And even as an old Master teaching his select students, his crippled state does not effect his demeanor, wisdom, ability, or attitude. He was not your common stoic who suffered silently, he went beyond it. Nice choice Manu!
Well you seem to have a very negative stance towards stoicism. It’s not all about gloom and hopelessness, but more about accepting that life is tough and being willing to face reality in the most effective way. I think you’re mixing it up with other attributes that don’t necessarily fit.
Perhaps it is a confusion of terminology, Manuel. When I think of the Stoics, I think of the classical philosophy of stoicism. The great stoics like Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius were virtuous and strong men, and much can be learned from them. What I don’t care for in classical stoicism is that it is far too deterministic, and I feel the stoics were unbalanced in this manner.
But to gain strength, discipline, virtue, and valor… stoicism remains one of the highest philosophies, one of the honorable warrior, the wise ruler.
But there is yet another step (as there always is) in spiritual evolution, and therein lies my only real complaint against stoicism. Which is not really a complaint, as a true stoic living truthfully is more virtuous than 9 out of 10 of the people you would meet on the street.
Well sure it’s not something to be stuck in forever, but such philosophy does help to surmount certain tribulations during life. Of course some stoics may turn too fatalistic about life in general, but it doesn’t have to be that way, you can reconcile stoicism with a content spirit.
Agreed…
Note: Stoicism is transcended when one’s personal power is transmuted into overcoming the seemingly insurmountable. 
This is a type of Metaphysical Alchemy… and it was shown through the example of Lucius.
Well yeah the idea is to overcome while being content and in conscious control of your existence, of course this is a extremely difficult state to attain.
And Stoicism helps build up the strength to eventually overcome this ‘difficult state’, yes? Like a very, very long workout.