People love to shortcut ideas and concepts. It's like fast-food thinking. We say the word Stoic out loud and associate it with Mr. Spock. That's easy. Now all stoics are Vulcans.

I've always associated stoics with someone who was securely within themselves. Understood their feelings and goals and generally went about life in an organized fashion. Not perfectly, mind, just well.

In today's world, it's easy to be selfish. We not only have to live a life today - we get to read all about it, through 10,000,000+ bloggers out there describing in detail everything we should and shouldn't do.

I believe one reason the Stoics could follow that mindset and be, well stoic, was that life was slower. Not less arduous, but slower. Took a week to fashion a spoon or fork - time to reflect on life and emotions and the relationship with the missus, without the steady drumbeat of a "crazed" society.

Today, in one hour, we've ordered dinner, next week's groceries, a new car, a new onesie for our cat and made an appointment with our phrenologist. If we have "too much time" we spend it over-thinking on the 99% of the shit we read and hear, that we really don't need to.

Great article George.