![]() “Indeed, on occasion, I take myself to be tested not by Stoic gods by the ghost of Seneca. “We should therefore be flattered if we encounter setbacks,” explains Irvine, taking up where Seneca left off. ![]() Since the gods were assumed to control all human affairs, if you fell ill or lost your fortune it was evidence that you'd caught the attention of deities it was Jupiter's way of testing your character. In a textbook case of reframing – what therapists call approaching a situation from a new perspective – Seneca encouraged his followers to view impediments positively. Seneca, the first century Stoic figurehead, made a clear distinction between experiencing a setback and suffering from it. Part of a growing band of philosophers popularising Stoicism, Irvine highlights how this ancient school of thought pre-empted many aspects of modern psychology. ![]() ![]() But what if there was a god, or a collection of gods, who could make you a calmer, better person, as well as helping you to think straighter and approach problems more objectively. Hardcore atheists like to say there’s as much evidence for God as there is for Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny. ![]()
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