Greek Wisdom

In 45 BCE, the Roman statesman Cicero fell to pieces when his beloved daughter, Tullia, died from complications of childbirth. But from the depths of despair, Cicero fought his way back. In an effort to cope with his loss, he wrote a consolation speech—not for others, as had always been done, but for himself. And it worked. Cicero's Consolation was something new in literature, equal parts philosophy and motivational speech.

Corren tiempos de dispersión en los que es muy necesario escucharnos. Sentirse escuchado significa conectar con otras personas casi íntimamente; supone crear vínculos. Ser un buen oyente, nos dice Plutarco, es un arte que todos deberíamos aprender. Saber escuchar es tan importante como saber hablar bien. El placer que se alcanza al escuchar a otra persona depende tanto de quien habla como de quien escucha.

The second-century Greek physician Galen—the most famous doctor in antiquity after Hippocrates—is a central figure in Western medicine. A talented doctor, surgeon, writer, philosopher, teacher, pharmacologist, and inventor, Galen attended the court of Marcus Aurelius, living through outbreaks of plague that devastated the Roman Empire. He also served as a physician for professional gladiators. In writings that provided the foundation of Western medicine up to the nineteenth century, Galen created a unified account of health and disease.

How would you feel, if after all hard work and striving for many precious years, you realize that you wasted your entire life? To avoid such repentence, the ancient yet effective philosophy of stoicism is the way to live the modern life.