This is a daunting task because I feel like I've read and learnt so much about Stoicism but at the same time all of the learning can be boiled down into only a few sentences. I will try my best to write down what influences me the most.
But before that I think I need to write to explore the fundamental questions: Why do I need to believe in any school of thoughts? I don't have a religious belief (as I grew up in the Communist China) and it doesn't seem to bother me at all. That should apply to Stoicism as well because one should be able to pursue wisdom (which is what philosophy means).
I think this is an important question because everyone has the liberty to choose what he/she believes or values. As of today, my answer to the question would be that I find Stocism has two pros:
I don't really remember which came first but I either heard of Stoicism from Tim Ferriss or happend to find the book "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy" by William B. Irvine in 2021. The book enlighted me with an important concept - The tri-chotomy of control - reminding me there are ways to deal with the unknowns and uncertainties, things that haunt me for so long. I switched to a new job with more free time in 2022. The new environment and experience prompted me to review myself spiritually, so I starated to read "Moral Letter to Lucilius" and "On the Shortness of Life" by Seneca. His writing is full of wisdom and calming, providing me comfort in the Covid era.
Then I finally met the classic - "Meditations" - by Marcus Aurelius. It is an unprecedented transcendent experience to read and ponder on the words in the personal journal of the emperor. His writing is a reminder or a revelation to himself, but it echos with me, or with the humankind. We all must have gone through a day dealing with unpleasant people, digesting a saddening news, or experiencing the death of our love ones. He is one of us, but he copes with calamity with faith, with serenity and with self-sufficiency.
The approach of Stoicism towards life can be summarized in three points in Meditations 9.6:"Objective judgment ... Unselfish action ... Willing acceptance ... of all external events". Firstly, we have no, or only limited control of the outcome of external events and some would argue that the only thing we have control is our perceptions. When we have certain objective sensory experiences (seeing, hearing, smelling ...) of an external event, we can interpret them in our brains (prefrontal cortax?) in the way we choose, and people do it in various way. The Stoic way is to look at them objectively, to "lay them bare ... to strip away the legend that encrusts them".
Secondly, with that interpretation, like other traditional philisophies, we shall not retreat to Nihilism, but to act upright and actively serve our fellow brothers and sisters. Human is a species built on connectivity, and joy lies in our kindness to others, in us doing the right thing for nature and in achieving humility.
Unfinished...