Stoicism begins with the weather.
One day you go outside, hit with the bitter cold you’ve experienced and griped over countless times, but today is different. When the chill hits your bones, it stops there. Today the cold doesn’t reach your soul. The tension you once felt is now released as a mere shiver. The corners of your mouth raise slightly because you now understand a simple truth: the weather does not determine the quality of your mood.
Stoicism starts simply. A Stoic progresses slowly. Progress is not a grand display, but a quiet becoming.
A seed is not expected to bare fruit. A lion cub is not the king of the jungle. You are not born virtuous. Virtue starts with a choice and ends with a choice. A choice to be different. To be better than you were before. Before you become great, you must stand the tests of time. Through incremental growth in the face of Nature’s trials, you prove your fortitude. You prove your courage, wisdom, temperance, and justice – your virtue – in every moment. Proof is not observed by anyone but yourself and that is a more than sufficient audience.
Releasing control starts with the weather, then the traffic, the actions of others follow close behind, then all that’s left is the mind. The only thing within your control, but the most difficult to tame. You seek the best for yourself, but the thoughts refuse to obey. Passion sets the mind ablaze. Your impulses lurk around every corner. Finding resolve is a labyrinth, an endless maze.
Pleasure is easy, restraint is hard. Fear is crippling, caution is wise but no simpler. Desire appears safe, but pain hides behind the mask of hopes gripped too tightly. Anger comes quickly, but poise endures. Only a fool believes virtue is easy. But it takes being a fool to forego the path to happiness. The path to freedom.
A fulfilling life is one of control. Control over your impressions, your opinions, your desires, and your aversions. Clarity of what is important, what is not, and those indifferent. All become clear through experience, through hardships, and many mistakes. A substantial amount of mistakes. Intention persists. The intention to try, to be better, and to learn. Without intention, things happen to you, not for you. Without focus, the present moment is hidden behind the pain of the past and chains of the future.
The journey to virtue takes time. The end may never be found. There will be glimpses, but reaching it is not guaranteed. There will be many times you believe you’re close, but Nature shows you you’re not quite there. Your anger will spill out, a temptation will avert your focus, fear stops you in your tracks. In these moments you’ll think you’ve made no progress. All the work you’ve done has been for nothing. You may think you cannot continue forward or overcome this.
Just remind yourself how far you’ve come. This moment is no different than the weather. You were able to release your impressions of many things external, this should be all the same to you. Allow Nature to show you where your weaknesses lie. Stay grounded and calm in the company of these tests. Stay on top of your mind and the impressions it places upon things outside your control. Understand your impulses and every emotion. Realize the irrationality of them and make a choice to be different.
If you can learn to accept the weather, you can learn to accept everything. Virtue takes time, but the path is so rewarding.
March 15, 2026
