Stoicism for a Better Life – Weekly exercise (May 2, 2021)

Hello there,

For this week’s practical exercise, let us seek some inspiration from Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations V 8: 

“And so accept everything that happens, even if it seems disagreeable, because it leads to this, to the health of the universe and to the prosperity and felicity of Zeus (the universe). For he would not have brought on any man what he has brought if it were not useful for the whole.”

Simple, elegant and a proverbial wake up call / slap in the face. We don’t need to look very far at all to find things to complain about. Life is tough. Bills don’t stop. Everyone demands and wants. There isn’t enough time in a day to get everything done. No one seems to care about our problems. The world seems to be against us…conspiring against us…goading us to be selfish since no one else will look after our own interest…

Yet, does any of this change our job? To be the best human being we can be in the present moment? Does it take away from the fact that events around us are merely a result of a sequence of events? Even with the pandemic and isolations, has anything been done to you? Against you? Has there been a conspiracy? No. The universe happily chugs along doing its thing. We tend to complain and take things personally, but in reality the universe is not even aware of our existence.

So as a practical exercise this week, try and remember this idea when you feel frustrated by an event, and ask yourself this simple question: Has something been done TO me? Has my reality changed such that I cannot make choices and be a good, virtuous, kind and supportive human being? If not, then why must we feel cheated or attacked or taken advantage of by the universe? 

The simple truth is that if you act out of sorts in response to a negatively perceived external event, the fault would be 100% yours. The decision to act is always yours. No matter the external event, you made the decision to act crass. The external event was merely the universe being the universe. And what the universe does, cannot possibly be anything but good as it is the norm. 

Ŵishing you all a wise and tranquil week.

Anderson Silver (Stoicism for a Better Life)