Z

August 26th

SEEKING OUT SHIPWRECKS

“I was shipwrecked before I even boarded... the journey showed

me this—how much of what we have is unnecessary, and how

easily we can decide to rid ourselves of these things whenever it’s

necessary, never suffering the loss.”

—SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 87.1

eno, widely considered to be the founder of the school of Stoicism, was
a merchant before he was a philosopher. On a voyage between
Phoenicia and Peiraeus, his ship sank along with its cargo. Zeno ended up
in Athens, and while visiting a bookstore he was introduced to the
philosophy of Socrates and, later, an Athenian philosopher named Crates.
These influences drastically changed the course of his life, leading him to
develop the thinking and principles that we now know as Stoicism.
According to the ancient biographer Diogenes Laertius, Zeno joked, “Now
that I’ve suffered shipwreck, I’m on a good journey,” or according to
another account, “You’ve done well, Fortune, driving me thus to
philosophy,” he reportedly said.
The Stoics weren’t being hypothetical when they said we ought to act
with a reverse clause and that even the most unfortunate events can turn out
to be for the best. The entire philosophy is founded on that idea!