@Gotterdammerung@glitch.social
Post #2718417
2026-05-07 17:13 UTC
And naturally, the Stoic's mascot became Marcus Aurelius: an emperor serenely reminding himself not to be disturbed by life while possessing the legal authority to have entire villages erased before lunch.
Still, the philosophy survives cuz reality eventually humiliates everyone. Disease arrives. Lovers leave. Economies collapse cuz a hedge fund manager developed a coke allergy.
Replies (1)
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@Gotterdammerung@glitch.social 2026-05-07 17:14
In those moments, Stoicism offers something almost criminally useful: the possibility that your mind need not become a hostage to circumstance. Which brings us to Epictetus, the inconvenient witness for the defense. He was born enslaved. Not metaphorically enslaved by email or spiritually enslaved by consumerism. Actual chains, actual ownership. For him, Stoicism was no wellness retreat for burnt out CEOs, but psychic guerilla warfare.