Stoicism

[Appius Iunius Laterensis]

Salvete! 

Ap. Iunius Laterensis S.P.D.

I am a Stoic. I would like to ask who practice in active way Stoicism in our group. Maybe we can share some experiences.

I know that V. Claudius Iohannes is a Stoic. Who else?  

Di vos incolumes custodiant!

Valete!

Appius Iunius Laterensis

[Appius Iunius Laterensis]

[Humberto E. Ricci, Jr.]

I am a bit of a stoic. I have read a little of the Stoic writings and find myself in agreement with much of what I've read. I am too emotional to honestly claim the label. I am in disagreement with those who say one cannot be devotedly religious and also lean towards stoicism. That is one topic I can get emotional about. Of course some of my friends think I am actually a grumpy Cynic.

C. Aelius Ericius.

[Appius Iunius Laterensis]

Salve C. Aelius Ericius

Thank you very much for your answer. I agree with you - there is no contradiction at all to be Stoic and Religious. I am deeply into Cultus Deorum and into Stoocism. We can see in the Stoic writtings that they were devoted to Gods. If there is a need I can put some quotations from Stoics concerning this topic. So in my humble opinion (which I know that many will not agree with it) to be the true Stoic means also to be devoted to Gods. In the past these two things were conected and perfectly worked together. I also read some wrongly claims that emotions and Stoicism can not go together. This is also not true. Stoics are not cold like "ice" concerning emotions. Stoics are the people full of emotions - the only differnce is that Stoics try to control emotions - not to "kill" emotions.

Vele

Laterensis

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[Appius Iunius Laterensis]

Concerning Gods and Stoicism

Marcus Aurelius Meditations 2:11

"You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think. If the gods exist, then to abandon human beings is not frightening; the gods would never subject you to harm. And if they don’t exist, or don’t care what happens to us, what would be the point of living in a world without gods or Providence? But they do exist, they do care what happens to us, and everything a person needs to avoid real harm they have placed within him. If there were anything harmful on the other side of death, they would have made sure that the ability to avoid it was within you. If it doesn’t harm your character, how can it harm your life? Nature would not have overlooked such dangers through failing to recognize them, or because it saw them but was powerless to prevent or correct them. Nor would it ever, through inability or incompetence, make such a mistake as to let good and bad things happen indiscriminately to good and bad alike. But death and life, success and failure, pain and pleasure, wealth and poverty, all these happen to good and bad alike, and they are neither noble nor shameful—and hence neither good nor bad."

Epictetus Handbook:

31.1. "As regards piety towards the gods, you should know that the most important point is to hold correct opinions about them, regarding them as beings who exist and govern the universe well and justly, and to have made up your mind to obey them and submit to everything that comes about, and to fall in with it of your own free will, as something that has been brought to pass by the highest intelligence. For if you follow that course, you’ll never find fault with the gods or accuse them of having neglected you."

These are only few examples. 

[Appius Iunius Laterensis]

Salvete 

Another quotation from Stoic:

"Love the discipline you know, and let it support you. Entrust everything willingly to the gods, and then make your way through life—no one’s master and no one’s slave."

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4:31

Valete

Laterensis

Sent from my iPad

[V. Claudius Iohannes (alio nomine JKN)]

Salve, Laterensis -

Yes, I'm a Stoic, at least nominally -- although my nature wouldn't seem to qualify me for it.

Back in 2006, following some exposure from Horatius Piscinus at the SVR, and then a personal crisis, I read Sandbach's book on the Stoics. I found in Stoicism a philosophy that wasn't simply silly or magical or absolutist, but reasonable, reasoning, and engaged with the problem of meaning in a world of absurdity.  (Orthodox Stoics reject that characterization of the world, but it remains my experience of this mortal domain.)  

I may not be making much headway in virtue, but in my own fashion I keep after it, and I figure that's something in a world that tends the other way.

 

Also:  I'm involved with a College that offers classes on it - http://collegeofstoicphilosophers.org/.

Bene vale atque valete, omnes.