The Stoic Challenge (堅忍的挑戰)

William B. Irvine, The Stoic Challenge: A Philosopher's Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer, and More Resilient, W. W. Norton & Company, 2019.

A practical, refreshingly optimistic guide that uses centuries-old wisdom to help us better cope with the stresses of modern living.

Some people bounce back in response to setbacks; others break. We often think that these responses are hardwired, but fortunately this is not the case. Stoicism offers us an alternative approach. Plumbing the wisdom of one of the most popular and successful schools of thought from ancient Rome, philosopher William B. Irvine teaches us to turn any challenge on its head. The Stoic Challenge, then, is the ultimate guide to improving your quality of life through tactics developed by ancient Stoics, from Marcus Aurelius and Seneca to Epictetus.

This book uniquely combines ancient Stoic insights with techniques discovered by contemporary psychological research, such as anchoring and framing (1). The result is a surprisingly simple strategy for dealing with life’s unpleasant and unexpected challenges―from minor setbacks like being caught in a traffic jam or having a flight cancelled to major setbacks like those experienced by physicist Stephen Hawking, who slowly lost the ability to move, and writer Jean-Dominique Bauby, who suffered from locked-in syndrome.

The Stoics discovered that thinking of challenges as tests of character can dramatically alter our emotional response to them. Irvine’s updated “Stoic test strategy” teaches us how to transform life’s stumbling blocks into opportunities for becoming calmer, tougher, and more resilient. Not only can we overcome everyday obstacles―we can benefit from them, too.

 Page 78 on sinking anchors:

... negative visualization ... the Stoics weren't advocating that we dwell on how things could be worse; that would indeed be a recipe for misery. Instead, what we should do is periodically have flickering thoughts about how our lives and circumstances could be worse.  

Page 89 on the comedic frame, one of the approaches of the frame game:

When someone wrongs you, keep in mind Seneca's comment that "laughter, and a lot of it, is the right response to the things which drive us to tears!" He  also reminded us that this technique was employed by Socrates. 

Pages 112 - 113 on the Stoic test strategy:

The first is how you conducted your search for a workaround for the setback... To be optimal, it need (2) only be less unpleasant than the other possible workarounds....

The second but more significant factor in grading your performance will be your emotional response to the setback. If you remain calm and collected, you will be worthy of, say, a B. If your goal is to get an A or even an A+ on the exam, though, you will have to do more than remain calm; you will have to welcome the setback and even perk up a bit on its appearance.

(1) Main citation: Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow, Penguin Group UK, 2012.

(2) should be "needs"