Marcus Aurelius was the philosopher king of Rome during its prime times. He was the most powerful man in the world, yet we find from his private journals that he was practicing affection for others, forgiveness, and how to live his life in line with (Stoic) philosophies. In this sense, he is a rare figure in history.

As discussed in his biography (by Donald Robertson), Marcus came from a wealthy family. His mother was the inheritor and a good manager of the properties and factories. She was said to be intelligent, honest, and modest, especially compared to the lifestyle of the rich in Rome. She (and her father) ensured that Marcus received private tutoring from one of the best philosophers of the time.

Little Marcus, an Old Head on Young Shoulders

Marcus, who was already inclined to study philosophy from an earlier age, admired his tutors. He adored the philosophy and the way of living associated with it. In fact, when he was around 12, little Marcus took his admiration to the next level. He copied the lifestyles of the philosophers. He wore uncomfortable robes and slept on the ground like them. At some point, his mother was worried and convinced him to sleep on the couch.

Although the young Caesar started his pursuit of philosophy by imitating others, he gradually infused philosophy into his life in his way. It’s important to emphasize this phrase because no imitated idea or way of life can 100% fit into our unique lives. This was the case 2000 years ago and is the same today.

We usually absorb different ideas and points of view via our families, schools, social circles, and other environments. More often than not, these ideas stick with us even though we never properly thought about them. We wear those ideas just like the uncomfortable itchy robe of little Marcus, and speak of them as if we own them. Although it is necessary to absorb any idea before assessing it, we must cultivate the skills to challenge and tailor those ideas to our lives. Such cultivation is neccessary even if we make a mess and fail as a result. At least, we are the ones who fail, not someone whose ideas occupy our head.

Three Exercises to Practice Critical Thinking

1- Assess Your Everyday Activities & Items

I admit that this first exercise comes from an unexpected place. I was fresh out of college, and for the first time in my life, I experienced a crippling depression, followed by a 2-year recovery process. In the middle of it, I started dating and realized that I lacked self-confidence from time to time. While I was searching for some self-help podcasts, I encountered an erotic-themed podcast on Spotify (I tried to find it to link here, but the internet has grown a lot since then).

Anyway, she was talking about how to be confident for “average men.” She listed a couple of pieces of advice, but one of them resonated with me the most. It was about the ability to think. She said that she prefers men who can decide on their own, think independently, and know what they want. But she was also aware that many men lack this ability, this confidence. So, she suggested a simple exercise to develop one.

It’s an easy yet effective technique. You start and continue your day as usual. During your everyday activities, you try to think about what you think about those activities. For instance, look at your shampoo, as she suggested. Do you like the scent and its feeling? If yes, think about why you like it. If not, think about why not and try to find a shampoo that you like. When you are in a taxi, look at the building colors and consider whether you like them. If not, think about what you would prefer. Is your bedsheet comfortable? Which type of bedsheet would you choose instead? When you try to do this for several days, you start to have the habit of having opinions about simple things. Subconsciously, you also begin to listen to yourself, which might have been missing for a long time.

2- Ask Random Objects: “Where are you coming from?”

This was an exercise I learned from one of my humanities professors. She moved from the U.S. to my country with her husband to teach in an academically thriving university, only to find that most students didn’t know how to think critically. Our first assignment was to think and write about one daily thing we interact with. For example, look at the shower head (like a maniac) while having your morning shower. Then, you can question where the water comes from, where it goes, who benefits from it, and so on. Choose one daily activity and question the hell of it. Do some Google searches if necessary to answer those questions. Questioning about random stuff will practice your critical thinking muscles.

3- Ask yourself: “How can I tailor this idea into my life?”

One thing that separates Stoicism from other (academic) philosophies is its focus on practicality rather than theory. As Marcus said himself, philosophy is the sponge and egg white to relieve the inflammation of the eye (it was a treatment at the time), rather than an instructor.

I think it’s a good exercise to try applying ideas you like to your daily life. It will force you to assess whether it’s an applicable idea. Whenever you hear an idea that resonates with you so well that you are willing to carry it with you through eternity, note it down. Then, think about where and when exactly you can test/apply this idea in your life. I’m not talking about 15 seconds of vague contemplation. Give it a couple of minutes to actually assess it. Most of the time, even the best ideas won’t fit perfectly. You’ll have some objections to the idea. Let it be. This is the reasoning and critical thinking I’ve been talking about, at least a part of it.

For instance, I talked about how to let go of the small bad things that happen to us in a day and see them as endurance exercises rather than misfortune. Take a look and decide whether it’s a viable thing for you or not. If so, first of all, don’t hesitate to email me. Then, whenever something trivial stresses you out or makes you bitter in a day, try to stop and breathe for 5 seconds. Do you really need to stick with the negative feelings? How helpful are they? Don’t you have something more important to pursue?

In the end…

Not only will you practice the rare skill of holding (and manipulating) thoughts in your mind for more than a couple of minutes in this digital age of attention economy, but you’ll also reason. You’ll try to customize that itchy robe of Marcus’s so you can wear it daily. So that you can wear it with pride and confidence. It’s a process, but a worthy one.