There were moments when it looked like the lights would go out. When the Republic fell and Cato died by his own hand. When Nero was methodically murdering every Stoic he could. When the plague killed Marcus Aurelius and wiped out millions of Romans. When the Roman Empire collapsed. 

In fact, we have a fitting name for the period that came after: the Dark Ages.

And yet, through the darkness, there have always been folks who carried the fire. Cicero translated and preserved the early Greek Stoics. Musonius passed Stoicism to Epictetus in Nero’s time, Epictetus passed Stoicism to Marcus Aurelius. There were monks who translated the Stoics and preserved their texts. There was even the 4th century forger who created fictional letters between Seneca and St. Paul to connect Stoicism to the now ascendent Christian faith. 

The flame of Stoicism diminished for a time; surprising everyone, it burst back into brightness with the American Revolution. Stoics were there on both sides of the Civil War as armies clashed. A hundred years later, James Stockdale kept the ideas of Epictetus going in the Hanoi Hilton, even as he and his fellow POWs were tortured and beaten. 

Today, as you read this, as you try to apply Stoicism in your own life, you are part of this endless chain. You are a torch bearer. Each time you act with courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom you are carrying the fire. You are providing light to the world, you are making sure the flame does not go out. 

Things may look dark. We may be in the minority. But we are making a difference. We are keeping things going. We are part of a grand tradition. We will not be extinguished.

P.S. This was originally sent on June 27, 2020. Sign up today for the Daily Stoic’s email and get our popular free 7-day course on Stoicism.