Plateau
Hey I’ve been slowly getting into stoicism for the last few months. Starting with Meditations and I’ve been going through Discourses as well and at this point I feel a little stuck. Though I read only a passage or two at a time I feel like I am reading the same thing over and over again. Align with nature, do not let things outside your control affect your own reasonable action or thinking, nothing truly belongs to you except your mind etc. I know Epictetus was a teacher so this being recorded from several lectures has picked up a lot of the same elements and stoicism is a fairly repetitive philosophy (from what it seems to me but correct me if I am wrong), but I can’t help like feel like I’m having trouble gaining as I continue to read. Anything new at least. But is that the point? Is this not a book that says “Hey here’s another new way to think that will improve your life” and more a book to hone and guide your thinking through continuous representations and examples where these values are applied?
This isn’t a critique by any means stoic philosophy has brought me a lot of peace and understanding and I have learned much from it but I can’t help but feel like I’m not learning more. I’m only ask for input. Am I going at this with a right mind? Is there something I can do to improve my reading experience? Am I overthinking and I am going about it the right way ?
Thank you.