Stoic Book Club discussion

What brought you to Stoicism? For me it was all the stress and pressure of 2020, and personal crises in a relationship. A very good friend suggested Stoicism to me, at the same time I entered into therapy. My therapist started by suggesting Cognitive Behavioral changes to my thinking, which as it turns out has its roots in stoicism. It is truly knowledge I wish I had come across in my youth.

Two years ago, after my dad’s death I started therapy and reading everything and anything that could help me cope. I came across the Daily Stoic and it started to give me bits and pieces of the attitude I needed to embrace in order to move forward.

My first introduction was through Dialectical Behaviour Therapy which has a solid foundation in Stoic principles. Then later I read The Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff and it reignited my interest in the philosophy.

I started reading Stoic works in highschool, so it's hard to remember giving it was about 40 years ago. But for whatever reason I found it compelling. There seemed to be wisdom in what I was reading. I put it aside for many years; studying other philosophies of life, and return to it to give myself more direction.

I have found a way of navigating life challenges with something akin to grace through the stoic way. Not reacting emotionally to every perceived disruption and learning to accept what is, as though I chose it and then dealing with it. Does not work perfectly yet I continue to practice.

honestly, I am someone who questions what I want in life, instead of what I want out of life. sure id like to invest and buy a home, have a family, continue learning and never stop, etc.. but what do I want out of life? not those miniature material goals. what is the philosophy of my life? that's when I got into stoicism, I realized my favorite philosophers in most of my educational university courses were followers of stoicism. I'm definitely a newbie so I would love it if you guys could suggest a few good reads! thank you for creating this wonderful community

I lost my religion and faith in Gods after suffering a stroke that made me rethink some fundamental things like origin, human life, fate, etc. Philosophy was a natural choice for these topics and through a philosophy group on Facebook, came across Stoicism and it has been a great guide to life so far.

Just the whole concept of a way of life that is grounded without the necessity of supernatural overtones. I'm fine with the concept of spirituality and am not resistant to it; still am pleasantly surprised about a philosophy that elevates reason to such a high degree. It's been a very pleasant experience.

I found my way to Stoicism via Theravada Buddhist practice and study. Studying under the instruction and teachings of Thanissaro Bhikkhu, I discovered other philosophers throughout history have similar values and principles. Interestingly, early Stoic philosophers were teaching around the time of the Buddha's awakening and 45 years teaching his wisdom to his students. The Pali Canon, the original text of Theravada Buddhism was written near the time of Zeno of Citium.

What brought me to Stoicism? A serious accident turned my life upside down, and I was searching for something that could help me get through the difficult times I was experiencing. I wasn't interested in positive thinking or empty reassurances – I needed something real. That's when I found Stoicism.
What drew me in was its honesty. Life is hard. Things will go wrong. But we still have the power to determine our responses. Stoicism gave me tools – not just ideas – to work with my circumstances, rather than against them.
I've spent years working with these practices, and they helped me rebuild my life from the inside out. That's what led me to write My Stoic Path To Healing – to share what helped me, in case it might help someone else.