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David Von Drehle could not believe his eyes. There was his new neighbour, washing his girlfriend's car. The neighbour, Charlie White, was 102.

White and Von Drehle became friends. Now Von Drehle has written a book about Charlie.

When Charlie was only eight, his father died in an accident. But Charlie never complained about how terribly unfair this was.

Instead, he believed he could get through anything, no matter how awful. He also decided that it was not how long you live that matters, but what you do with your time.

Von Drehle saw Charlie as a believer in StoicismA philosophy that originated in the ancient world and still has many adherents today. Stoics seek to control their emotions and preserve their happiness in the face of adversity.. This ancient Greek belief focuses on living a good life. It says you should control your feelings.

It also says you should be wise and fair, and try not to envyWanting things that others have. and worry. It teaches us to see the difference between things that are in our power and those that are not.

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Born in 1905, Charlie lived through huge changes. But beliefs helped him see the good side of them.

He started out as a general doctor. But the invention of antibioticsMedicines that fight bacterial infections. in the early 1940s convinced him that only specialists had a real future.

For example, Charlie trained as a doctor. But when a new type of medicine called antibiotics were invented, he thought that only doctors with more training had a future. So he trained more and became a special type of doctor called an anaesthetistA doctor who gives patients medicines that make them unable to feel pain before surgery. .

Should we all become Stoics?

Yes! Like Charlie, we are living in times which are changing quickly. Stoicism will help us to see the good side of life even if our plans have to change.

No! We cannot control how we feel anymore than we can control the world around us. Trying to be something you are not is a waste of time.