The What Is Stoicism? Podcast

This episode explores how remembering mortality can sharpen both attention and freedom.

Oliver Burkeman and Alan Watts show why the present matters precisely because it cannot be repeated, while John O’Donohue and Epictetus use the same awareness to put fear, status, and authority into perspective.

Life’s brevity asks us to be more present with the people we love and less willing to surrender our inner freedom to temporary pressures. Remembering death, in this sense, is not about withdrawing from life, but entering it more fully.

If you’d like to practice these principles, this Micro Morning Meditation will be helpful:

☀️ Micro Morning Meditation: Focus on the Joy, Not the Poignancy
https://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-focus-on

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode explores the ancient instruction to “know thyself” as the foundation of a philosophical life. Julian, Pigliucci, and Epictetus show that self-knowledge helps us decide what kind of person we want to be—and what must be protected when circumstances become difficult. And Socrates offers the clearest example: his preparation for adversity was simply a lifetime spent safeguarding what was truly up to him.

If you’d like to continue the practice, this Micro Morning Meditation will be helpful:

☀️ Micro Morning Meditation: This is The Main Point of Philosophy
https://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-this-is-6fe
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode examines the habit of complaining and the power we retain over our response.

Seneca and Epictetus remind us that while frustrations are unavoidable, resentment often adds a second layer of suffering that is largely our own.

A simple practice—pause, assess, and reframe—helps turn irritation into clearer judgment and, where possible, constructive action.

If you’d like to continue the practice, you might also find this Micro Morning Meditation helpful:

☀️ Micro Morning Meditation: How to Stop Complaining
https://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-how-to-stop
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode examines wealth, desire, and the freedom that comes from needing less.

Seneca warns that fortune’s gifts often become traps, because external success can deepen dependence rather than satisfy the soul.

Anthony de Mello sharpens the same insight: many of our chains are imaginary, formed by false ideas about what we need before we can truly live.

If you’d like to continue the practice, you might also find this Micro Morning Meditation helpful:

☀️ Micro Morning Meditation: You're Free Already
https://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-youre-free
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode reflects on what happens when life interrupts our carefully arranged plans.

The Stoic reserve clause—“if nothing prevents me”—helps us plan without pretending the future belongs to us.

Shakespeare, Seneca, and Suzuki Shōsan deepen the point by bringing death into view, not as a morbid fixation, but as a reminder that even ordinary days are not guaranteed.

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📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO CONTENT

Check out one of my latest daily Micro Morning Meditations here on Substack:

☀️ Micro Morning Meditation: When Others Judge You
https://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-when-others
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.