Wisdom

Almost everyone with the slightest interest in philosophy has heard of famous Stoics like Marcus Aurelius and Seneca, but what is Stoicism really? The Stoics wanted to lay out what it means to live according to nature, expanding and clarifying in their own terms what Heraclitus, Socrates, and the Cynics had already begun. Their question was simple: “How do we live a virtuous, good life?” Heraclitus gave them the metaphysical foundation: the cosmos has an order, it’s rational and alive. Socrates provided the example of living according to one’s philosophical wisdom. From the Cynics, they took the idea that virtue is the only true good, and that freedom comes from within, which the Stoics softened with reason, duty, and social responsibility. ...

People called Socrates the wisest man in Greece. Instead of smiling, he asked: “Is that true?” He went on a quest to disprove the oracle of Delphi. He spoke to politicians, poets, craftsmen — the ones everyone thought were wise. What he found shocked him: They were clever, but too arrogant to see their own ignorance. Each believed they knew far more than they did. And that’s when Socrates understood: True wisdom is knowing you are not wise. ...

We spend hours fighting over headlines, arguing about scandals and so-called “pressing social issues”. It feels urgent — but most of it changes nothing. Meanwhile, the most important question is rarely asked: “How do we build a country where people are safe and can truly prosper?” Plato wasn’t wasting his days gossiping about Athens. He asked: What is justice? What is the good society? Who should rule? That’s why we still read him more than 2,000 years later — while today’s news will be forgotten next year (if not next week). ...

Humans have created an entire world on top of the real one - a realm of thinking. Through words, rules, and categories, we’ve divided our experiences into “graspable” concepts. But in doing so, it has become harder and harder to see the world as it is. Heraclitus famously said: “Nature loves to hide”, encapsulating this message perfectly. A reminder: stand still more often. Ask yourself: “why do we do things the way we do them?”. Look past what you’ve been taught, and see the world according to its nature. I promise, life gets more interesting when you distance yourself from it occasionally and just observe. ...

You are smarter than you think. But you’ll never see it if your mind is drowning in constant noise. Screens keeps you reactive, not reflective. They feed you thoughts, while robbing you of time to discover your own. Step away from the screen. Sit with your thoughts. Walk. Write. Pray. Think. Clarity comes in silence. And when you give yourself that silence, you’ll realize—you are capable of more wisdom then you’d think. ...