Zeno's Shipwreck - Path toward Freedom
I was watching a Daily Stoic Video today called “Ancient Strategies for Finding Happiness”. In this video, they mention an ancient philosopher named Zeno. Zeno is a purple dye trader (Tyrian purple die, worth it’s weight in silver). His dad, grandfather, great-grandfather, etc. were purple dye traders. During one shipment, there is a shipwreck and he loses everything. Despite having lost everything, he goes on to say that the shipwreck had been very prosperous for him. There are two reasons for this.
The first reason is that hitting rock-bottom gave him a level of freedom that he had not had before. He was at the bottom and he had to build himself up again any way that he wanted. He no longer had to be a purple dye trader because his father was a purple dye trader. The expectations and restrictions had disappeared.
The second reason is that it drove him to finding philosophy. He was able to connect and interact with ideas and concepts that he would not have, if it had not been for the shipwreck. It gave me him the opportunity to become a person that he would not have become. At the end of the day this is a mindset argument.
What do you think about this? Agree? Disagree?