How Would the Stoics View Banking?

Thanks for the comment. In regards to the Church Fathers I have no knowledge in how far they were influenced directly by Stoicism. We as Christian-influenced people do not share the virtuous adherence to a masculine set of ideals (Virtus) that the Roman strove towards and upon which they based this philosophy. We have, as you will be aware, others, that is, the Seven Virtues (Faith, Hope, Charity, Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance). My argument is not with the desire to hold onto your virtues come what may, that is very much honorable. The question is rather if this in itself constitutes "Big S" Stoicism, or simply a strength in character. "The Stoics", that is, Seneca et al, would very obviously would have regarded our professional lives as utterly, fundamentally abhorrent and ourselves as less than beasts.

Moreover, my general problem with Stoicism comes not only from pop-philosophy (that ghastly hodge-podge where my once proud nation unfortunately champions a true new lack of depth, Richard David Precht) but from it's general outlook onto life. It is fundamentally pain-avoiding, and thus, since life is pain, life-denying. Nietzsche has some very true and funny bits about this stony view on the world, but even from a Catholic perspective one can easily mock them in their joyless, painless, "virtuous" existence.

I like this.

Pope Benedict XVI had some strong thoughts against the “dehellenization” of Catholic Chuch.

The problem with creating your own reality according to an archetype lies with the characteristics you ascribe to it. There are copious greentexts about anons memeing themselves into a Ryan Gosling-esque persona, but few succeed because they don't have the capacity to fill this archetype with healthy characteristics yet and get hung up on the aesthetics.

To your second point, yes, a method is of course to be judged by its success, but the nuances of its effects are often hard to see because success overshadows it. For example, Adderall makes you very, very efficient and might lead to great successes, but the true costs (hypertonia, etc) are buried underneath the golden surface. Therefore, to judge a method one must absolutely look at the assumptions being made, the framework for applying the assumptions, and the external factors influencing the execution. As stated above, these all seem somewhat flimsy in the case of Reddit Stoicism.

Also hard disagree on reality. Of course we shape it by our thoughts, but only because our thoughts lead to action upon the physical and metaphysical reality of the world. But can you explain your point more? Maybe I didn't fully grasp your argument.

Ozymandia

I mean, I hard agree with the general point you're making, that half the idiots on this forum skim Meditations and suddenly think they're Marcus Aurelius... but Stoicism isn't Roman, necessarily.  It was founded by a Greek, and a Greek who lived before they were more or less assimilated into the Empire.  So tying it to some undefinable or un-translatable Roman term is also kind of try hard.

Stoicism in its most well-known form (Seneca, MA) is basically "what if we applied Greek thinking to Roman virtue morality?". That should exclude it from any serious philosophical discussions, since we, as I said, don't share those virtues anymore, etc etc.

Christianity in general really shat the bed for most people when it comes to understanding a philosophy or take on life that doesn't revolve around the individual, and the receipt of individual gratification.  The entire concept that every person can have a personal relationship with "God" and that with sufficient prayer (not good deeds, not morality, just prayer) they can get what they want is insanely poisonous and is basically the root cause of every social ill we have.

Of course you are free to do whatever you want, but I suggest you try to understand "Christianity" (the Church) a little bit more deeply and not look at charlatans like Joel Osteen, who has as much in common with people like Augustinus or Thomas of Aquin as a deep-fried Mars bar has in common with a 5-course-menu Paul Bocuse. 

As a general overview, here's a few key points to note:

• As a Christian (that is, raised in the Church) our "individual gratification" consists of truly, eternally living in the most holy presence of the Triune God
• While the material world can be used for good (that is, what goes towards God and glorifies Him) or bad (that is, anything that is not good), it is not an end of itself and we are called to see it merely as a passing stage. That stage can be joyful, of course, or it can be painful, but the ultimate goal in it is the preparation of our eternal existence.
• You absolutely have a personal relationship with God. More specifically, you have one with the Father, for He has willed you, one with the Son, for He has freed you, and one with the Spirit, for He breathes life into you. Through God, you are directly in a relationship with all of Creation and your fellow creatures.
• We are called to "prayer unceasing", that is true. However, prayer is many things, and just as one covers all the bases in the Pater Noster, so equally can our work, our love, and our pain be a prayer. If done properly, your entire life will be one beautiful song that accompanies your dance through your earthly journey.
• What you "want" is at any given moment a mixture of good and bad desires, however through community, charity, and the magnificent works of the Holy Spirit we are called to adjust each others views away from the temporal world, and onto Heaven.
• The "root cause of every social ill we have" is evil, and that, as so many unfortunate souls in the Communist realm have experienced, really, really does not depend on any sort of system you live in. While there are social ills that can be mitigated better in some systems than in others (eg food scarcity, see above), the ultimate cause of goodness (Charity) can only be fostered - by fostering Charity, who'd have thought? And for that, the Church (note again the big "C") is very literally crucial, essential, and non-negotiable.
• As a starting point, if my incoherent, self-righteous rambling has not scared you off, I can only most warmly recommend the apologetic works of C.S. Lewis (of Narnia fame), especially "Mere Christianity" and then later, as a real treat, "The Screwtape Letters".

Good luck on your journey and I pray you find true happiness.