The month of May is a special month for many reasons. For nature, it is a time of rebirth and growth in what has been dead and dormant over the past wintry months.

For us, it is a time of renewed energy as the air warms and the trees, flowers and grass all begin to bloom around us. The month of May becomes the reward for all that we have endured over the past six months. Although we may begrudge our winters, we must always remind ourselves that without them, we would lack the appreciation for what we are experiencing now. In the end, you can’t fully appreciate glory and beauty without having endured pain and struggle.

Coincidentally, May is also designated as Mental Health Awareness Month, which is fitting, as the strains of inconsistent weather patterns, along with the remnants of the winter blues, can have a negative impact on just about anyone’s mental state.

This leads me to my topic today, which is a philosophy I have been drawn to for the better part of my adult life without even knowing it. The philosophy is Stoicism and the strength that can be drawn by implementing its theories. Stoicism is an ancient philosophy that focuses on cardinal virtues as a way to overcome negative and even damaging emotions. One of the teachings of Stoicism is that the suffering we endure is not necessarily due to the event that caused the suffering, but rather to our judgments and reactions to it. We can observe two different people enduring similar suffering, in which one succumbs to it and the other thrives in it. The event is the same, but the mindset is quite different.

Another of the Stoic teachings is how we approach our suffering. Stoicism teaches that our struggles make us stronger, so long as our focus remains on what lies within our control. So much of our pain and struggles today are due to our focus, and even, in some cases, fixation on the things in our community, state, country and world that we have zero control over. Our energies and efforts would be better spent refocusing our attention on those things and people that we can influence in a positive way, rather than attempting to control.

An aspect of Stoicism that I see play out every day here in our community is the connection between Stoic duties and virtue. The Stoic believes that it is their duty to make the world a better place through the sharing of their gifts and talents for the common good. We can find examples of this when a business uses its resources to support a fundraiser for a family going through a medical struggle, or when sponsorships are provided for area youth athletic teams. Something as fun-filled as Hooray for Hollywood takes on a Stoic aspect as it takes the proceeds of its event and, in turn, supports area organizations that make our community a better place to live.

As parents, we have an opportunity to give our children an example of Stoicism in our lives by modeling a life of virtue. We can arm them with the mindset to counter the toxic and negative environments they will no doubt be subjected to at some points in their lives by incorporating Stoicism as a skill set that they can apply both inwardly and outwardly.

In all circumstances, choose calm over chaos, joy over anxiety and peace over rage. Choose those paths not because they are easy, but because they are hard. There are many things that stand in the way of a life of virtue. Those impediments should be looked upon as a gift. When you face a struggle, find that quiet inner strength. As Marcus Aurelius stated, “Impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”