Introduction

On a random day,
as I was trying to get a little smarter while trying to read ¹ an essay by Montaigne ² in the waiting room of my dentist's office, I came across these words buried somewhere in his work, in the middle of his ~1400 pages:

“Democritus and Heraclitus were two [pre-Socratic] philosophers, of whom the former, finding the human condition vain and ridiculous, went out in public only with a mocking and laughing face;
Heraclitus, who had pity and compassion for our condition, constantly wore a sad face and eyes full of tears...
As soon as they stepped out of the house, one laughed, the other wept...
I like the first mood better.”

This excerpt calls to mind a brilliantly astute observation from another literary luminary, one who lived much closer to our time: Oscar Wilde. He famously remarked, “Life is far too serious to be taken seriously,” capturing a deep truth about our existence with exquisite wit and insight.

I love this quote;
for me it's the quintessence of existence itself: Yes, life is hard, and over the course of the time you will spend on this app, as you read texts one after another, you'll certainly tell yourself that what you are reading is sometimes, somehow depressing.

I’ll explore the themes of regret and fear, of anxiety, and how to navigate the challenges life throws our way. Yet, amidst all of this, I am convinced of one fundamental truth—one that requires effort: it is essential to always wear a smile, regardless of the circumstances.

This program has one goal: to help you keep smiling, even when life's storms are raging around you.

You may feel disappointed in yourself, in others, or in life, but like Heraclitus, laugh at it all; make it your intellectual playground so that you don’t weep over the struggles of existence. Instead, let the frustrations become trivialities you can enjoy. Alternatively, view these annoyances, in line with Stoic orthodoxy, as indifferent, since they are neither vice nor virtue in themselves.

In this program, we will study excerpts from Stoic texts and analyses aimed at shaping your mindset so that you become a little less anxious each day.

My approach, as you know, is based on Stoicism and, more broadly, based on a way of thinking which relies on knowledge. Knowledge of what? Of what is true. That's why ancient and modern philosophies constantly speak of reason.
Reason for thinking.
Thinking to recognize the causes of our suffering, thinking to rationalize our experiences.
Rationalizing for healing—and ideally, for prevention.

Each reading will gradually help you think differently and adopt new perspectives. I’m glad you’re here; let’s begin this exploration together. I wish you, {{username}}, a wonderful day.