comics Archives - Stoic Athenaeum

Facing Fear And Anxiety: Jessica Cruz And Her Identity As A Mental Health Role Model

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health disorders, affecting people all over the world. Whether in social situations or not, it can leave a person feeling worthless and paralysed.

A superhero that’s needed to fight anxiety every day is Jessica Cruz. As Earth’s first female Green Lantern, Cruz has a big role to fill, but her anxiety has made it difficult to fight crime.

Her mental health struggles have been presented in an authentic way and I believe Cruz is a role model for people who suffer from anxiety.

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The Road To Mental Health Recovery: How Scarlet Witch Copes With Depression

Depression is one of the most common mental health illnesses that people grapple with. It can strike at any time and makes no distinction between young or old.

Learning to deal with thoughts of self-doubt can be difficult, which is why comics are a great source of inspiration for mental health representation.

The Scarlet Witch is a superhero that’s struggled with depression in a realistic way. Rather than let it consume her, she’s adopted coping strategies that have helped to change her life.

This makes the Scarlet Witch a brilliant role model for anyone who suffers from depression and here are some of the reasons why.

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Donald Robertson’s Verissimus Is An Ideal Story For Making Stoicism Fun For A New Generation

Stoicism is sexy. All you need to do is look at the huge rise in Stoic content that people are consuming and that’s been popularised by the likes of Ryan Holiday and other authors who’re bringing the philosophy down to earth.

It’s little wonder a philosophy that has been described as austere and confused with being emotionless has found its sex appeal. I’m all for keeping this momentum going and making Stoicism more accessible to younger generations.

Donald Robertson’s Verissimus graphic novel could be a perfect Stoic entry point for Gen Z readers and younger. Focusing on the life of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Verissimus is a sweeping epic of man putting his philosophy into action and has great relevance today.

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How To Endure Like Wolverine

Comics are a wonderful medium for exploring philosophy and making different schools of thought more accessible to a wider audience. Superheroes and supervillains regularly battle over huge philosophical and ideological perspectives on the page and in movies.

Endurance is a universal concept across all kinds of philosophy and a superhero who is forced to ask himself the question of what endurance means every day is Wolverine. Throughout his long life, Wolverine has endured some truly horrific situations and there are Stoic insights to be gleaned from his experiences.

I’m not saying Wolverine is pure Stoic. What I’m saying is there are certain Stoic lessons that can be taken from the character. Let’s see what they are.

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