The Daily Stoic

Don’t Let It Change You | How To Actually Be Happier In 2024 (According to the Stoics)

Feb 13, 2024

Learn about the story of Cato, a man of unwavering integrity who faced attempts to change him. Discover Stoic strategies for happiness, the power of inner happiness, finding laughter in despair, and embracing simplicity and adversity for true happiness.

16:38

Episode guests

Marcus

Cato

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Quick takeaways

Resisting societal pressures and staying true to oneself is crucial for maintaining a moral code.

Finding happiness involves focusing on what is within our control, cultivating gratitude, and embracing adversity as an opportunity for growth.

Deep dives

Resisting the Status Quo

The podcast highlights the importance of resisting societal pressures and maintaining one's moral code, using the example of Cato, a stoic Roman figure. It emphasizes the need to stay true to oneself despite the temptations and attempts to change us.

The Stoics and Happiness

01:40

Simplify and Remove to Get Closer to Your True Self

01:27

Introduction

2min

Stoic Strategies for Happiness and Taking Control of Your Mind

4min

The Power of Inner Happiness

5min

Finding Laughter in Despair and Living in Accordance with Nature

4min

Embracing Simplicity and Adversity for True Happiness

4min

So eventually a group of corrupt Romans contrived to have Cato assigned to a posting in Cyprus, a veritable hotbed of misdeeds and sin. It was a place where politicians got rich, where they had fun, where they lived the colonial high life. “You will come back from there a far more agreeable man and more tame,” one of them predicted to Cato. They weren’t trying to bribe him, they just wanted to expose him to how things were supposed to be done. They wanted him to get a taste.

This was what Marcus Aurelius was warning about in Meditations where he talked about “imperialization,” about being stained purple, about being “Caesarified.” The status quo doesn’t like people who buck it. No, the status quo contrives to apply pressure and persuasion on us, to get us to go along. It tries to change us, tries to lead us away from those pesky virtues of courage and temperance and justice and wisdom.

If you want to learn more about Cato, the Stoics all other Stoics admired, the man that George Washington made his hero, check out our video: 5 Stoic Secrets from the Man of Principle (Cato the Younger). We also dedicate a whole chapter to Cato in Lives of the Stoics (signed copies here!).

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