Stoic philosophy is driven by four cardinal virtues – wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance. Virtue is a habit of the mind, consistent with nature, and moderation, and reason. It is essentially what Stoic philosophy is build upon.
1. WISDOM/PRUDENCE
Allows us to make logical decision and sound judgments from our knowledge and experience. The reason we need to acquire wisdom is that most of our sufferings arise from our beliefs from past experiences with wisdom, we challenge those set-beliefs and move towards building a new self with a peaceful mind.
It means overcoming obstacles and complex situations in the best way possible with the resources available in hand.
2. COURAGE
Courage is the state of standing strong and thinking correct in dangerous and fearful situations. Courage is taking the righteous actions both physically and morally. It is not the elimination of the fear, desire or anxiety, rather it is deciding to act and taking steps despite our fear, passion and anxiety. It is the virtue concerned with endurance and resilience in the face of fear. It is being intrepid in the face of death.
3. JUSTICE
Justice means doing what is rightful and fair to others and ourselves. From the stoic point of view, justice is our duty for our fellow men and women for our society. Justice is the virtue involving distribution: to treat every individual as equal with fairness and kindness regardless of their financial and social status, caste, color, creed or ethnicity.
4. TEMPERANCE
Also called moderation, the virtue of temperance relates to self-restraint, self-discipline, and self-control. It is the virtue concerned with the acquisition. The state by which a possessor is full of caution about what he should acquire before choosing what to get. With temperance we can choose long-term well-being over short-term satisfaction. Marcus Aurelius was insistent on having this virtue and wrote what sets humans apart from animals is the ability to control their impulses.
The Summum Bonum message on the back of the coin is meant to remind you that you always have the choice to aim for the “Highest Good” in whatever you do. You should always be aiming to act and do what is right, not what is necessarily easy.
Keep the four virtues of Stoicism in mind at all times with this Stoic Virtues Coin. It is the perfect way to stay stoic during your day, worth carrying with you every day, into every decision.