who or what are the stoics?
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Stoicism is a school of philosophy founded (308 BC) in Athens by Zeno of Citium. It teaches self-control and detachment from distracting emotions, sometimes interpreted as an indifference to pleasure or pain. Stoics believe that this allows one to be a clear thinker, level-headed and unbiased. In practice, Stoicism is intended to imbue an individual with virtue, wisdom, and integrity of character. Students are encouraged to be altruistic as well as psychologically independent from society, regarding it as an unruly and often unreasonable entity while encouraging active engagement in improving society.[citation needed]\n\nVirtue, reason, and natural law are prime directives. By mastering passions and emotions, stoics believe it is possible to overcome the discord of the outside world and find peace within oneself. Stoicism holds that passion distorts truth, and that the pursuit of truth is virtuous. Greek philosophers such as Cleanthes, Chrysippus, and later Roman thinkers such as Cicero, Seneca the Younger, Marcus Aurelius, Cato the Younger, Dio Chrysostom, and Epictetus are associated with Stoicism. In Cicero's case, it should be emphasised that while he shared many of the moral tenets of Stoicism, he was not a Stoic himself but an eclectic. Stoic philosophy is usually contrasted with Epicureanism.\nHistory\n \nZeno of CitiumStoicism first appeared in Athens in the Hellenistic period around 301 BC and was introduced by Zeno of Citium. He taught in the famous stoa poikile (the painted porch) from which his philosophy got its name. Central to his teachings was the law of morality being the same as nature. During its initial phase, it was generally seen as a back-to-nature movement critical of superstitions and taboos. The philosophical detachment also encompassed pain and misfortune, good or bad experiences, as well as life or death. Zeno often challenged prohibitions, traditions and customs. Another tenet was the emphasis placed on love for all other beings.\n\nHis ideas developed from those of the Cynics, whose founder, Antisthenes, had been a disciple of Socrates. Zeno's most important follower was Chrysippus, who was responsible for much of what we now call Stoicism. The Stoics provided a unified account of the world, consisting of formal logic, materialistic physics and naturalistic ethics. Of these, they emphasized ethics as the main focus of human knowledge, though their logical theories were to be of more interest for many later philosophers. Later Roman Stoics focused on promoting a life in harmony with the universe, over which one has no direct control. Modern philosophy, contrary to original stoicism, often associates stoicism with determinism, as opposed to the Judeo-christian doctrine of Free Will.\n\nStoic ethics and virtues\nThe ancient Stoics are often misunderstood because the terms they used meant different things in the past than they do today. The word stoic has come to mean unemotional or indifferent to pain, because Stoic ethics taught freedom from passion by following reason. But the Stoics did not seek to extinguish emotions, only to avoid emotional troubles by developing clear judgement and inner calm through diligent practice of logic, reflection, and concentration.\n\nBorrowing from the Cynics, the foundation of Stoic ethics is that good lies in the state of the soul itself; in wisdom and self-control. Stoic ethics stressed the rule: "Follow where reason leads." One must therefore strive to be free of the passions (hate, fear, pain, pleasure, distress, appetite, etc.), bearing in mind that the ancient meaning of passion was "anguish" or "suffering"[1]—somewhat different to the modern use of the word.\n\nThe idea was to be free of suffering (which the Stoics called passion) through apatheia (απαθεια) (Greek) or apathy, where apathy was understood in the ancient sense—being objective or having "clear judgement"—rather than simple indifference,
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You may not care, but there is an answer to your question:\n\nThe attitude you complain about is often called the "Christian work ethic," although it is not limited to Christians today by any means.\n\nIt is deeply imbedded in the culture of Western civilization, not just in America.\n\nSt Benedict (the founder of the Benedictine monastical order in the late 5th/early 6th century A.D.) is largely responsible.\n\nWorld Civilizations, Vol. 1, Ninth Edition, page 272:\n\n"Whereas the highest goal for ancient philosophers and aristocrats was to have enough leisure time for unimpeded contemplation, St. Benedict wanted his monks to always keep busy, for he believed that 'idleness is the enemy of the soul.' "\n\n"With Benedictine support, this idea would become one of the most distinctive traits of Western culture."\n\nI don't think you are a bum.  I am sorry that others are calling you one or treating you like one.  I am also sorry you can't find a job given that you are looking for one.  Perhaps you can broaden your job search to include jobs that you have not considered before now.
