Yes, I am aware that my man Marcus has been unusually popular of late. But, like, popular among the very tiny sliver of the population that likes to read think pieces over a latte.
And reading think pieces over a latte does not, to me, equate to seriously engaging with a religious tradition.
Deep pondering on theology and philosophy is what the middle class do. Or the intellectually curious among the working class. That will always only be a tiny sliver of society. The unwashed masses just jump on bandwagons, and drop quotes that signal that they're not retarded. That's been true since the dawn of man. So hardly an argument against it being trendy. It's extremely trendy. I don't think it could possibly be more trendy than now.
Ehe... "seriously engaging". Stoicism isn't exactly heavy lifting. It's a philosophical/religious tradition specifically designed for the ignorant masses (ie "popular among the very tiny sliver of the population that likes to read think pieces over a latte"). Any moron can follow the Stoic rituals to great effect. And a lot of people do. Or try to.
I'm not saying it's easy to make a habit of. But understanding the Stoic mindset and following the Stoic path, is easy to understand for anyone.
I didn't say it wasn't trendy. I don't think a philosopher being trendy for a few months is going to do much to change people's general attitudes about or actions toward the balance of Nature, however.
I think your attitude is pretty typical of the usual attitude toward Stoicism from the self-appointed intellectual class, a practiced disdainful sniff at a philosophy they don't really get. And they'll all be back to it by this time next year, if they aren't already. It's definitely true that the persistence of the
Meditations is due to their approachability and popularity with average, everyday folk, not so much Very Important Professional Philosophers.