Yes, the AA Serenity Prayer has echoes of roots back to Stoicism. The Dichotomy of Control within Stoicism emphasizes controlling what you can. Around 417 CE, Saint Augustine echoed a related idea, urging people to focus on living rightly and changing what they could rather than simply blaming the times. The AA Serenity Prayer itself emerged in the 1930s and is attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr. It echoes the ancient Stoic dichotomy so well, I used it as the Stoic guiding statement in chapter 13 of “30 Philosophers.”
“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
For stoics, the Serenity Prayer adopted by AA and other 12-step programs, isn’t just inspiration for the down and out, it’s a way of life for all. Stoics believe that the key to a good life lies in cultivating virtue and mastering your ability to examine your emotions and thoughts. Think along the lines of being a good person who mostly has positive thoughts and thinks ahead.
As a self-identified Stoic, I subscribe to the idea that my thoughts have a powerful impact on the trajectory of my life. By shaping the quality and direction of my own thoughts, I am better able to navigate the forks in the road, giving me maximum control over what I can control, over “my” future. I use the ancient Greek word eudaimonia to write about views on the ultimate purpose of life. For Stoics, virtue is the path to eudaimonia. The strength of a virtuous life naturally grows into flourishing, inner peace, and the good life.