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Gaius "Caligula" of Rome (12-31)\nNero of Rome (37-68)\nDomitian of Rome (51-96)\nElagabalus "The Sun-God" of Rome (204-222)
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You can use the name "Athena", the Greek God of Wisdom.\n\nOr the name "Sophia", the Roman God of Wisdom.
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How about Themis as Goddess of Order?\nOr maybe ya should just look into Saints. \nSt. Expiditius is cool.
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it was a outline written by the ancient Greek scolar Isocrates.For behaviors for students of Philospy to become good orators and men of good repute and  morals.
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Confucius.\n\nThanks for the easy 2 points.
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The Greeks had the Moirae, 3 sisters who "controlled the metaphorical thread of life of every mortal and immortal from birth to death, and beyond."  Apparently even the gods were afraid of them.  They were known to the Romans as the Parcae.  The Germanic Norns were similar.
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The one that can give love freely without any judgment.\nLove & Light\nSharon\nOne Planet = One People
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JEREMY BENTHAM\nEnglish jurist and philosopher\n(1748 - 1832)
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Belligerance. We always think we're right lol. We're also blindly optimistic and can look naive, even though we're typically pretty smart. I'm basically the epitome of a Sagittarian haha!\n\nSagittarians have a positive outlook on life, are full of enterprise, energy, versatility, adventurousness and eagerness to extend experience beyond the physically familiar. They enjoy travelling and exploration, the more so because their minds are constantly open to new dimensions of thought. They are basically ambitious and optimistic, and continue to be so even when their hopes are dashed. Their strongly idealistic natures can also suffer many disappointments without being affected. They are honorable, honest, trustworthy, truthful, generous and sincere, with a passion for justice. They are usually on the side of the underdog in society they will fight for any cause they believe to be just, and are prepared to be rebellious. They balance loyalty with independence. (Astrolgoy-online.com)
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who the hell are they?
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Poseidon - The God of Earthquakes.\nHe is most like my husband.:)
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I believe the "ancients" that the above is refering to are the Greeks.  The Romans, more specifically Julius Cesar, instigated using the calander we use today, but borrowed the names of the moon phases from the Greeks when they conquered them.
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Following Socrates, the Stoics held that unhappiness and evil are the results of ignorance. If someone is unkind, it is because they are unaware of their own universal reason. Likewise, if they are unhappy, it is because they have forgotten how nature actually functions. The solution to evil and unhappiness then, is the practice of stoic philosophy—to examine one's own judgements and behaviour and determine where they have diverged from the universal reason of nature.\n\n1. The key to successful living (sometimes called happiness) is freedom from the violent feelings. \n\n2. The key to freedom from the violent feelings is living in accordance with virtue. \n\n3. The key to virtue is living consistently in agreement with nature. \n\n4. The things called good by most people, such as life, health, possessions, good reputation, and the like, are often in accord with our nature. \n\n5. But they are not consistently in accord with our nature, as they are sometimes purchased or preserved at the expense of a person's integrity. \n\n6. Virtue and successful living are not inborn but result from deliberate choice and continuous attention to what is in our power and what is not.
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Hermes Trismegistus\n\nmore info here:\n\nhttp://www.hermetics.org/home.html
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Marcus Brutus and Cassius are the two most prominent.  Their co-conspirators were supporters of the Optimates, a political faction that opposed Caesar's populism in favor of an expansion senatorial power.