Stoicism at War

In high school Latin class, we learned about Stoicism and Epicureanism as an aid to understand the texts we would translate. Our high school Latin teacher had an immense respect for the Stoics and for Cicero, and that has passed on to nearly all of his students. Although society tends to push a sort of Neo-Stoicism on men as the way to live life, it is genuinely hard to find a good example of Stoicism in the world today. As I was surfing the internet, trying to see if there was an actual renaissance of Stoic thought, I found this retired officer Vice Admiral James Stockdale. Stockdale, it turned out, never studied Epictetus in the classroom, but a former professor gave Stockdale a copy of the Enchiridion when he graduated. As a POW, Stockdale found immense comfort in the teachings of Epictetus, which I find a spectacular testament to the ability of Stoicism to grant someone peace while still participating in society. Epicurus and Diogenes are certainly profound thinkers, but there is a certain amount of uneasiness to most of us at the thought of secluding ourselves from society, no matter the degree. Stoicism remains a profound influence on the way I live my life, but I am by no means a model Stoic. What Stoicism preached over two millennia ago still has value for us today.