Dear America: Bring Back Stoicism

In the city of Cyprus, Greece, over 2000 years ago, there lived a very wealthy man named Zeno. Somewhere on a voyage from Phoenicia to Piraeus his boat sank and with it all his wealth in cargo. Because of a completely uncontrollable event Zeno had lost everything of value and was once again made poor.

Imagine yourself in a similar context. Everything you’ve work towards, your life’s work, all gone in the blink of an eye by nobody’s fault. How would this make you feel? Our natural response to such a thing might be anger, sadness, despair, or uselessness.

Zeno felt none of these things. In his eyes something by no fault of his own was nothing to dwell over. Zeno’s teachings of stoicism challenged human nature at its core. How could one overcome such loss with little to no emotion?

In the time before and during his life there was a large change in idealisms of society in Greece, Rome, and other developed nations. Life for the successful became easier and so with it came more time for education and therefore intellectual thought. Soon radical changes in the culture emerged, adhering to romantics, emotions, and sensitivity.

It was both a step forward and backwards. No longer were men of high class mostly ranked commanders, officials, and warriors; they now wore gowns, discussed politics and debated over irrelevancies.

There seems to be an almost repetitive idea throughout history and almost every major empire. People began to protest against and outcast men of savage minds as they put it. Men who gave into their natural instincts for war, dominance, and lust found life differnt. The nobles argued people of these qualities were weak in mind and therefore detrimental to their growing intellectuality in society.

This idea that our natural emotional instincts are always wrong, that we as a society should change for those not strong is an idea for great societies…but always a failing idea. We should repurpose them. The wise man, Zeno was the start for growing anguish in Greece but a necessary one. He challenged the majority who called for more sensitivities and romantic views and opted for cold but effective ways of thinking, feeling, and living; a way of living derived from the moral ideas of cynics. It preached taking the natural emotions of men and harnessing it for more efficient use.

Stoicism involves suppressing such feelings for the betterment of yourself and those around you and instead using it to power your motivations and ambitions. Stay silent but efficient, respond with power and confidence and to listen more than you speak. Be the one people look to for guidance. The same goes for all negative emotions.