Hermes, everyone has a life philosophy, whether they realize it or not. Religions count as well, as I've argued at length elsewhere. And yes, I do think we have a moral obligation to reflect on what we do and how. If that sounds intellectualists, I'm okay with that.

You are correct that I don't think the universe as such as meaning. But you are incorrect when you say that the Stoics do not seek a balance between duty and pleasure. Seneca explicitly says that pleasure is in agreement with nature and pain is against nature, meaning that it's natural to see the former and avoid the latter.

The difference with hedonism is that pleasure is not the priority.