Stoicism for a Better Life – Weekly exercise (July 19, 2020)

Hello there, 

For this week’s exercise, let us look back at Epictetus and find wisdom in his often direct and borderline comic words. This is from the Discourses I 15.7&8:

“Nothing great comes into being all at once; why, not even does the bunch of grapes, or a fig. If you say to me now, “I want a fig,” I shall answer, “That requires time.” Let the tree blossom first, then put forth its fruit, and finally let the fruit ripen. Now although the fruit of even a fig-tree is not brought to perfection all at once and in a single hour, would you still seek to secure the fruit of a man’s mind in so short a while and so easily? Do not expect it, not even if I should tell you so myself.”  

We are all guilty of impatience to varying degrees. And this is nothing new to our day and age. It’s part of our human nature, after all, and history is riddled with examples, texts and evidence of this (including the above quote). So, we are not more impatient today than our ancestors were in the past. We are, however, conditioned more than ever before to expect immediate returns for our efforts. 

Technology has been very good to us and our society, and our species has benefited greatly from it. However, technology has also been the main catalyst of the current culture of “immediate gratification” that we live in today. This is applicable to our expectations for promotions, food orders, online interactions, new workout regimes etc. It is also applicable to our efforts in improving ourselves mentally. If you’re reading this, then you are on a journey of self improvement, in which case it is important to remind you of what Epictetus is telling us here: Anything worth doing takes time.

But this does not have to be frustrating. The journey of self improvement is a life long journey and progress is incremental. Slow and steady, however, does not mean there is no progress. You must also recognize what progress you have made, and recognize how significant it is no matter how small. So, as a practical exercise this week, take note of the progress you have made over the past week/ month / year, and pat yourself on the back for it. Give credit where credit is due. Then also take note of where you wish you should be, and recognize that this will take years to attain. Moreover, when you attain this new level, you will immediately have a new level you want to attain and therefor will aim for. So, don’t worry about how much  progress you actually make. Just focus on progressing. Be the best you can be and improve as much as you can. That’s enough.

If you want to keep the conversation going between now and next week, you know where to reach me. As always I wish you a tranquil and productive week.

Anderson Silver

(Author of “Your User’s Manual” and “Vol 2: Your Duality Within”)