The Stoic Amongst Dilwale

"You have a teaspoon worth of emotions, you know?"

How many times have you encountered that question in your life? You know it's not true. On the contrary, you know that the kind of emotions you can feel, and the intensity with which you can feel them, are usually beyond most. Maybe you don't know how to express them? Or maybe sometimes you just act out your emotions because you feel that things wouldn't seem normal if you didn't. 

It's probably not your fault if you don't know how to smile when the camera stares at you, or to show remorse when one of your friends tells you that their mother died, or plead when your partner tells you that they can't be with you anymore. The answer can be as simple as - you're a Stoic. 

It took me 20 years to realize that I was one, and the realization too wasn't an organic one - but came when pointed out by one of my college professors. Of course, inability to show remorse or anger exuberantly isn't the only quality which qualifies you as a Stoic. Of course, you don't have to practice Stoicism in its original sense to be a Stoic. Of course, there is no 'one kind' of Stoicism that exists in the world. Of course, there are only a few individuals in this world who can truly be 'Stoic' in the absolute sense. However, to identify with the philosophy, all you need is a sense of belongingness (which I do). There are 3 main pillars with which one can identify themselves as Stoics:
Firstly, it's a way of life where you acknowledge that while the things happening around you and in your life might be out of your hands, the way you perceive/approach the situation makes all the difference. Secondly, you must be able to reason with everything happening in your life, i.e., making use of your 'logos' (grossly translated - logic). Thirdly, to recognize the need to practice self-abstinence to exercise power over the harmful worldly influences.
Stoicism believes in 'Virtues' like honesty, gravity, endurance, austerity, resignation, abstinence, patience, sincerity, moderation, seriousness, high-mindedness. To be able to practice all the virtues is virtually impossible to achieve in the 21st century. Hence, I can reason this phenomenon and forgive myself for feeling 'Stoic' without practicing all the virtues in its absolute sense. (Did you see what I did there? :P)
Being Stoic can sound incredibly convenient at times, but the truth is, it is hard. Although Stoicism might be empowering at one point, it also causes immense frustration at times. The fact that I can reason why someone might have lied or hurt me, robs me of the opportunity to be angry or upset with that person - because you come to bloody 'understand' the cause of everything!! At times, stoicism can also probe you to prepare yourself for the worse. So even if something bad happens, you're not really affected by it. But the flip side of this is, even if something good happens, you're still not affected by it. Which makes you look like a complete cynic at times, especially around those boisterous people who do not shy away from letting their feelings known. Being a Stoic in a country like India, where love blossoms over a Bollywood number and heroes stalk the heck out of the heroines - perpetuating a romantic notion of an eerie stalking culture, can be a pain in the ass. People often deem you to be cold, emotionless, depressed and associate other mean qualities with you. (But guess what? You can't be angry at that because you 'understand' that it is not their fault!) 

I claim to be no expert in Stoicism, or understanding of the Stoic principles, and I only speak from my experience - being the Stoic amongst Dilwales can be complex. But that doesn't mean that we (I speak for my Stoic friends) have had all the emotions drained out of us. We love as intensely as the hero that killed the heroine's ex-boyfriend (because he is the villain of course!) to win her over. Just that our logic doesn't really allow us to do perform atrocities (like stalking a girl) which others fail to realize as one. Stoics offer something rather unique - an ability to stay calm