Breakfast with Seneca by David Fideler
Stoicism isn’t just about keeping a stiff upper lip against adversity. In Breakfast with Seneca, David Fideler explores the ancient Greek philosophy through its prominent Roman apostle, Seneca, and finds that it had nothing to do with emotional suppression. Rather, it was a “therapy of the passions,” disarming anger, fear and anxiety through understanding before those emotions overwhelm us.
Like much of ancient philosophy, Stoicism also had nothing to do with the dry word games of academia but everything to do with how to lead the best possible life in a sometimes impossible world. Fideler makes a good case for Stoicism’s everyday relevance in reducing anxiety by helping people focus on “what is under his or her control while still trying to create a better world for others.”
