Stoic Superhero Diogenes the Cynic: Be Prepared for Every Fortune

Asked what philosophy had taught him, Diogenes the Cynic said it taught him “to be prepared for every fortune.” I think he is one of the strangest, most useful figures in this whole tradition.

The Cynics came before the Stoics, and Diogenes took self-sufficiency to an extreme. He lived in a barrel, ate only when truly hungry, drank only when truly thirsty, and as a result could enjoy a plain cup of water like the finest wine. His most famous moment is the meeting with Alexander the Great. The most powerful man in the world offered him anything he wanted. Diogenes asked him to stand a little out of his sun. In this lesson I look at what that kind of freedom from craving actually buys you.

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So we are exploring Stoic superheroes, and today we're going to be looking at Diogenes. Diogenes the Cynic, as some people called him. He is the most famous of the Cynics, and the Cynics were a school or a branch of philosophy that served as the precursor for Stoicism. Diogenes was a very strange fellow by our standards, and also by ancient standards, for a number of reasons. He lived in a barrel, yes, a empty barrel, like the kind of barrel that you would put beer or water in, and he shunned any form of luxury. Diogenes, for example, only ate when he was starving hungry, and drank when he was gaspingly thirsty. Why did he do this? Well, by following this protocol, he was able to enjoy a simple cup of water as if it was the world's most expensive wine. This goes back to the gap theory of happiness, as William B. Irvine calls it. There are two ways we can be happy, either by trying to get something on the other side of a gap between where we are and where the external object is. So if I want luxurious wine, I can try and get money and then acquire it and then drink it. I close a gap that is only closed temporarily before a new shiny object appears. Or we can learn to want the things we already have. And one way that we can learn to want the things that we already have is by meditating or experiencing abstinence or deprivation or loss. And so when Diogenes only drank when he was thirsty, he was able to reconnect to the amazing experience of drinking the thing that was easily available to him, but the thing that most people had become jaded by and stopped appreciating, and that is water. The core of Diogenes' thought was based on his observation that, quote, bad men obey their lusts as servants obey their masters, end quote. And because we are so bad at controlling our desires, we never find contentment. This is why Diogenes was so intent on being the master of his own lusts and attachments. Side question, do you consider yourself to be a master of your lusts and attachments? It's a pretty epic goal. And if you aren't a master of your lusts and attachments, that's okay. We're working on that. We don't have to be perfect. It's a big, ambitious goal that we can have, but it's still something that is noble to aim at. Perhaps Diogenes' greatest and most memorable display of stoic superhero strength was in meeting with Alexander the Great. Alexander was taught by Aristotle and had brilliant admiration for great thinkers. One day when riding through Greece, Alexander encountered Diogenes, a philosopher he had heard many great things about. The legend states that upon meeting Diogenes, Alexander asked the philosopher if there was anything he could give him, a gift. Alexander at this point in time was the most powerful man in the entire world. And he was also extremely hot tempered. There were stories of Alexander having his best friends executed for disrespecting him. So when he offered Diogenes a gift, nobody would have expected the words that came out of this strange philosopher's mouth. Yes, said Diogenes, stand a little out of my son. Diogenes was so steadfast in his cynic or stoic way of living, he even risked the wrath of Alexander the Great to demonstrate it. Diogenes was not someone who just lived his philosophy. He was continuously on the lookout for opportunities to teach it, and his meeting with Alexander presented one, and it's one that we can continue to learn from now thousands of years later. And it actually worked. Alexander was so taken aback by this reply and was in so much admiration for the courage and the wit of Diogenes, he said to his followers, laughing, but truly, if I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes. On a personal level, the thing that inspires me most about Diogenes is his reply to a student who asked him, What is the point of philosophy? And Diogenes said, to be prepared for every fortune. And this is something that I try to practice with each day. And when Diogenes is saying to be prepared for every fortune, he's not saying to try and predict the billion different things that might happen and to be ready to counter those things like a chest grandmaster at life. What Diogenes is saying is that he wants to develop so much equanimity, so much acceptance, so much radical gratitude, that if the big tragedies in life befall him, or the big wins, so we're talking about illness, death, betrayal, exile, great wealth, fame, whatever the case, whatever the ups or the downs that fortune brings, when they do come, we will be prepared for them in our spirit, in our mind. We will be able to handle them with wisdom. And that is the goal of philosophy, and that is something that I think we can all strive for. So take a brief moment now and ask yourself what could come today? What could come tomorrow? What could come in one week, one month, one year, one decade? Think of the possible great things, think of the possible misfortunate things.