Published By: Sreyanshi

‘Stoicism’: How to master the art of not caring

"Man conquers the world by conquering himself” - Zeno.

‘Art of not caring’ or ‘Stoicism,’ simply put together, talks about the tolerance of our apparently negative feelings of pain, of fear, of guilt and the likes. Various distinct emotions are internalized through this practice, without displaying any reaction or refraining from complaining about it.

The idea has been brought about from the works of two thousand years old Hellenistic philosopher Citium, who is said to have helped people with their own personalities in his time.

What is this distinct art all about?

Back in ancient Greece, there was monarchy in tandem, oligarchy and tyranny ruled the state. Society was divided up in between several classes of people. The middle classes did exist back then, also the poor people, the working class who did enjoy their share of everyday activities, little things that bring joy to life. It helped them deal with anxiety in certain situations.

After two thousand years, in today's date and time, here we are the middle class and the poor people, enjoying the "edgy" memes on social media, yet, physically, feeling anxious amidst certain groups of people. Humans and humanity remained pretty much the same. Stoicism was to help us have control over our everyday situations, to help us accept the ups and downs that come to our doors without knocking.

We humans lose control over our emotions. We get angry if the train arrives five minutes late or if we can't find snacks in our room.

We project those emotions onto other people, and then get bothered by feelings of guilt which leads us to obsess over it and then sleep less and less, falling prey to insomnia, not to mention other major health issues.

How does stoicism come into play in this dynamic?

Less Anxiety:

If you learn to adapt to one of the most difficult habits of caring less, it will help you deal with your anxiety. How? You'll not feel bothered about your partly messed up hair in a group of people who care a lot about how they look in a crowd of hundreds. By introspection, you'll know your true self. You'll know who you are, what you want and how important it is.

Less wastage of time:

The more time you spend on obsessively thinking about unnecessary situations, or people, the more time you waste and subsequently lose out on life.

The more you grow:

Around 304 BC this philosophy was designed with the hope of showing humanity a path to grow and rise, following virtue, wisdom, endurance and most importantly, humanity. You learn, you realize what is important, you understand the art of not caring. You grow.