Stoicism
Old knowledge that is still not completely world known
Stoicism is a philosophy of personal ethics informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world. According to its teachings, as social beings, the path to happiness for humans is found in accepting the moment as it presents itself, by not allowing oneself to be controlled by the desire for pleasure or fear of pain, by using one's mind to understand the world and to do one's part in nature's plan, and by working together and treating others fairly and justly.
“It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
- Epictetus
One of the more famous stoicist, Epictetus, taught that philosophy is a way of life and not just a theoretical discipline. To Epictetus, all external events are beyond our control; we should accept calmly and dispassionately whatever happens. However, individuals are responsible for their own actions, which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline.
I’m filled with an indescribable heavy feeling while reading through one of Epictetus books transcribed and compiled by his pupil Arrian about 2000 years ago. Even at that time we knew how to be a ”good” person and how to take care of ourselves, everyone around us but also our nature. And who knows for how long the knowledge was there before someone was able to write it down. I keep thinking about the future and if we will still be thinking the same in 2000 years from now? Let’s for sure hope that we can all become more stoic and spread some kind of gentle and kind approach to ourselves and this world.
