The Ways of Serenity: From the Presocratics to Plotinus

By Paolo Faietti Faietti

With this writing I wanted to offer all those who have never had the opportunity to approach philosophy, some basic notions to allow them to discover it and fall in love, exactly as happened to me. "The ways of serenity" is also a teaching aid for teachers and children, an easy approach, not burdened by complex philosophical concepts, but with a great claim: to rediscover our cultural roots. When we think that this discipline gave rise to our culture, to our civilization and that today we can say that we are what we are thanks to ancient philosophy and Christianity, which ultimately gathered together classical philosophical concepts of Greco-Roman culture, making them a concept of life open to comparison, to respect for others, to scientific discovery, we certainly cannot help but be grateful to the ancient philosophers. It is thanks to them that we are free and evolved people, because we have learned from philosophy to look beyond appearances, in search of ever new conquests of justice, freedom and progress. In this feeling lies the difference between those who still today think that it is necessary to continue to defend their own civilization and culture, that what has been conquered cannot be lost and those who, instead, think that it is no longer useful, or perhaps think that it can be replaced with other cultures and civilizations, neglecting the fact that there are civilizations whose fundamentalist dogmatism does not allow the acceptance of new ideas for reflection and research, but pursues the slavish subjection to rules of life that mortify the nature of man and his own dignity. So, I think it is the precise duty of every man with common sense to try to defend and cultivate Western values, since they are the result of painful conquests. Added to this is the fact that every conquest is never forever and in this history is our teacher. This is why, if today we can still say that these principles and values are within our reach, tomorrow it may no longer be the case. Giving up on their defense, taking them for granted, means exposing ourselves to incurable wounds, while instead, thinking that values such as freedom must be cultivated and defended, as the fruit of internal and external struggles experienced at a high price, so that we could surround ourselves "with what could neither hurt nor mortify", in full agreement with the stoic and skeptical thought of the Hellenistic and late Roman era, is the only way to affirm their correctness and inviolability from any threat. Therefore, my hope is that after having learned the fundamentals of ancient philosophy, each man will be able to merge love for his own cultural tradition with healthy feelings of pity and charity towards all those who really need help, knowing however how to distinguish, with reason, which distinguishes man from every other living being, as classical philosophy teaches us, what is right from what is wrong, looking at the merit of every human event, since it is in the merit and from the merit that a concrete and positive interest for each person can arise. Giving to those who do not deserve it means not serving one's own interests, nor those of the community, nor those of others, but distancing people from each other rather than bringing them closer together in the only possible way, through mutual respect and commitment to fulfilling first of all one's duties as a good citizen, starting with respect for the laws that regulate the rules and relationships within the community in which one lives. Our laws are the armor we wear to defend our identity, our land, our home, our beliefs, our culture. They are the armor that makes us all recognized as equal, with equal dignity, rights and duties. Those who do not wear this armor cannot join the same army, they can be educated and trained, but they must be convinced and motivated, otherwise they will only remain a burden and in some cases an enemy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FB2XHJTT
• ISBN13: 9798285477419
• Release Date: May 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 262 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"