How Social Media Has Manipulated The True Practices of Stoicism

Stoicism is a philosophy that everyone is aware of, even if not by name. When you ask people about well-known or famous philosophers, a regular answer may be that of Socrates or Marcus Aurelius, and although Socrates may not be considered an outright stoic, Aurelius definitely is. I make this point to show that even those not entirely enthralled with philosophy can identify the bigger names or pioneers of its literature. However, the names that are considered recognisable are often those whose names or likenesses are plastered over social media, accompanied by quotes of self-help or individualism. Are these quotes correct? The answer can change from quote to quote, but the idea stays the same. 

“Be better. Be better of those around you. Work until you have reached your goals, then work harder. Be a man-made god amongst your peers.”

These are the ideas I often see pushed, and although I do not disagree with the idea of bettering yourself at any given opportunity, perpetuating the idea of working until you reach an almost impossible goal will only lead to an unfulfilled life. And for an ideology that aims to create the ideal life, where living a good life now rather than aiming to do so in the future is a core principle, it is clear to see that media manipulation has changed stoicism into an idea of harm.

~Weaponising Stoicism to Create False Narratives~

Spending more than a few minutes online nowadays will lead to you being exposed to this “red pill Vs blue pill” discussion. To take the blue pill is to choose to live a normal life, be underpaid and be seen as a lesser man. To take the red pill is to choose to be wealthy, live independently, rise above other men and ultimately live life as a higher being. The question or discussion itself is rather pathetic in my view. The idea of having to take a metaphorical pill to choose your path in life is nothing more than a symptom of “main character syndrome” and seems to often be argued between those who feel they need to be independent to reach their full potential, when in reality they are scared of normal human interaction. To pursue a journey into this “red pill mindset” though will immediately lead you to quotations. They range from videos capturing the thoughts and expressions of those with this mentality in modern times, to images and ideas of fighting off armies on your own, purely due to your own personal resilience. As stated before, I have no issue, if anything I encourage the idea of bettering oneself, but an issue arises when the masses are feeding the narrative of slowly killing or harming yourself, both physically and socially, in pursuit of a false (or at least near impossible) promised land of exponential wealth and notoriety. Again, for a mentality that pushes being stoic, it is ironic that the philosophy at its core is meant to be used to discourage harmful and destructive thoughts and practices. 

The reality of the world is that yes, it is a judgmental place, and a lot of the time we feel jealousy towards those who have more than ourselves. Be it friends or family, we want to see their successes, but only as long as we can mirror them ourselves. I want to see my friends and family own their homes, but I know that I will not truly feel happy seeing them do so if I myself cannot do the same. I enjoy seeing those close to me look happy and relaxed in photographs whilst they travel, but my joy would not be the same if I had not mirrored that experience. Do I want them to be less than me? Of course not, but I want to be equal to them. However, to conduct yourself in a way that you already perceive the entire world as against you, and to see others triumphs and success as an insult to yourself, you will find that you do not know true hatred until you act in a way in which you look down upon everyone around you. To pull comparisons between modern-day stoicism and the story of Sisyphus: you act in a mindset that you somehow believe is independent whilst it is fed to you by others who think the same. You conduct yourself in a way that many have done so before you, yet you expect to see different results. By acting as though you are above all those around yourself, you fail to give yourself the chance to reflect and see that your process and ethics are flawed and ultimately pointless.

The world does not hate you. It is hard to navigate, and obstacles can prop up out of nowhere, but to believe that these are entirely personal to yourself is limiting. However, to see this as personal and turn that feeling of hatred onto others will then inadvertently create a hatred for yourself that was not previously there. 

~Manipulating the meaning of Stoicism~

"The endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feelings and without complaint"

The Oxford Dictionary (1992). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

The quotation above is taken from The Oxford Dictionary, and although the meaning of stoicism goes deeper than its given definition here, it does give the overriding idea of stoicism's core principles. Stoicism is meant to help guide the follower through their life experiences by providing a mindset of being the best version of yourself at every opportunity. Being humble, carrying yourself and those around you to the highest standards, and putting your worries into that which you control as opposed to that in which you cannot are vital in the stoic mindset. It is a resilient philosophy, and understandably its poster boy is that of Marcus Aurelius, who is considered to be one of the Roman Empire's most celebrated emperors. Given his pioneering of the philosophy and his commitment to its following, Aurelius is widely known not just for his writings, but also the ways in which he acted. As stated, he believed that worrying about the future was pointless, and your time is much better spent seeing the world in the present.

"Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present."

Meditations, Marcus Aurelius

And whilst his subjects suffered through famine and plague, when a ruler could have easily subjugated the issues to one of his statesmen to protect himself, it is noted that Aurelius took personal account and initiative in helping his people through these times.

