Letting Go Like a Stoic Saint: Detachment Done Right
I get questioned sometimes on why my blog is titled “Apostoic.” Well, here goes.
Stoic and Christian values, though born from wildly different worldviews, share a surprising overlap when it comes to building an unshakeable character. Both Stoicism and Christianity emphasize cultivating an inner strength that smiles in the face of chaos. For Stoics, it’s all about controlling what you can… your thoughts, words, actions, and reactions… while accepting the rest with the tranquility of a monk. Christianity, meanwhile, leans on God’s plan; urging believers to find peace in trials and trust in God’s providence, relying on prayer rather than worry, delivering that which you cannot control into God’s hands. This Stoicism and Christianity overlap creates a vibe of calm detachment from that which you cannot control, whether powered by reason or faith, and a recipe for peaceful existence. An adherent to the Christian faith, and an aspirant to the sweeping call to wisdom, temperance, and peace set forth in broader strokes in the scriptures, may benefit from the practical doses of concise and targeted thinking the stoic writers have to offer, as a toolbox for bringing their character and mentality in line with their goals.
How Stoicism and Christianity Tackle Suffering with a Smirk
A big chunk of the Stoic and Christian values crossover is their take on suffering; Both see it as a gym for the soul. Epictetus reckoned that challenges were chances to flex and hone virtues like patience, courage, and justice, turning life’s curveballs into a cosmic “hold my beer” moment. Christian teachings, like James 1:2-3, tell folks to “count it all joy” when trials hit, building perseverance and maturity and a chance to suffer for Christ. Imagine Epictetus and the Apostle Paul bonding over stale bread in a Roman jail, swapping tips on grinning through the grind. Both ditch despair for grit, agreeing that real contentment comes from an unshakeable core, not from external circumstances going your way. While Paul’s unshakeable core is faith in Christ and Epictitus’ in the pursuit of virtue as its own highest good, both have a lot of useful tips for your playbook when it comes to corralling your own character.
Ethical Alignment: Stoic Duty Meets Christian Love
Ethics tie these traditions together too, with a shared call to live justly, show kindness, pursue virtue, and not be that guy who hogs all the amphitheater seats or takes your brother’s wife (looking at you Herod). Stoicism’s push to act in harmony with nature includes looking out for the common good, as Marcus Aurelius scribbled between emperor gigs. Christianity comes from the opposite direction but arrives at a similar practical place in ethics. The Christian scriptures teach that our nature is to do evil since the fall, and that Godliness is the fight against that corrupted nature. Christ teaches to “love your neighbor as yourself,” emphasizing self-sacrifice and brotherly love. Both slam selfishness and overindulgence, preaching moderation and integrity; Stoics because it’s logical, Christians because the pursuit of the highest good is no more and no less than the pursuit of being like Jesus. The Stoicism and Christianity overlap here is clear: upright living is touted, and chasing virtue in Stoicism and Christianity is an indispensable element to improvement of life for yourself and others.
What about me? Why is my blog called “Apostoic?”
Simply put, I am a devout believer in Jesus Christ. The reality of the human condition and the way to ultimately transcend it, as set forth in the Old and New Testaments, is the only thing that makes sense out of this world for me. I am also a proponent of reading. I’m not as well read as I’d like to be, and will never reach the end of that lengthy quest. But I read opposing views, alterative beliefs, the great works of literature, some crappy ones, self-help and financial books, fiction… everything is fair game for my interest. In that pursuit, I discovered stoicism and loved it, not as a replacement or parallel for my faith, but as a supplement to my character. There are many practical discourses and thought processes in the stoic writings that I have found useful in my pursuit of being a little more Christlike. Thus, these unique articles presenting Stoic philosophy through the lens of a Christian worldview were conceived, together with a newly coined term, Apostoicism.
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