The stoicism of Donbass
Raphael Machado
Strategic Culture Foundation
In the hearts of the people of that small but important region, there remains hope for a freer and safer future, in short, a better future.
On the internet, the ancient philosophy of “Stoicism” (the one that recalls names like the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and the philosopher Seneca) has become a sort of “meme” or “lifestyle” for young men who feel alienated from the dominant culture. The cultivation of this Stoicism (taken up in its exclusively ethical dimension, without reference to its materialist ontology) is tied to the identity crisis of youthful masculinity in Western countries.
In the stoic attitude towards life, many young men believe they find a formula that prepares them for setbacks and adversities, as well as a “school of virility” in a cultural context where there is a strong feminizing atmosphere that, by associating the masculine with concepts like “violence,” “abuse,” and “oppression,” gradually seeks to stigmatize typical aspects of masculinity, even healthy masculinity.
In a more specific sense, Stoicism, in its ethical dimension, shapes a mental framework intended to be prepared to deal with the inevitability of death and the certainty of defeat and misfortune throughout life. It is assumed that the common man will be constantly affected and paralyzed by the threat of death and the accidents suffered throughout life, the unwanted changes of plans, the resounding failures. Stoicism aims to immunize man against these inner fluctuations, insofar as they are understood to enslave him.