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| Zeno of Citium (Founding father of the Stoicism) – Paintings by Tarek Chemaly |
So recently I learn an article about stoicism (right here). As a Lebanese particular person in the course of the unending storm, who misplaced all his funds within the crash regardless of all of the measures I had taken, and as somebody who struggles each day with the multitude of issues surrounding us, the phrase “resilient” will get on my nerves.
I do not wish to be resilient anymore, there’s actually limits to every little thing and now we have crossed these limits lengthy, way back. However as Watson (Lucy Liu) instructed Holmes (John Lee Miller) in that fantastic episode in Elementary: “What if we’re taking a look at it the fallacious method?” (Episode’s identify “blood is thicker than water” in case you’re questioning), perhaps taking a look at issues from a skewed angle may assist.
What if with a “rebrand” or a “reword” we will really take a look at the state of affairs in another way. First, allow us to keep in mind that there’s something known as “Jantalagen” within the Nordic societies – principally it’s that nobody is best than anybody else. As a matter of reality, principally individuals in Nordic nations merely don’t discuss their wage or about cash. A CEO or an organization as soon as confided in me that what’s with taxes being greater in Sweden with bigger salaries he was bringing house lower than his workers, a lot that he needed to assemble his “summer time house” (a time period Swedes use for his or her second homes normally in peripheral or countryside cities) along with his personal fingers as a result of he couldn’t afford staff.
So principally, if we substitute “resilience” by “stoicism” – a elaborate phrase associated to a philosophical thought which has clear rules, maybe that is the reply which was eluding us. To study extra about stoicism please go right here.
I believe what most impressed me in that discourse is (and I’m copying from this supply) the phrases of stoic thinker Epictetus: “Issues not in our management are physique, property, repute, command, and, in a single phrase, no matter will not be our actions.”
Now, I’m quick, skinny, and diabetic since 2013 – this covers the physique half. Popularity? Properly, relying whom you ask I’ve been both praised to the very best stage or trashed to the bottom one – I developed a thick pores and skin so it’s nice (my file nonetheless stays 23 hate mails from an area company in 2011 although). Property is the tough half – the monetary crash affected me mentally greater than I dared even think about – certain I’m very proactive so I saved no matter I may save regardless of how massive or small however all this was extremely difficult to me as a result of the cash was speculated to some “future insurance coverage” for my outdated age.
Marcus Aurelius probably the most well-known stoics wrote: “While you get up within the morning, inform your self: the individuals I take care of at present will likely be meddling, ungrateful, conceited, dishonest, jealous and surly. They’re like this as a result of they cannot inform good from evil.” which makes me surprise which Lebanese financial institution precisely did Marcus Aurelius place his cash in.
As a result of at this level issues are certainly that method, and one must be resilient stoic to take care of it on each day foundation.
