Once a person has a greater understanding of the realm of the inner self and that of the external world. One should ask has this presented me with greater wisdom? If it has not then, perhaps it might be prudent to read again the previous lessons to get a better understanding also the Stoic Ascent book has therein a wealth of information on these matters.

If a person confirms that these insights have been valuable, then this can be sufficient to understand that going further along this path which has a lot to offer those who set upon this journey is a worthy undertaking. 

So, then it is here at this point that we are to gain the correct intentions of what we want to attain from this journey. From my understanding, we can take pretty much all that Stoicism has to offer except for their understandings of any kind of religious understanding they had as to the time and locations they lived in. Although we can traverse along their epistemology towards the first cause and a designer. Though thereafter we can look at the monotheistic world religions in such regards thereafter. 

Also, we are to be mindful of not looking to take things to the academic realms as I have mentioned in the Stoic Ascent book as this is not the realm that I come from nor am I guiding towards. For it is the practicality that Stoicism offers that we should be aiming for.  

As these aspects are being outlined in this lesson, it is for the purposes to present the usefulness and to bring forth the mindset to have the best possible mindset to get the best out of the journey.

In particular, knowing what the journey consists of and knowing what a person would like to get out of it is definitely going to give the best start on this path. Especially as it is not being set upon in a way that a person is being presented with information and then taking it in as it is present. Rather the approach of knowing in advance what Stoicism has within it and what is it that a person is looking for from it.  

Thus, it is my aim to provide this very mindset here in the early stages of the Stoic path for those who have made the worthy decision to join this blog. In particular, this is the most practical philosophy of ancient times that I have come across. This is further found scattered across the Stoic literature as there are plenty of mentions of other schools of thought not living their philosophy but rather their philosophy is confined to the academic realms to intellectual purposes for the most part.  

So here early on the shedding of light on the practicality of such an undertaking is what we are seeking as we start to be well on the way towards becoming a sage, the Stoics were also seeking this quality, which is to always be able to see the truth in itself, is regarded as a matter of practicality in this school of thought.