Being Better: A Review

Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living In is a necessary and essential addition to our modern Stoic discourse. The authors, Kai Whiting and Leonidas Konstantakos, masterfully express the heart of Stoic philosophy; a philosophy that is humane, community focused, and action oriented. The book challenges us to examine our moral principles and to allow that examination to reshape our approach to others and to the world as a whole. I see Being Better as an antidote to a variety of misguided approaches to Stoicism, but to be clear, the book is not written as a polemic against anything. It is a positive presentation of a life philosophy that is concerned with life; your individual life, the life of your community, and the lives of every being that inhabits this earth. I wholeheartedly recommend this book and it is my hope that it becomes one of the first books to which new Stoics are exposed.

I preordered Being Better after watching a talk that Kai Whiting gave during one of the many online Stoicon-X events that happened during 2020. I can't recall the talk in perfect detail, but I remember that the lens through which Kai expressed his thoughts on Stoicism was one that aligns closely with what I also value in the philosophy. I have been concerned about a variety of issues within the modern Stoic movement. First, a focus on Stoic exercises and techniques that obscures the underlying reasons for undertaking such practices. Second, the rise of various caricatures of Stoicism, which either inflate certain aspects of the philosophy without acknowledging the whole, or misinterpret the philosophy in ways that lead to harm. Massimo Pigliucci has a multipart series on these issues titled $toicism, Broicism, and StoicisM, if you're interested. It sounded like Whiting and Konstantakos's book would explicitly address areas of our philosophy that I consider essential, but that are often sidelined in daily discourse. Upon receiving Being Better, I was pleased to find that my hopes for the book were met and exceeded. The authors show us a Stoicism built on guiding principles, not rules and checklists. It is not a how-to guide in the standard sense. The authors present a series of meditations on the Stoic view of life and wrestle with the implications of accepting that view. The chapters are framed around a core principle that is explored through both the life of an ancient Stoic, as well as the example of a contemporary individual who has taken actions that align with the principle in question. The chapters end with some questions to ask ourselves as we engage with what was presented. I read Being Better at a quicker pace than my usual as I hoped to review it as soon as possible. I am looking forward to a second, more leisurely read, so as to allow the book to really challenge my own practice. To quote my favorite admonition from Plotinus, "never stop sculpting your own statue."

I highly recommend Being Better to anyone who is interested in Stoicism. In particular, if you are moving beyond life hacks towards the richness of a philosophy of life, if you are seeking to flourish and to help others flourish as well, Being Better is worth your time and attention.

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Meditating on The 5-minute Stoicism Journal

I decided to begin this year by examining my values through the writing prompts of The 5-minute Stoicism Journal. This journal is the second book I wrote in 2019, it was released in November, just a month after The Beginner’s Guide to Stoicism. I developed the journal with the hope that Stoics both novice and well practiced would put aside just five minutes a day for sustained reflection on their values. Even this short amount of time can help the writer orient their day in a way that promotes personal growth. I built the writing prompts around the three Stoic Disciplines and their corresponding Virtues. There are brief descriptions of these themes, but the journal does assume prior knowledge of Stoicism as a life philosophy.

Journaling is a longstanding philosophical practice. Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations, one of Stoicism’s most famous works, is a personal journal in which the Emperor expressed his highest ideals and challenged himself to improve his character. The 5-minute Stoicism Journal provides prompts that focus the writer on their own ideals. In just this first week of writing I’ve been challenged to examine my willpower, to write about successes and failures, and to think about my reaction to personal loss. It’s been instructive. I have already found value in adding these few minutes to my morning routine.

My standard morning practice consists in daily recalling the premeditations of either Marcus or Seneca, which I wrote about in How to Meet the Morning, and then to go outside (usually standing in my backyard before going to work) and performing the View from Above. The premeditations prepare me to interact with people as well as the inevitable ups and downs of the day, while the View helps center me by placing my life in a larger context. At their best these practices do help me find the good flow of life, but too often they become overly rote and habitual and lack that certain spark that impacts me in the moment. What I have enjoyed about five minute journaling is that each day is a fresh take on my life. Each day is a new prompt that demands I examine unexpected aspects of my life. I’ve found that the thoughts that accompany those five minutes persist throughout my day. I recall my morning musings as I carry out my tasks and I am challenged to live up to what I put on the page.

Right now my main complaint is that there should be more lines provided per prompt. This is something I noticed as I started seeing the final designs, but I’d never created a book like this so I left those decisions up to the design team. I also wonder if the first week’s prompts are off-putting in how self-critical they ask the writer to be. I wrote the journal while I was finishing up The Beginner’s Guide to Stoicism and I wonder if the old Stoic teachers rubbed off on me? Maybe I was more gruff than necessary? The tone is something I’ll definitely be paying attention to as I spend the next few months in the journal.

This first week in the journal has been personally enriching and has made me happy that I took on the project when it was offered. If you are looking for a way to build up the beneficial habit of examining your values and aligning your thoughts and actions with your best self, I believe the short but potent exercises in The 5-minute Stoicism Journal would be a valuable part of your day.

The Beginner's Guide to Stoicism is Available for Pre-order

Available for pre-order and releasing October 8th, The Beginner’s Guide to Stoicism is my introduction to the philosophy. As my publisher puts it, “This easy-to-navigate stoicism guide gives you the emotional tools needed to let go of the things you can’t control and find joy in what you have. Through thought-provoking strategies and exercises, this book helps you find contentment so you can build closer relationships and become an active member of society.” My aim was to create an accessible guide to the philosophy that will lay a solid foundation on which anyone can continue to build. The book is packed with practical exercises and succinct explanations of Stoic concepts.

Ordering now is a great way to help the book and assure that you get it on day one. Thanks!

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