Stoicism for Muay Thai and Life. Some lessons for everyone to help improve your existence.
Doing Muay Thai is tough, being stoic is tough but they are both great for you. Including some stoic philosophy in your Muay Thai life will enhance your training and your life. It will also make a fighter better to live with during weight cuts, losses, setbacks, annoying people and injuries.
In true modern adoptionism, take what works for you and disregard what does not. Respect where it came from and realise that many, many ideas, quotes and philosophies have already been thought of by deep thinking people for thousands of years. You are not unique or special and your problems are not unique, there is answers already out there.
Stoicism is an ancient Greek philosophy established around 300BC by Zeno Citium in Athens when Stoic schools operated to educate the public and the elite alike, in a formalised way of thinking. Back when wars war routine, life expectancy was thirty-five, anaesthetics did not exist, slaves were routine and people with means could sit around thinking shit up and pondering the meaning of the world. Life still had existential problems we face now but with death and suffering a much more routine occurrence.
There is no doubt if you travelled back in time, to this period, your current problems would be insignificant, and you would find it hard to cope in a 300BC world. There would be no counsellors or safe spaces, and you would cope or die. You wouldn’t have the right clothes, ATM’s wouldn’t work, no google, so you would think for yourself, no health care, no unions and no Netflix, but you would get to talk about meaningful philosophy all night.
Stoicism is a values-based (how to think and act) education system far removed from the basic English and Maths education of today. It appears to have been based on educating people in values that will help their life. A philosophy designed to lead a better and more useful life whilst coping with all of the consequences one faces in life. “Virtue is the only good’ is the basis of stoicism.
Throughout the article I refer to Greeks as if they are all strict stoics which is obviously rubbish. For all we know, stoics were 9% of the population and outcast as weirdos. Many Greeks were probably like some people you know today; winging, poor me, envious, deceptive, despicable type people. There would have been socialists, religious nuts, royalists, military ego maniacs and actors at all levels. Most people would have just got on with their life as best they could, like today. Life is what you are used to, so it is hard to compare without realising, today is a much better place and time to live.
Stoicism has survived for thousands of years because it has easy to relate to ways of thinking. How to deal with feelings and emotions that are an integral part of life. Stoicism is going through a resurgence because the philosophies can contribute to people being more resilient, mentally robust and provide strategies for coping in a modern world when, despite technological and medical advances, our emotions still control our feelings. Life is far easier than when the ancient Greeks lived but many think life is hard, because everything is relative to what you know.
Ancient Greeks had to face emotional challenges common to everyone; a harsh reprimand at work, a bad hair day, people insulting you or making jokes about your weight or gender and not having enough likes on your latest TikTok video. When there was no counselling, any disease could kill you, any injury could mean death, any attack from a local village is slavery or death, there was no air-conditioning, no internet, no electric toothbrushes, no welfare, nothing really! There was a lot of wheat, one toga per person, frequent wars, and no health care but people still found time to think about how to deal with the hardships of life. When the majority of people existed one day at a time, from meal to meal without a union to lobby for your safety or a government to care about welfare. Stoicism helped people think deeply about perspective, if feelings were useful or just normal and how to respond and manage them without falling apart because you feel anxious about how hard you think your life is, when in reality, you have it relatively easy, you just lack perspective and experience.
Back to Muay Thai. Thailand is no-where near Greece and Greeks did not discover Thai Boxing until about 14 years ago but there is a link. Both Thai boxing and Stoicism can improve your life and even more so when combined. Stoicism can help you be better at Muay Thai, but Muay Thai wont really help a stoic be more stoic unless they do it to learn to suffer and practice responding to injuries and boos.
The four pillars of stoicism and how they can improve your Muay Thai.
- Courage
- Wisdom
- Self-Control/Temperance
- Discipline/Justice
Courage. Muay Thai takes courage, and every participant knows this and wants to be more courageous. For a stoic, it is about having the strength to do the right thing, not the easy thing. For Muay Thai, this is training in a routine disciplined way regardless of how you feel. Facing the courage to face your own weaknesses and doubt. To have the courage to improve despite losses, hard training, harsh coaching truths and not being as good as you expect to be.
Courage getting in the ring is what a stoic would do every day facing a challenge to survive in ancient Greece. Courage facing up to the fears, the challenges and the setbacks. Competition takes courage but the real courage comes from hard training, losses and growing as a person and training partner as you improve at Muay Thai.
Not letting your victories grow your ego or your defeats slow you down but having the courage to persevere.
Wisdom. To make daily efforts to learn, to train and to improve your knowledge of what you do.To learn about the world and you. For Muay Thai, this can make you better and more useful outside of and after the sport. Being wise is to do self-assessment honestly and view the world with perspective and knowledge before reaction. For Muay Thai this is knowing the rules, learning about all aspect of the sport, diet, mental preparation for competition, and being a good team member so you have friends when you become a champion. Wisdom of self-awareness is incredibility important for everyone not to be self-centred and only aware of their own fishbowl.
Self-Control / Temperance. For anyone that does Muay Thai this is critical. Self-restraint is how you develop and become great. Being strong enough to avoid everyone around you that wants to go out for drinks, eat muffins every day and binge watch Netflix. Muay Thai practitioners want to train and have the self-control to not be distracted. To cut weight and train every day to be at your physical peak takes incredible temperance over an extended period.
To be stoic is to have the self-control to be great at muay Thai. Train routinely in a disciplined programed way, control your diet, your social life and manage priorities ensuring your goals stray at the top and are not eroded by those around you. To get to training after work and not going to the pub. Keeping training when you get a girlfriend that wants to spend more time with you and ensuring you watch One Fc instead of going out takes temperance.
