Man Who Read 3 Articles About Stoicism Now Insufferable At Dinner Parties

CHICAGO — Derek Paulson, 34, discovered Marcus Aurelius in February and has since become what his wife describes as "weirdly calm and kind of a dick about it." The transformation began when Derek read a Medium post titled "5 Stoic Principles That Will Change Your Life," followed by a Reddit thread and the Wikipedia summary of Meditations. He has not yet read Meditations. "That is just an obstacle in disguise," Derek told his wife when she mentioned her job was stressful. "Focus on what you can control." He said the same thing about a fender bender, his mother's hip replacement, and the death of the family dog, Biscuit. "Biscuit was 14 and had lived a full life," Derek explained at a dinner party Saturday, to no one who had asked. His dog-eared paperback has three pages with folded corners, all in the introduction.