When we hear the term “stoic” many of us think of the phrase “keeping a stiff upper lip” or picture that famously stoical character from Star Trek, Mr. Spock. In modern times, the word “stoic” has often taken on a negative connotation, suggesting a person who suppresses emotion of any kind, even positive ones like joy. For some, the term connotes a kind of resigned fatalism that encourages putting up with the status quo, no matter how bad things may be.

All of these characterizations are wrong, or, at best, gross oversimplifications of a deep and complex spiritual tradition. When we read the ancient Stoics — philosophers like Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Seneca — we discover a philosophy of hard-nosed realism, but not of passive complacency. The Stoics believed that we need to accept those things that we can’t change and work to change things that are within our power to change. They believed that we should live in harmony with Nature, which they viewed as a kind of rational, governing power called the Logos. The chief aim of Stoicism is to teach us to find true joy through benevolent action, in accordance with our natural reason.