DTH "‘Do not despise death, but be well content with it, since this too is one of those things which nature wills,’ says Marcus

"‘Do not despise death, but be well content with it, since this too is one of those things which nature wills,’ says Marcus

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‘Whenever you grow attached to something,’ writes Epictetus, ‘do not act as though it were one of those things that cannot be taken away, but as though it were something like a jar or a crystal goblet . . . if you kiss your child, your brother, your friend . . remind yourself that you love a mortal, something not your own; it has been given to you for the present, not inseparably nor forever, but like a fig, or a bunch of grapes, at a fixed season of the year.’

////////////////////WCS STOIC

Applying their stringent rationality to the situation, the Stoics propose a more elegant, sustainable and calming way to deal with the possibility of things going wrong: rather than struggling to avoid all thought of these worst-case scenarios, they counsel actively dwelling on them, staring them in the face

"What Would Seneca Do? The Stoic Art of Confronting the Worst-Case Scenario Pessimism, when you get used to it, is just as agreeable as optimism. – Arnold Bennett, Things That Have Interested Me"

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"Indeed, nothing outside your own mind can properly be described as negative or positive at all. What actually causes suffering are the beliefs you hold about those things. The colleague is not irritating per se, but because of your belief that getting your work finished without interruption is an important goal. Even a relative’s illness is only bad in view of your belief that it’s a good thing for your relatives not to be ill. (Millions of people, after all, get ill every day; we have no beliefs whatsoever about most of them, and consequently don’t feel distressed.)"

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When Zeno began to teach philosophy himself, he did so under the stoa poikile, the ‘painted porch’ on the north side of the ancient agora of Athens – hence the label ‘Stoic’. The school’s influence subsequently spread to Rome, and it is these later Roman Stoics – above all Epictetus, Seneca the Younger, and Marcus Aurelius – whose works have survived."

//////////////////////////////////"Stoicism, which was born in Greece and matured in Rome, should not be confused with ‘stoicism’ as the word is commonly used today – a weary, uncomplaining resignation that better describes the attitude of my fellow passengers on the Underground. Real Stoicism is far more tough-minded, and involves developing a kind of muscular calm in the face of trying circumstances."

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"Try to pose for yourself this task: not to think of a polar bear, and you will see that the cursed thing will come to mind every minute. – Fyodor Dostoevsky, Winter Notes on Summer Impressions"

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