Justice. Justice is key to allowing virtues to mean anything. Measuring fairness and being aware of biases, position and the interpretation of varied values is what justice is. For Muay Thai it is to be fair, respectful and to keep your ego in check. To suck up a bad decision, as it will happen to everyone, and be thoughtful about your reaction.
Justice is about standing up for what is right based on strong values that benefit the community . Muay Thai is a sport, a lifestyle and way of living for many. For it to be worthwhile you must include justice in your values or Muay Thai is only a hobby. Act with fairness and have the courage to stand up for what is right, the oppressed and respect the officials that mediate the sport.
Justice is also about being honest about your record, taking on challenging not easy fights and developing new fighters fairly. It is about how you play the game not the victory. How you treat people around you, your coach, your team and your fans. For officials it is also about integrity, an awareness of your biases and a fair go for everyone. Justice is about not pretending you have principles like respect, fair play and team work on book face, but actually having them when it counts, not just on book face. Being healthy and not taking roids or drugs to train or socializing. Actually, being a healthy member of the community with a good character, not a dick, drug dealer or girlfriend abusing meat head.
The four virtues offer a guide to how to live a life with value and purpose. If you are aware of them in your Muay Thai, your training and fighting will mean more to you and your participation will be of greater value. The virtues will allow you to progress through life challenges with resilience, thoughtfulness, moral clarity and fair treatment of others.
Specific benefits for Muay Thai.
The endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feelings and without complaint is essential for Muay Thai. For Muay Thai there is managing your fear, your ego and your emotions. When you face an opponent you have to have a presence and show nothing distracts you, you look serious but confident, relaxed but determined and nothing phases you. You smile when you take a good shot and compliment your opponent when they do well. You laugh at the pressure and the crowd sees you as strong and confident in the face of chaos and danger. You remain calm under pressure, thoughtful during round breaks and fight every moment with purpose and intent. This is being a stoic Muay Thai fighter. You are not distracted by or engage in show boating, you respect your opponent and are fair at all times displaying good character to the crowd and your opponent’s team.
If you lose, you take it gracefully and then consider why you lost so you can be better next time. No one sees an outburst or a tantrum even if you are ripped off. They see dignity and determination. You control your reactions and emotions and then think about how to react thoughtfully and effectively later. You take it on the chin, but you go away and work on how to win next time. You cry when alone and let it out, but no one sees you were beaten. You think your opponent and coaches for the experience as everything is good and makes you who you are. The losses are lessons, learn from them. That is being stoic.
Muay Thai makes you mentally stronger and being stoic does not mean you bottle up your emotions, you have them like everyone, you just do not make out yours are harder. You train more, you smash the bag, and you have an outlet and a team around you to help you through life.
Beyond Muay Thai. Stoicism is a practical philosophy with the aim of living a meaningful life and becoming one’s best self. Stoicism is a philosophy designed to make us more resilient, happier, more virtuous and wiser. As a result, better people, stronger and more realistic people.
What is being stoic to you. The ability to suck up your first emotional response and be thoughtful and internal. To plan your response or time it away from others. To have a private outlet with no whining in public. To be seen as competent in a crisis and strong enough to get through anything will gain respect from others. You may appear cold and unfeeling, but this is not true. You are just not prone to outbursts or needing others to share your emotions. You are not a burden to anyone and are strong enough to have perspective and considered reactions. You don’t show what you are feeling and don’t drag others into your misery.
You embrace an understanding that we all have bad feelings, but you don’t let them beat you down or control your life. Everyone will suffer at some point, and this is a fact, be prepared for it and able to deal with it. Your problems and emotions are not unique or special, accept them and be stronger than them so you manage your life, not your feelings.
Many emotions will pass and are natural consequences of life. They are not unfair; they are just what they are. You don’t have to post everything you feel and look for support. Take a few deep breaths, it will often pass. There is more life to live, and you want the future to be good, not dragged down by the past. You don’t brag about or show off all the good aspects of your life to create a false identity on SM. You live honestly with the good and the bad because it all is good and makes you, you. When you do well, you don’t show off and when you’re down you don’t act like a victim. You have pride.
When you can’t cope, you are thoughtful and courageous enough to seek professional help and do honest self-assessment, with guidance if needed. You don’t bottle it up or wallow in self-pity, you get on with life. You focus on what you can control and accept what you cannot, this develops emotional resilience and inner strength. You find happiness by finding your life’s purpose, behaving fairly and morally regardless of personal cost and although you make your own choices, you accept bad things will happen and you are prepared for them. You do not worry about things you have no control over. You do not allow yourself to be taken by surprise. You remain calm in the face of chaos.
A stoic is to not strive to be materialistic but live a life of value of ego. Of course, Greeks did not have fast cars, business class travel and home theatre to tempt them but they did have a harder daily life with greater risk of death. They saw benefit in living well which led them to look for ways of thinking that did not bog them down in self-pity or mental health days. They were not easily offended and did not blame others for what happened to them, they never acted as victims and sought attention or identity through their problems.
Conclusion.
Like all philosophies, modernise it for you to be useful and practical. Do not try and be an ancient Greek Stoic in the modern world and never take on anything zealously or dogmatically. Your Muay Thai will improve if you can be more stoic when facing your setbacks and challenges. Stoics had an answer for everything including acceptance of homosexuality ahead of its times but also an answer for how the universe was formed that has been surpassed by science. Take what works for you, like many great people before you have done. The fact that the term – to ‘act stoically’ has survived and has relevance today is a testament to the lasting influence of aspects of stoicism that we can still learn from and adapt too today.
As President Rosevelt said, “character above all’. Choose how you want to be viewed, how you want to live, and your legacy will be based on your values more than what you own or have achieved.
I have unashamedly taken what I think is cool from being a stoic and applied to what I need in my life and see great benefits in adopting.
