on the whole, Stoicism is straightforward and sensible, and the philosophy was popular. Certainly, it seems like it would be extremely useful in crisis situations. I like to think that, across the ages, the Roman people considered this endorsement of Stoicism, collectively shook their heads, and responded, “Nah.” As soon as the plague broke out, the population almost immediately abandoned calm, rational Stoicism in favor of believing in magic and killing Christians.
