The stoic secret to finding true happiness and fulfillment in life

Society today wants you to believe that happiness comes from material possessions or outside events.

Once you get that lambo, the big house with the ocean view, the rolex, the designer clothes or whatever, then you will be happy. And while some of those things are nice, don’t get me wrong, they are NEVER going to make you fulfilled or happy in my opinion.

I think one of the main reasons that so many people are unhappy or depressed today is because they don’t realize this. They think the reason they aren’t fulfilled in life is because they don’t have that new car or that new expensive macbook or iphone that just released.

Then when they FINALLY get that material possession they have been eyeing for so long, and it inevitably doesn’t make them happy or fulfilled, they can’t understand it and keep going round in this hamster wheel of materialism that never cures their unhappiness/depression.

“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself in your way of thinking.” - Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius was a roman emperor that lived nearly 2000 years ago. At the time, you could argue that he was the most powerful man on the earth. The roman empire was pretty much at it’s peak when Marcus become emperor in 161 AD.

It’s not crazy to say that Marcus could have had ANYTHING he desired in his nearly 20 years as ruler of the most powerful empire in the world. He was unbound by money, law etc. and could have had endless woman, alcohol, food and whatever else was desired back then.

And yet he didn’t.

He advocated for a life of virtue, living in accordance with nature, self discipline and inner peace above material possessions. I think he is one of the biggest advocates in terms of material possessions not equalling happiness.

If Marcus Aurelius, stoic philosopher and ruler of the greatest empire on earth at the time, didn’t really value material possessions, why should you?

Just try to put yourself in his shoes. What would you do?

Most people would probably start gambling, taking drugs, drinking alcohol, partying 24/7, and buying all the material things they desired. But would it lead to happiness?

I like to think it would lead to the opposite: misery.

It’s kinda like when you’re a kid and you get that new toy for christmas that you have been wanting for a while. Instant dopamine when you rip open the present, but then a couple weeks later it’s sat in the corner of your room collecting dust and you have your sights on a new shiny toy.

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” - Socrates

Like Socrates says, true happiness and fulfillment in life comes from learning to enjoy the little things. Watching the sunset, going for a nice walk, spending quality time with friends and family.

Those are the little things that truly make you fulfilled and happy in my opinion, but most people take these things for granted nowadays and care mostly about material possessions.

Everyone is trapped in the matrix chasing that next materialistic dopamine hit (i know it sounds cringe but it’s kinda true). Consumerism has never been more widespread, because guess what?

That’s how big corporations and conglomerates make money.

By somehow convincing us all to buy stupid shit that we 99% of the time don’t need.

“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” - Epictetus

What I think bro is trynna say here is basically that the only way you can be truly rich and free is to not put so much value on material items.

That’s where the true wealth lies. We should all strive to be more like tyler durden, and be happy with the simple things in life. Always remember that the simplest things in life are free.

Watching the sunset, looking at the stars late at night, quality time with friends and family etc.

I ain’t saying you gotta go full monk mode and own NOTHING, but I think it’s a great idea to explore some of these stoic ideas and keep them in the back of your mind the next time you want that new iphone or whatever.

And like, there is nothing wrong with wanting to become rich, I want that as well, but I think it’s important that you want it for the right reasons.

Aka being free, being able to spend more time with family, being able to spend more money on your health etc.

NOT wanting to buy a lambo just because it’s cool and so that you can impress your fake friends and what not.

That’s basically it, and remember:

Feel free to disagree all you want, reply to this email or dm me on x or whatever if you got any questions or something you wanna ask me.

And obviously take all this with a grain of salt, this is just my viewpoint and obviously I ain’t know all the secrets of the universe.

Thanks for reading and godspeed.

— Kasper Veritas