STOIC PHILOSOPHY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 71, 25 March 1937, Page 20

STOIC PHILOSOPHY

OUTLOOK ON LIFE

;j INFLUENCE -ON ROME

The Stoic philosophy of ancient Rome and its influence on the moral and political life of the Romans' was discussed by Colonel C. H. Weston: at the monthly.;.luncheon 'of. the ..Wellington, Returned Soldiers' Association yesterday. Keen interest was taken in his remarks, and, ih moving a vote 61 tliariKs later.Hhe Bishop of Wellington, the Rt. Rev. H. St. Barbe Holland,, commented that Colonel Weston ■ had struck . a happy note by;chposing a subject, that would .give his- audience food for thought. Lieut.-Colonel A. Cowles presided: •■; ■;"■'",j '.:.'■ '..'■' ■■ '.'■' ■■•■■-..;■

Stoic philosophy was the religion of the intelligentsia, of the great Roman Empire,,\Col6riel 'Westori said. ; It was taken from Greece and adapted-by. the Romans" to suit; their outlook; [' The Romans Npf that period—2ooo years ago astonishingly like 'the; British of today in ;that : jthey were efficieht,Sorderly;' ' and;; .:iaw-abidmg. Their love of'order-was very-marked, and: it was paradoxical that destiny should flecree that they should descend into -chaos.v. Moralists '.considered;. that, the "cause : their: .downfall; was , due to. their departureI'.-'irpm; strict- living, but- it was. probable that;:pplitical- arid ieconomic forces were", equally, respbn- : ''■^'^'■: > ::^-%l- ■\-;'^'}.::-^'':'■'■'■ rl *:'i': A?tQNG-';PEPRESSION;:"(:.;-..;. ■ The;'Romaps; as practical men looked for nothing emotional.in their religion, and it was :interesting; to ■ ; study '■"■. how their,philosophy^helped them through 'their /years!l.6l.;:ilepr'e'ssi6n,-.-'IV7hich-; I entailed the loss i'of life and liberty- and ilasted, hot for six•; years;.; but six centuries. ,■- Their^ philosophy' taught' them in a measure'iio i he' fatalists.1; They believed 'that..'-'the gods'^ ordained ; ,'their lives ahd they .were'merely^puppets on the; stage'iof ; -;life withH;a-vpart ;to,;pla'y;; A man. had'\ta be what ; he: ; was because it was! so'decreed;-and,-toi 'that «xteht his responsibility \ was gone ;.:arid,,;. he !coiild not;complain if he■ had to -play the part/of" a mm; born crippled;or diseased;-/^This:: would. appear ;to lead towards apathy, but it was brightened by-the'belief that'the zest of life lay in achieving' what they, strove for.-They realised^'that'striving would not-carry; :.to''?hi^^places'-:'so;''they>,VJ.Umited their ambition'tq" the; things of the: mind and sought:to be: painstaking^honest, and careful, because these tilings were withiri^^their^^wjer/^:-:.Thus they^^ declined ■•r^orisibUity^ipy^.lhingsJ.beyond.;;ttieir';. power , and" accepted^responsibilityj'for: the things '\vithiii(vtheir:;control., ; '-; : ..■'..-:■;, 1

-.'■ Whentheirphilosbphy' was:examined it -was found'to, be practicable; ..Colonel Weston ( - said,1 arid it -made the; Romans1 philosophical^'i'The; riipderri; mari^was tpo'apt to xorr'y about things he could ript'coritfol;,iristead" of j concentrating on the; things .-under, his, control.: It .was "useless;:worrying .about;things 'that could not be:helped, .and the Romans 'realised''•'that.-'•:'•:■:>•'•■■:-.-■■*■■ "' ',"'" ''.;Y/- V.-V

'■ The'vthifdp great; tenet.; of-their :Ph'ilospphy, curiously enough, acquiesced iiri 'suicide, continued Colonel Weston.'The Romans believed .the"; gods had placed the burden.;of life' on, their ;shoulders, but they.also believed that a-man had a-;right: to!rerripve' .tMt/burden if7he wished.■ l';j •';.%..■"/:•,. '■•'"•.•: "■.■.-". ' ':.'■'■'.:'■,:'■; ■■ ', The v Stoic' : ; philosophy, numbered amongst its followers all of the greatest of the great1" Romans, :Cplonel Weston cpncluded?'lts' writers, who still lived wttevSerieeatithe moneylender; Epictetiis the'"sliyej',ah(d,^^ Marcus Aurelius:the Emperor: TrTWeeri'd 'Stoicism.;>vas dis-placed]-by[KC'hris.tiamty': arid v'tpday.,;, it lingered' iri^the ■■ English language, as" a word—stpical. .' . YV'V :