Issue No. 36

In 300 BC, Zeno of Citium, a businessman during Ancient Rome, lost his expensive dyes in a shipwreck, and everything he owned was lost with it. Stranded in Athens, he felt lost and in pain, questioning his life and purpose. There, he discovered books from older philosophers that transformed his outlook on what else he could do. Eventually, it made sense for him to study and teach what it means to suffer and how to accept external circumstances. In modern times, many young people contemplate suicide merely due to losing a few things in their lives, such as their job, their loved ones, or their hard-earned money. Despite having more opportunities and connections than in Zeno's time, we are more certain of death as a permanent solution.

In the year 1404, King Tejong of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea fell from his horse during a hunting expedition. Embarrassed, he instructed his historiographers (who always followed him to record his words and actions for historical purpose) not to document his fall. The historiographers, of course, recorded his fall and the fact that he asked not to record it. In modern times, we share the same insecurity as King Tejong. We don't want our embarrassments recorded and shown to the world on social media, even though our lives are full of them.

In the 1700s, Giacomo Casanova, the infamous Venetian author, experienced numerous heartbreaks despite his reputation as a womanizer and seducer (Hence why a man is called a Casanova when he is able to seduce several women). His memoir, "Histoire de ma vie" (Story of My Life), is filled with passionate love affairs, many of which ended in heartbreak. One of the most notable was with Henriette, a woman he met in Cesena. Their affair was passionate but short-lived, and when she left him after a few months, Casanova was devastated. He considered her the love of his life, and her departure left him heartbroken. Despite his reputation as a womanizer, Casanova's memoir reveals that he was often left heartbroken and unfulfilled by his numerous affairs. His experiences serve as a reminder that even those who seem to have it all can experience heartbreak and loss. In today's world, many still struggle to comprehend what real love means, preoccupying themselves with the pleasures of touch rather than the unconditional love of the soul.

These stories tell us that no matter the time, age, location, or conditions in which humans live, we'll have different problems that require the same solution. That is why the philosophy of the ancient past still applies today.

I first encountered philosophy when I was reading about the Roman Empire as a teenager. I was fascinated by how they had created a society so robust and influential for several centuries; spanning three continents. Developing such a large empire is no easy task. There were always threats of internal strife, barbarian invasions, military overreach, plagues and diseases, economic decline, and food insecurity. Remember, this was about 2,000 years ago when people still debated and explored fundamental questions about governance, ethics, and the human experience. Delving deeper into the complexities of the Roman Empire, I found that it wasn't just a narrative of conquests and structures; it was a tapestry woven with the threads of philosophical thought that shaped their society profoundly.

Two thousand years later, we return to the same teachings. When I read the books of the philosophers of the past, I often find myself thinking, "Why do these things still apply today?" We go back to those philosophies because our problems as humans never really change; it just takes another medium. Just look at the three stories I talked about. They were real people who existed. Not that different from you. They were once a friend of someone, once a mentor to a younger person, once a heartbreaker and lover. They were as real as we are.

We have forgotten about it. Young people no longer read as much. Ask them if they have read anything useful in their lives. They often get it from social media in bite-size pieces, share it with friends, and forget about them the next day. And we wonder why we live in a society where compassion and empathy are scarce. But the mind's potential isn't. There is hope, and philosophy will always lead us to where we should be. To me, philosophy is a system of thought that guides us to the right path when we no longer know how to navigate it. They are recorded practical pieces of advice from people who lived before us. They are shortcuts to solving most of our problems, no matter how modern they seem to be.

One good example is whenever I find myself having trouble with my life, I go back to the Stoic idea of the "Dichotomy of Control." It tells us that we can categorize events, things, and people in our lives: those we can control and those we cannot control. The idea is to forget about what you cannot control and focus all your energy on what you can. This simple philosophy made me more efficient in everything I do in my life because I used to worry my time away on things I cannot control. You should not worry about the things you cannot control because they will not change no matter how much you think about them. You should worry about the things you can control because they are the ones ripe and in need of change. Notice that it does not tell us not to worry. It tells us to put our worry, our energy, into the things we can have an effect on. This ancient yet practical advice will apply for the rest of our species' reign on Earth.

So, go back to philosophy once in a while. Learn from the stories, mistakes, and successes of the people of the past. Take a shortcut to your goals and live a better life today. Just try not to fall from a horse.