Thermopylae

Hmm Elli is indeed our resident expert on Cavafy so we need her response.

But do you not connect the Stoics in your mind to "duty"? Although he was not directly a Stoic, are you familiar with Cicero's De Officiis? (Generally translated On Duty(ies)

I will see if we can summon @elli

No, I'm not well informed with De Officiis, and also the role of "duty" in stoic thought, neither were I interested in knowing about it. I connect (new)Stoics with "duty" as it is rampant in the works or video clips of Rayan Holiday. I remember reading his book "Ego is the enemy" couple of years ago, I stopped reading right after he started to talk about being a dutiful individual, while quoting Seneca criticizing Epicurean thought. At that time, I found out he is one of the main public figures of stoicism.

I am not familiar with Ryan Holiday but long before I converted to Epicurus i was a big fan of Cicero, and "On Duties" is one of his most famous works. I have not read it in years but if I recall correctly I think you would profit from reading it even now. I don't think it is particularly wrong and it is written in the form of a letter to his son. I will glance through it again but i do think it is a work that is probably worth your time to read, and it should definitely answer your question about the Stoic/Platonic connection to "duty"

This is probably the standard edition of De Officiis here - http://www.nlnrac.org/classical/cice…ies-de-officiis I think I will take the time myself to re-scan it. I remember it has a famous ethical question in it of the proper course to take when you are a seafaring trader and you are selling your cargo in a town with a famine, and you know that there are other ships on their way behind you but the townspeople don't -- How much do you charge them and do you tell them more ships are on the way? NOTE: That link seems to omit some of the text. Better to use THIS link: https://oll.libertyfund.org/title/cicero-o…ies-de-officiis

Well, why not now! I will read it!