Worldbuilding Prompts

In ancient Greece, Stoicism and Epicureanism were two competing answers to the question of how to live a good life amid difficult circumstances. While the Epicureans taught that the key to happiness was fulfilling one's natural desires (not vain or hedonistic ones), the Stoics taught that true happiness can only come from within and shouldn't depend on one's external circumstances.   A TED-ED talk briefly summarizing Stoicism and its background: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9OCA6UFE-0   An online summary of Epicureanism: http://dailyphilosopher.net/what-is-epicureanism/   For an approachable, well translated book on Stoic philosophy, see Epictetus: Discourses and Selected Writings (translated by Robert Dobbin).