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You've been stranded thousands[br]of miles from home

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with no money or possessions.

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Such a predicament would make many[br]people despair and curse their awful fate.

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But for Zeno of Cyprus, it became the[br]foundation of his life's work and legacy.

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The once wealthy merchant lost everything[br]when he was shipwrecked in Athens

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around 300 BCE.

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With not much else to do,[br]he wandered into a book shop,

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became intrigued by reading about Socrates,

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and proceeded to seek out and study[br]with the city's noted philosophers.

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As Zeno began educating his own students,

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he originated the philosophy[br]known as Stoicism,

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whose teachings of virtue, tolerance,[br]and self-control

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have inspired generations of thinkers[br]and leaders.

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The name Stoicism comes [br]from the Stoa Poikile,

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the decorated public colonnade

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where Zeno and his disciples gathered[br]for discussion.

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Today, we colloquially [br]use the word stoic

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to mean someone who [br]remains calm under pressure

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and avoids emotional extremes.

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But while this captures important[br]aspects of Stoicism,

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the original philosophy was more[br]than just an attitude.

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The Stoics believed that [br]everything around us

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operates according [br]to a web of cause and effect,

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resulting in a rational structure[br]of the universe,

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which they called logos.

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And while we main not always[br]have control over the events affecting us,

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we can have control over [br]how we approach things.

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Rather than imagining an ideal society,

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the Stoic tries to deal [br]with the world as it is

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while pursuing self-improvement[br]through four cardinal virtues:

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practical wisdom,

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the ability to navigate complex situations[br]in a logical, informed, and calm manner;

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temperance,

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the exercise of self-restraint [br]and moderation in all aspects of life;

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justice,

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treating others with fairness even[br]when they have done wrong;

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and courage,

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not just in extraordinary circumstances,

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but facing daily challenges[br]with clarity and integrity.

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As Seneca, one of the `most famous[br]Roman Stoics wrote,

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"Sometimes, even to live [br]is an act of courage."

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But while Stoicism focuses on [br]personal improvement,

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it's not a self-centered philosophy.

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At a time when Roman laws considered[br]slaves as property,

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Seneca called for their humane treatment

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and stressed that we all share[br]the same fundamental humanity.

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Nor does Stoicism encourage passivity.

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The idea is that only people [br]who have cultivated

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virtue and self-control in themselves[br]can bring positive change in others.

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One of the most famous Stoic writers[br]was also one of Rome's greatest emperors.

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Over the course of his 19-year reign,

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Stoicism gave Marcus Aurelius the resolve[br]to lead the Empire through two major wars,

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while dealing with the loss of many[br]of his children.

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Centuries later, Marcus's journals would[br]guide and comfort Nelson Mandela

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through his 27-year imprisonment

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during his struggle [br]for racial equality in South Africa.

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After his release and eventual victory,[br]Mandela stressed peace and reconciliation,

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believing that while the injustices[br]of the past couldn't be changed,

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his people could confront them[br]in the present

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and seek to build a better,[br]more just future.

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Stoicism was an active school [br]of philosophy for several centuries

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in Greece and Rome.

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As a formal institution, it faded away,

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but its influence has continued[br]to this day.

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Christian theologians, [br]such as Thomas Aquinas,

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have admired and adopted its focus[br]on the virtues,

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and there are parallels between[br]Stoic Ataraxia, or tranquility of mind,

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and the Buddhist concept of Nirvana.

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One particularly influential Stoic[br]was the philosopher Epictetus

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who wrote that suffering stems

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not from the events in our lives,[br]but from our judgements about them.

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This has resonated strongly[br]with modern psychology

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and the self-help movement.

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For example, rational emotive[br]behavioral therapy

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focuses on changing [br]the self-defeating attitudes

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people form about [br]their life circumstances.

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There's also Viktor Frankl's logotherapy.

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Informed by Frankl's own time[br]as a concentration camp prisoner,

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logotherapy is based on [br]the Stoic principle

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that we can harness our will power[br]to fill our lives with meaning,

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even in the bleakest situations.