Today Religion should be seen as vital as ever. We have come a long way as a civilization. Through science and technology we have been able to discover and achieve a great deal. We have uncovered many mysteries regarding the Earth and the universe. Through medicine we have been able to overcome disease, and through technology overcome the treachery of nature. We now know so much of what is, as a result of these discoveries. We have discovered billions of facts and will continue to do so. Yet none of that allows us to understand what values we should have. The philosopher David Hume famously made this distinction. The fact-value distinction implies that it is impossible to derive ethical claims from factual arguments. For this reason religion is still as vital as ever, because even though we have discovered many facts about the natural world we can never derive value from these facts. Which makes religion necessary for that purpose.

I believe understanding stoicism could lead to many practical benefits. It allows you to remember that there is much you cannot control in life and there is no reason to worry about those things since they are outside of your control. It is also a reminder that whatever hardship and suffering you may experience, which you are surely going to experience, you will be able to survive and get through. Instead of focusing on alleviating your suffering in life stoicism advises that you should instead focus on acting virtuously. To the extent that you are able to do that then you may be satisfied with yourself for any unfortunate events that occur happened in spite of doing the right thing. Therefore there is no reason to be angry with yourself or the world. Stoicism also advises that one should only be concerned with their intentions and not the results of their action. For example if you had the right intention but it still brought about negative effects then you should not be dissatisfied for what else could you have done. Though this philosophy only works if one does have the right intention and does in fact do all that they can. I have personally found stoicism to be a practical and beneficial philosophy in my life.