The What Is Stoicism? Podcast

This episode uses the thought of a “last day” to test the distance between our values and our actions.

Montaigne, Seneca, and Lucretius show how reflecting on death can sharpen our sense of what matters now, not later. Simone Weil then offers a modern example of philosophy lived with unusual seriousness and conviction.

The question is simple but demanding: are we merely admiring good ideas, or are we becoming the kind of person who lives them?

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📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO CONTENT

Check out one of my latest daily Micro Morning Meditations here on Substack:

☀️ Micro Morning Meditation: When Emotion Clouds Judgment
https://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-when-emotion
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode looks at how the chase for novelty and the habit of overextension both unsettle the mind.

Cicero reminds us that possessions and technologies are not good in themselves—their value depends on how we use them.

Seneca adds that taking on too much leaves us primed for frustration and anger.

👇 👇 👇

📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO CONTENT

Check out one of my latest daily Micro Morning Meditations here on Substack:

☀️ Micro Morning Meditation: When Emotion Clouds Judgment
https://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-when-emotion
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode treats life’s difficulties as assignments rather than interruptions.

Epictetus reminds us that we don’t get to choose every task Fortune sets, but we do choose how well we meet it.

Each challenge becomes a chance to practice courage, patience, justice, or self-control—and, when handled well, to encourage others by example.

👇 👇 👇

📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO CONTENT

Check out one of my latest daily Micro Morning Meditations here on Substack:

☀️ Micro Morning Meditation: When Emotion Clouds Judgment
https://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-when-emotion
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode explores the Stoic partnership between foresight and acceptance.

Preparing for setbacks doesn’t mean expecting misery—it means building the resilience to meet difficulty without being overwhelmed.

With Philo’s calm readiness, Rumi’s guest house, and Marcus Aurelius’s reminder that obstacles can become part of the path, we can meet whatever arrives with confidence and imagination.

👇 👇 👇

📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO CONTENT

Check out one of my latest daily Micro Morning Meditations here on Substack:

☀️ Micro Morning Meditation: Let Us Cherish Old Age
https://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-let-us-cherish
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode explores gratitude as a Stoic practice, emphasizing the transformative power of attention.

By imagining what we might have already lost—or even our own death—we can reawaken appreciation for ordinary moments: a conversation, a child’s question, a walk with a pet.

Marcus Aurelius calls this the “bonus” life, a reminder that presence and awareness turn the everyday into something precious.

👇 👇 👇

📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO CONTENT

Check out one of my latest daily Micro Morning Meditations here on Substack:

☀️ Micro Morning Meditation: Let Us Cherish Old Age
https://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-let-us-cherish
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.