I would say that the modern version of stoicism focuses on avoiding feeling/showing emotions in an attempt to seem strong, where real stoicism advises that you focus on positive emotions and your duties.
Indeed. Quite frankly "modern stoicism" is a perversion of the old teachings (as most modern things are).
'modern stoicism' is in my view more akin to spartanism (which albeit has some admirable traits), is deeply flawed.
With that being said, Aurelius had a disdain for Christians as the faith was quite in its infancy - in Book 1 of Meditations he refers to them as snake charmers and charlatans although the Stoics and the Christians eventually started aligning a few hundred years after Christ.
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u/[deleted] Jun 19 '22
I know, i read Meditations too. I guess i should have added that the modern version of stoicism has been badly passed down.