“Tranquility is worth pursuing as it is a psychological state in which we experience few negative emotions, such as anxiety, grief, and fear, but an abundance of positive emotions, especially joy”
--- William B. Irvine, A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy (2008)

Introduction

We 21st-century humans are a bunch of spoiled brats that don’t realize how good we actually have it. We have climate-controlled buses, that take us to climate-controlled airports, where we board climate-controlled airplanes, that take us anywhere we want in the world. And somewhere in our modern existence, we have lost our ability to remain resilient.

We often find ourselves bothered and/or triggered by the smallest setbacks, and we often find ourselves losing perspective in the worst ways. In A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy and The Stoic Challenge: A Philosopher’s Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer, and More Resilient, William B. Irvine delves deeply into Stoicism and posits that the Stoic perspective is the antidote to our modern-day times. 

What Is Stoicisms Real Goal?

The overarching goal of Stoicism is not to banish emotion or remind calm while suffering a setback. Rather, the goal of Stoicism is to minimize the number of negative emotions one experiences in their life and to suffer setbacks without thereby actually suffering. 

Stoics are not unfeeling human beings. Rather they are humans that have mastered their responses to life’s trials, tribulations, and setbacks. In fact, Stoics often see setbacks as an opportunity to thrive. When faced with a setback, Stoics treat it as a test of their resilience and resourcefulness. They turn the setback into a sort of game (Stoic test) devised and administered by the “Stoic gods. Similar to the concept of framing, the Stoic test relies on the fact that how we mentally characterize a situation has a profound impact on how we respond to it emotionally.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Before ready William B. Irvine’s two books, I had big misconceptions about what Stoicism was really about. Reading A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy and The Stoic Challenge: A Philosopher’s Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer, and More Resilient has helped me redefine Stoicism. But more importantly, it has put forth a path to a tranquil life. 

I now understand that a Stoic’s primary goal is to attain and maintain tranquility. That ultimately means striving to avoid experiencing negative emotions while continuing to enjoy positive emotions, especially in the face of setbacks. 

What Will I Do Differently As a Result of This Book?

• Change my perspective and mindset in such a way as to not experience negative emotions in the first place
• Practice negative visualization, anchoring, and framing over and over and over
• Remember the quote by Charles R. Swindoll  “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”
• Remember that the highest cost by far is the emotional distress a setback triggers i.e. how you react to what happens to you
• Review my raw notes on this subject matter continuously and often

Reminder from the Stoic Gods…

• God (think Jupiter) sets us back not to punish us but to give us an opportunity to do something courageous and thereby increase our chances of attaining “the highest possible excellence
• God, says Senecca, knows that “a man needs to be put to the test if he is to gain self-knowledge” and that “only by trying does he learn what his capacities are.”
• This fatherly God wants his children to “know the pain of toil, of suffering, of loss, so that they may acquire true strength.”
• Whatever type of God you assume, understand that he is testing you to make you stronger, to develop your character, and to make you more appreciative of the life you are living

Downloadable Content

The goal, under life’s circumstances, should be to make sure that no matter when your editor publishes your novel (your death), it will stand as a complete work – or as complete as is humanly possible. William B. Irvine has written two very good books on Stoicism, and the following book notes have been created to help you with your understanding of William B. Irvine’s work!