/lit/ - Literature

>>17327836
>Epictetus even was a slave, probably had it far worse than me, yet I am the one getting crushed by this life.
Up to a point, I think what you experience as difficult or burdensome adjusts according to your day-to-day experience. I spent two years living in a mud hut in West Africa; during this period, experiences like getting an abscess or suffering from debilitating diarrhea were considered moderate misfortunes at worst. Now that I'm back in the First World, my sense of what's difficult and what's easy has readjusted, and I suspect that if I got an abscess now, I'd consider it a significant misfortunate rather than a minor one. All this to say, I think that if you spent a few years as a Roman slave, your personal sense of what counts as suffering would readjust. It wouldn't be an unbearable burden, because, to you, it would simply be normal life.

You should practice what you preach.

>>17327836
I am in the same boat, bro. Since covid my life has turned into shit. I had never failed a single course in university, but since March I have failed thrice. I'm also still struggling with my thesis after almost 13 months working on it. Even when I think of failing a course I get a mini heart attack and my chest starts to hurt. I tried to be stoic and re-read Epictetus but it doesn't work.

>>17327836
Common mistakes of readers, learning Stoicism, is that accepting things will make things better. It is ok just to lay on your bed sometimes, for fortune isnt always on our side. Read and also reflect anon. "Sometimes even to live is an act of courage", I got this quote from Seneca hoping it will make you feel better anon.

>>17328142
Yeah, I think that accepting things beyond our control should lift off some weights we carry with ourselves, making it a little bit easier to start on improving of what we are capable of.
I think I just have depression because I cannot find the strength to absolutely anything.

>>17328164
Have you read Man's Search for Meaning? I highly recommend you read it or reread it

>>17328038
I have not read any books about stoicism, but I imagine that the best way to get over this pain is to work on the things you can control, such as your effort. If your life is going to shit for reasons that you can change, then you probably shouldn't read books hoping they will tell you how you can completely ignore your problems.
>inb4 wah it's not my fault I'm failing courses
It is.

>>17328241
I second this.

There's a certain pleasure to be had when living in adverse circumstances. I would argue for myself that to be engaged in a struggle is far more rewarding than to be entirely disconnected, as lockdown so often is. Of course, this mentality stretches back to Heraclitus (if not Homer) and was well known to the Stoics. Isn't it interesting that the best modern commentary on Epictetus was written by a Vietnam PoW?

The Stoics have some interesting metaphysics, but I would be wary about adopting their moral philosophy. You should read the Platonic corpus before all that, especially since Socrates preemptively rejects the Stoic view of life in the Philebus.

>>17327836
Stoics would be considered psychopaths my modern standards (which is funny because everyone loves stoicism nowadays)

>>17328468
>Stoics would be considered psychopaths my modern standards
I'm not sure you understand Stoicism or psychopathy. Stoicism doesn't advocate ridding yourself of all emotions; Seneca even stresses the benefits of chilling out and getting drunk from time to time.

>>17328468
Stoicism and those "stoics" who restrain their emotion are different anon. I suggest you actually read anon.