After years of conversations with Stoics, the speaker identifies why people are drawn to it: a Western alternative to Buddhism, secular like CBT but deeper, offering a complete worldview rather than just a therapy technique. It's ancient wisdom that still works.
I'm kind of privileged over the years to have had an opportunity to speak to so many people who are involved with Stoicism and listen to the things they say. And I noticed that the things that people usually say about why they were drawn to Stoicism are they see it often as a kind of alternative to Buddhism, but that's more Western and so more familiar to them in a way. They see it as being a little bit like offering something that Christianity offers, but potentially based on reason rather than faith and more secular. They see it as having some of the benefits of modern academic philosophy, but more grounded and down to earth and more practical. So these are things I hear all the time about it, and I think that's a good way of explaining the appeal of Stoicism. It's also like CBT in many respects, but where Stoicism differs is that it offers something much bigger and deeper than CBT. It's not just a technique, it's not just a therapy, but it's a whole set of values and worldview and way of life.
Stoics Don't Suppress Emotions, They Do This Instead #stoicism #emotionalintelligence #mindset
