`Dress rehearsal for catastrophe´: how Stoics are speaking to locked-down readers
(The Guardian Books Blog)

Sales of works by ancient Roman Marcus Aurelius have seen a sharp uptick in recent months. Which makes calm senseOur writers on books to read during lockdown`Be like the rocky headland on which the waves constantly break. It stands firm, and round it the seething waters are laid to rest. `It is my bad luck that this has happened to me.´ No, you should rather say: `It is my good luck that, although this has happened to me, I can bear it without pain, neither crushed by the present nor fearful of the future.´`Is that Gal Gadot, roused from lockdown to offer another snippet of comfort to her followers? No, it´s Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, reflecting on his life in the second century AD in what came to be known as his Meditations. It´s just one Stoic text that has seen a `noticeable uplift` in sales during the coronavirus pandemic, alongside Letters from a Stoic by Seneca.Until we have begun to go without them, we fail to realise how unnecessary many things are Related: Lessons in Stoicism by John Sellars review - what ancient philosophers teach us about how to live Continue reading...