What we’re about
Welcome to Orlando Stoics! We are a very active group, with 3300+ members and 5 meetings a week. Some meetings are online and others are in-person. All classes are free. We also have annual events, like "Stoicon-X Orlando" in November (for the Modern Stoicism movement) and our Winter Social in December (Stoics are allowed to have fun, too).
Why Stoicism? In our world of instant gratification, constant stimulation, and endless distractions, Stoicism offers a novel perspective on life. Interested in developing an unconquerable mind? Stoicism has the answers. We also link ideas to Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Existentialism, Minimalism, and other "lived philosophy" systems. We love in-depth discussions!
If you join our group, feel free to limit the emails and notifications. Since we have new meetings every week, those emails might be too much for your inbox. Feel free to turn them off (go to our meetup page, click "You're a Member", and then click group notifications). You can still check our meetup page for upcoming events, when you want to.
What is Stoicism? It's an ancient Greek school of philosophy founded about 300 BC in Athens. The first teacher was Zeno of Citium. The school taught that virtue (the highest good) is based on knowledge, and that wise people live in harmony with nature. The school also taught tolerance and self-control. Famous Stoics were Seneca the Younger, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. We also study modern Stoics.
The goals of our group:
1. We read the ancient books, plus the modern books on Stoicism.
2. We discuss Stoicism in the media, pop culture, and arts & literature.
3. We compare recurring themes in Stoicism to history, religion, and psychology.
There have always been people attracted to Stoicism. It was a major influence on Shakespeare, JD Salinger, Tom Wolfe, and Nelson Mandela. It’s also attracted political and military leaders, such as Frederick the Great, President Bill Clinton, and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, who said he read Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations over 100 times.
We hope you will join us. The group is open to the public and has no subscription fee. Stoicism can help you cope with life's stresses, while retaining your ethics & character.
We hope to see you soon!
Upcoming events (4)
See all- ONLINE / ENGLISH: 5000 Years of Skepticism, Part 2, Ancient PeriodsLink visible for attendees
This is a new Sunday lecture. Meeting starts 9:00AM with friendly conversation, then a dialogue at 9:15AM and a Q&A discussion follows.
DESCRIPTION
Our new series is on Skepticism. We will start in Egypt, India, and Greece, and then move forward through the centuries. We will consider how Skepticism has helped humanity make progress, including correcting old notions and fixing mistakes. The schedule appears below, so you can mark your calendars. We hope you will join us for this interesting series on Skepticism.
SCHEDULE
4-27 Part 1: Introduction
5-04 Part 2: Ancient Periods of Skepticism
5-11 Part 3: Skepticism in the Common Era
5-18 Part 4: Skepticism in the Renaissance Period
5-25 Part 5: Skepticism in the Enlightenment Period
6-01 Part 6: (TBD)
6-08 Part 7: (TBD)READING MATERIALS
Part 2, Ancient Periods of Skepticism
- Ptah Hotep, Egypt (c. 2500 BCE), https://www.willbuckingham.com/ptahhotep/
- Charvarka, India (c. 600 BCE) https://www.worldhistory.org/Charvaka/
- Pyrrho of Ellis, Greece (c. 300 BCE) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_skepticism#Pyrrho_of_Elis
- Zhuang Zhou (c. 300 BCE) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_skepticism#Zhuang_Zhou_(c.369%E2%80%93_c._286_BCE)TIMEZONES
For our members in other states:
6:00 AM Pacific Time USA
7:00 AM Mountain Time USA
8:00 AM Central Time USA
9:00 AM Eastern Time USAIn other countries, please convert time using this free tool:
https://www.worldtimebuddy.com/ZOOM INFO
The meeting starts at 9:00AM Eastern Time. After 15 minutes of chat, the presentation starts at 9:15AM sharp.
CLICK TO JOIN - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86390590096
This group enjoys open-minded, respectful conversations. If we differ in our opinions, then "we agree to disagree". The long-term goal is to improve our minds via group discussions.
This meeting is free and open to the public.
- ONLINE / ENGLISH: Kaizen, Part 2Link visible for attendees
This is the Monday night meeting for Orlando Stoics. It's online.
