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Stoicism: Become Undefeatable
In the bustling city of Cyprus around 300 BC, there was a man named Zeno, a trader whose wealth seemed boundless. His ships crossed seas, carrying precious cargo that brought riches and renown. Life was good, stable — until it wasn’t.
On a voyage from Phoenicia to Piraeus, a storm rolled in, fierce and unforgiving. Waves towered, winds howled, and in what felt like moments, Zeno’s ship, his cargo, his livelihood, were swallowed by the sea. All that remained was the man himself, stranded, broke, and bewildered.
Imagine being Zeno. Imagine watching the fruits of your entire life’s work vanish in an instant, knowing there was nothing you could’ve done to stop it. Would you shout at the heavens? Sink into despair? Blame fate for its cruelty? Most would. But Zeno didn’t.
Lost and wandering Athens, Zeno stumbled into a bookshop. A chance encounter. There, he picked up writings of Socrates and other great thinkers, and something within him shifted. The more he read, the clearer it became: while he couldn’t control what had happened, he had complete control over how it would define him.
This realization was the seed of something profound. Zeno began to teach others, sharing the idea that our power lies not in external circumstances, but in our ability to respond to them. Thus, Stoicism was born.
