Deep Something

Viktor Frankl: The Last Human Freedom

May 23, 2026May 23, 2026 B. John 2077 Views 0 Comments Man’s Search for Meaning, Meaning and Purpose, Stoicism, Grief and Loss, Mental Resilience, Resilience, personal growth, Viktor Frankl, philosophy of life

This entry is in the series The Stoics

This entry is in the series Journey Through Stoicism

There are seasons in life when the question is no longer whether things are difficult. The difficulty is already there. A parent dies. A career changes unexpectedly. A familiar version of life begins slipping away, and suddenly the future feels less certain than it once did. In those moments, we are left asking a quieter and more important question: What now?

In this essay, I reflect on Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, psychiatrist, and author of Man’s Search for Meaning. Through Frankl’s life and philosophy, and through some deeply personal experiences of grief, transition, and rebuilding, I explore the idea that meaning is not something we discover once and hold forever. It is something we continue choosing, step by step, even when life feels unsettled. Read more.

Culture Featured Friends Fun Stuff Stoicism

Stoic Practices: Friendship and Mentorship

October 27, 2025November 30, 2025 B. John 674 Views 0 Comments Marcus Aurelius, Friendship, Seneca, virtue, mentorship, relationships, philosophy of life, Gratitude, Stoicism, Epictetus

This entry is in the series Stoicism Practices

This entry is in the series Journey Through Stoicism

Some people quietly shape the way we see the world. Some do it by teaching. Others, simply by being there year after year, when life tests our convictions. The Stoics believed that friendship was a form of moral training and that mentorship was the art of walking beside someone as they learn to live well.

In this essay, I reflect on five people who changed the course of my life. They were friends and mentors whose presence became a daily lesson in philosophy. Their stories align with the wisdom of Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius, as well as with the insights of modern science, proving what the ancients already knew: that deep connection is essential to a good life.

The Stoics called these relationships “friends of virtue.” Today, we call them the people who help us become who we’re meant to be.