Kaizen is the Japanese word for ‘continuous improvement’. It has become popular in business, but can be used to improve our personal lives. Wikipedia says “Kaizen is a daily process, the purpose of which goes beyond simple productivity improvement. It is also a process that, when done correctly, humanizes the workplace, eliminates overly hard work, and teaches people how to perform experiments on their work using the scientific method and how to learn to spot and eliminate waste in business processes.”
READING MATERIALS
Reading in advance is optional. Here's a sample article to start our discussion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaizen
SCHEDULE
Part 1: April 28th, Overview and Variations
Part 2: May 5th, Applications and Benefits
Part 3: Mat 12th, TBDTIMEZONES
Meeting time (USA):
7:00PM Eastern
6:00PM Central
5:00PM Mountain
4:00PM PacificFor our international friends,
Please convert time with the free tool
https://www.worldtimebuddy.com/ZOOM LINK
CLICK TO START MEETING - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82659560546
If you don't have a computer with camera, you can also dial using a phone. Pick one of these numbers and add ID 826 5956 0546#
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US
+1 301 715 8592 USOur group enjoys open-minded, respectful conversations on Stoicism and how it relates to science, culture, philosophy, other belief systems, and even pop culture (books and movies). Sometimes "we agree to disagree", but the long-term goal is to improve our minds via group discussions.
In general, Stoicism teaches us how to handle difficult people and events, how to avoid anger and worry, and overall to use moderation in all aspects of our lives.
This meeting is free and open to the public.
- IN-PERSON / ENGLISH: The Practicing Stoic by Ward Farnsworth, Chap. 6Panera Bread, Orlando, FL
This is our IN-PERSON event for Saturdays (no Zoom link available). We meet every 2 weeks.
Good news! We thank our previous venue and the use of their patio, which was very beautiful but also hot as the summer approaches. It was time for a change. Our new venue is Panera Bread in College Park. It's on Orange Avenue, just north of Princeton. It's on the FIRST FLOOR of the AdventHealth medical building. See the address below. We won't need to bring folding chairs or food anymore. Panera has drinks and a full menu. Other advantages: air-conditioned, free parking, a community room for up to 15 people!
SERIES
Our new series is based on Ward Farnsworth’s book “The Practicing Stoic”, which explores many Stoic topics through the writings of Roman Stoics (Seneca, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius) plus words from other philosophers (Cicero, Plutarch, Montaigne). This will expand our understanding of Stoic practices.
SCHEDULE
2-15 Chapter 1
3-01 Chapter 2
3-15 Chapter 3
3-29 Chapter 4
4-12 Chapter 5
4-26 Chapter 6
5-10 Chapter 7 (next meeting)
5-24 Chapter 8
6-07 Chapter 9
6-21 Chapter 10
7-05 Chapter 11
7-19 Chapter 12
8-02 Chapter 13READING
The book is available on Amazon and other book sellers in Kindle, paperback, and hardback. Buying the book is optional:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1567926118No advance reading is needed. StoicDan will bring printed outlines to the meeting. If we run out of printed copies, you can access the Google Document. Go to the official web site (http://StoicDan.com) and click the link for "Saturdays" in the upper right corner.
VENUE
The location is Panera Bread, 2415 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32804. It's on the FIRST FLOOR of the AdventHealth medical building.
Parking is free. As you drive north on Orange Avenue, you will see the AdventHealth building on the right, then turn right, go 2 blocks, turn right again into the parking garage. Park on the THIRD floor and walk across the 'bridge' into the building.
TIME
The meeting is from Noon to 2PM. No worries if you're late... it's better to be late than not show up. Also, we take a break half-way in the meeting for refreshment and a bathroom break.
ZOOM LINK
Since this is only an in-person meeting, no Zoom link is available.
GUESTS
If you want to invite a guest, please ask them to RSVP separately. We have limited number of seat.
COURTESY
This group enjoys open-minded, respectful conversations. We don't talk over each other. If we differ in our opinions, then "we agree to disagree". The long-term goal is to improve our minds via group discussions. Our group does NOT discuss religion or politics.
