely illusory form of happiness.
