[0xdeadbeefbabe]

> Stoic philosophy, and audiotapes I ordered off a late-night TV infomercial.

Would a stoic be happy or sad that stoic philosophy didn't work for him?

[Kenji]

A stoic does not judge reality like that. He acknowledges that it did not work and moves on. He need not ponder about the fact that it did not work because it cannot be changed and no thinking should be done without a purpose.

[0xdeadbeefbabe]

Stoic philosophy sounds something like mindfulness or meditation [0], except for the part about "no thinking should be done without a purpose."

[0] http://amzn.com/0385303122

[manmal]

He would be happy because he's thankful he isn't dead yet.

[jkaunisv1]

I think he would believe he is not far along enough in his stoic practice for it to have "worked", but happy with the progress he has made so far.

[iokevins]

Given the milieu which gave rise to stoic philosophy, I suspect the latter.