Yes ,

I've been praising Stoicism all the time, but it also has its drawbacks.

For example, it can be boring AF.

You're supposed to stay calm, not indulge in your emotions or even enjoy life too much. At least that's what Marcus Aurelius was saying.

Marcus reminds us that when you kiss your kids good night, it may be the last time you see them alive.

No wonder he never wrote any children's books...

He even describes sex as:

"[...] the friction of a piece of gut and, following a sort of convulsion, the expulsion of some mucus."

Come on Marcus, are you trying to ruin it for the rest of us??

But let's be fair, we can't really blame him. Marcus caught the eye of emperor Hadrian at the age of 7, and officially became the heir to the throne at 17.

From then on, he spent most of his time with private teachers, philosophers and emperors that preceeded him (Hadrian & Antoninus). So yeah, he took his job as the most powerful man in the world very seriously -- unlike his son Commodus or Nero a century before.

Whereas Marcus' worldview can be described as 'too grim', the entire Stoic philosophy can be criticized for being 'too defensive' or described as 'playing not to lose, instead of playing to win'.

Is that a drawback? You decide for yourself.

But it can indeed be very boring to live every moment of your life in the mindset of a Stoic.

Imagine going to a party with Seneca and Marcus Aurelius...

• "Drinking alcohol? You know it won't help you feel any better."
• "Enjoying the party? Come on, you need to get home and do your job."
• "Trying to bring a pretty girl home? What's the point, we'll all end up dead really soon anyway."

Talk about killing the mood...

So yes, Stoicism can be very boring and even annoying at times.

But in the end, it's the best philosophy I've ever come across... at least for me.

And don't forget: When we're talking about philosophy, we're not talking about the 'meaning of life' or other crap like that. We're talking about the way you live your life.

See you around,

Filip