He was a man loved for his honour, his humbling attitude to life, and his determination to help those around him. Although times have changed quite significantly from this period, and men are not as expected to live their lives in this fashion as they were before, the lessons and traits you can take from Aurelius are not ones that will bring harm. I would even go as far as to say that if you do wish to live a life in which you are seen as a provider and of humbling reason, the former emperor is a fine example of how to conduct yourself. However, the problem lies in how Aurelius's actions are perceived in the current social climate. For instance, modern-day preachers of stoicism perpetuate this notion that to be wronged once is enough to remove people from your life without a moment's notice. In fact, whilst authoring this paper, I stumbled across content that seemed to depict Aurelius violently shunning a man who has wronged him, titled along the lines of "How to be Stoic when betrayed". The truth is that this wasn't the case, and one of the most harrowing displays of his attitude towards man actually describes how, when his close friend and ally Avidius Cassius announced himself as emperor, Aurelius informed his army that they would capture, not kill Cassius, so that he could be forgiven.

The issue, I believe, is that people see him quoted online, usually quotes that encourage us to keep going when life takes a wrong turn, and then use his likeness and their narrow-minded interpretations to create a ruler who shares Aurelius's name, but never actually existed. This god-complexed man with no emotions, who took disrespect and weakness as a reason for dehumanisation, and who we see plastered all over online stoicism content, is fictional. If these modern-day followers were to speak to Aurelius and describe how they left those behind that they believed were below them, and how they fought life purely for their own wants and needs, he would view them in need of sympathy.

~The Irony of modern-day Stoics~

I have not named any of these modern-day stoics, mainly as there are too many to list, but also because I believe we all have examples in mind and how you describe one is usually a fair description for them all. Fairly well-built men with immense wealth and notoriety, usually pushing the idea that they are who they are because the lived outside the “rat race,” and that if you really try hard then you too can be like them. This is obviously not stoicism, I do not think that needs clarified, and if it were not for them actively trying to convince people that this was in fact a stoic way of living, then there would be no need for discussion. Unfortunately, though, many people have bought into this idea and so follow the guidelines of stoicism, but they are guidelines that have been created by these modern-day stoics, not ones set out in the true philosophy’s core principles.

To pull direct hypocrisy, we see these men promoting the lifestyle of generational wealth, accumulated by stepping on those Infront of us and exploiting those who we see as useless. When exploitation and fortunate circumstances aren’t convincing enough, we then see excessive spending being used to try and convince us that by working until we exhaust mind and body through a process that rarely works, let alone breeds exponential wealth, we too can be “financially free” and “real men”. This is not stoicism; this is a fraud philosophy. Stoicism teaches us to live now, not for later. It teaches us that being humble and true to yourself, and others means more than any amount of monetary value, and by working for yourself and others, rather than just yourself, you truly understand the meaning of being human. Modern-day stoicism seems to be built on fragile principles.

·         Accumulate excessive wealth through any means possible.

·         Look at those who oppose your way of life as enemies.

·         Surround yourself with likeminded men, and discard those who do not share your principles.

·         When negative emotions arise, ignore them.

·         Show no weakness, do not admit to wrongdoing.

·         Spend your income expensively, make those unaware see your wealth.

·         Be alone, it breeds resilience.

These are some of the regular principles we see pushed today, and although I cannot list them all (I would likely forget to include some due to how extensive the list is), its rare to see any resemblance to true stoicism in how these ideas are formed. Any resemblance to stoicism is usually diluted by how we are now instructed to achieve this goal or by how the action is instructed to be conducted. Wealth is not stoic, and any bit of individual research will show that wealthy stoics are often made by being given roles due to their humble and resilient nature, not due to perusing monetary gain. To flaunt your wealth, or at least aim to, disregards the core idea of being virtuous that is taught in stoic teachings. Resilience is key, but if you aim to be resilient by shunning everyone, then you will damage your present being, which is a complete contrast to how these ancient stoics conducted themselves.

The reality is that these people who preach an opposing version of Stoicism are merely doing so for their own gain. Teachers of stoicism often found pupils who needed, or already conducted themselves in the ways of stoicism. There was little to no gain for the stoic teachers, merely the want to help those in need. So, when we see people now, preaching their versions of stoicism and hoping to be seen amongst the greats of our generation, why must you pay to learn their ways? If they genuinely want to help those who feel in need, a true pupil of stoicism would do so without the need for gain, let alone continued gain. There is no doubt that these men know that what they are saying is nonsense, and they are acutely aware of the fact that this mindset is harmful, yet it is continually taught. And again, for a philosophy that aims to discourage harmful practices and ways of life, the irony needs no mention.

~Concluding on current stoicism~

The unfortunate reality is that this manipulated philosophy will only continue to spread. We live in a time where claiming you’re living as a good man provides you with the rebuttal of “you’re weak, you don’t understand” when challenged, and trying to convince those followers that the critique is not of being a good man, but how it is done so now, is disregarded. My own personal definition of being a man is someone who lives for those around him, not just for himself, and any action taken is cross considered by how the outcome will affect his and his family’s life. To pursue personal growth, but to do so by means of virtue and humility. To build your personal character on the wants of only yourself provides no benefit, and although this mindset seems here to stay, when current followers reach the point of having families, we will see a sudden mass critique of many in how they have lived.