SOME are peevish and fastidious, and say, I cannot dine with such a fellow, to be obliged to hear him all day recounting how he fought in Mysia. "I told you, my friend, how I gained the eminence. There I am besieged again." But another says, "I had rather get a dinner, and hear him prate as much as he pleases."
Do you compare the value of these things, and judge for yourself; but do not let it be with depression and anxiety, and with a supposition that you are unhappy, for no one compels you to go.
EPICTETUS. DISCOURSES. Book i. §25. ¶3.
RECEIVE temporal blessings without ostentation, when they are sent; and thou shalt be able to part with them with all readiness and facility when they are taken from thee again.
MARCUS AURELIUS. MEDITATIONS. Book iii. 31.
We are not compelled to do anything. We choose to do things and must abide by our choices.
ReplyDelete$$ and things come and go... If we do not hold them to have value then they have no control over us.
I like this. You always have a choice, and there is always a price. If you make a specific choice, you are accepting the price for that choice. Basically, don't whine that the universe isn't to your liking. Change it or not, but don't whine.
ReplyDeleteAurelius' words must have seemed especially true about his military struggles with the Germans and Persians.
ReplyDeleteWe are not compelled to do anything in these life. We don't even have to breathe as we can choose to end our life if we so choose. We must count the cost of an activity and if the cost is too high we alone have the choice of whether or not to attend. We are not victims, we always have a choice.
ReplyDeleteNo one compels you. Each choice you make has a price. If you choose to go or stay, to change or remain steadfast, remember that you also choose those things that come with your decision. Count the cost, then if you must pay it, pay it gladly.
ReplyDeleteI'm not depressed or anxious because of the cruelty and lack of humanity ever so present here on Earth, but I cannot prevent my heart from aching... Of course, I have the choice to not follow the dark or shady path and to walk in the sunshine. Truth is that though the bright way of reason has my predilection, deep down my heart is aching...
ReplyDeleteMy heart also aches from time to time. I think that the hurt stems from noble virtues such as compassion and love. My heart aching for those who are less fortunate than I am causes me to reach out and try to lift up the rest of humanity. Compassion is a good thing although it can be a painful thing to feel.
DeleteHugs and thanks for reading and commenting! :)
Thank you, Pamela and Michel, for the fine quotes and interesting comments that accompany them. I have been following you for quite a while now but wanted to better assimilate the Stoic principles before jumping into its living waters and join the spiritual exercise of wording and reflecting. I count your both presence as a blessing...
DeleteWe have told to 'count our blessings,' for this is the first step to gratitude. But we must remember that things and people for which we are to be grateful are here for but a moment. They come into our lives and depart, and this is the natural cycle of things. When they are here, be grateful for their presence. When they are gone, be grateful for their memory.
ReplyDeleteI am in the process of fine tuning my life. As I wrote yesterday in my blog, determining the Big Rocks, and crafting my life to make sure that those rocks get the majority of my attention. It is so much easier when you realize that "things" are borrowed and not possessed. They are on a temporary loan and once they have served their purpose they can be let go without pain or regret if we hold them as temporal and do not find our "value" in the possession of them.
ReplyDelete