The article by Maria João Neves, a PhD in Contemporary Philosophy and Vice-president of the BlueZC Institute, addresses how Stoic philosophy can help deal with anguish in the face of armed world conflicts. The author presents alarming data: the war in Ukraine has already exceeded half a million deaths, followed by Sudan, Palestine, Myanmar, and Syria, and in the Gaza Strip more than 73,400 Palestinians have died since October 2023, including more than 21,500 children.
Faced with these facts, Neves turns to Stoicism to offer practical answers. Stoic philosophy proposes the principle of Sympatheia, which advocates the interconnection of all human beings in a universal community, and Epictetus's dichotomy of control, which teaches how to distinguish between what depends on us and what does not. Marcus Aurelius, who wrote his Meditations during the Marcomannic Wars, transformed awareness of death into an incentive to live better.
The author suggests operationalizing Stoicism through four steps: filtering information without consuming suffering uninterruptedly, distinguishing facts from emotional judgments, transforming anguish into concrete actions such as donations or volunteering, and accepting the impermanence of the world through the concept of Amor Fati. Neves also shares the example of a Ukrainian woman who, when asked about her skills, simply responded: "Tell me what you need. In two days I'll learn and do it."
The article also addresses "anguish of asymmetry" — the guilt of living in peace while others suffer — suggesting this should be reorganized into moral duty, transforming paralyzing guilt into virtuous action. Neves concludes that although we cannot stop wars or save all victims, we can choose not to be indifferent, help someone, welcome, donate, and care for our community, transforming the peace we have into an added responsibility.
