The Daily Stoic - The World Is Trying To Teach You

Episode Date: March 23, 2020

This was all pretty sudden, wasn’t it? The economy was chugging along. Life was going well. We had travel plans. We had work plans. We had things we were doing. We had a sense for what we��d do next. And then… bam. Now, here we are. You know what that is? It’s a reminder. It’s a reminder that Seneca—a man who experienced exile, illness, financial setbacks, and all sorts of other adversity—wrote about more than 2,000 years ago. He told us “never to trust prosperity, and always take full note of fortune’s habit of behaving just as she pleases, treating her as if she were actually going to do everything it is in her power to do.” His point was that events can change quickly, and that we have to be vigilant, particularly in good times, because vigilance is the first step towards preparation. “Whatever you have been expecting,” he said, “comes as less of a shock.”The events of the last few weeks have been an expensive and merciless reminder of the truth of that advice. We ignored it at our peril, for too long, as humans often do. Fate is fickle. Reversals happen. Black Swans are real. Nothing is stable, change is the only constant. No one is so rich, so healthy, so strong or smart that they cannot be brought low. That is obvious to anyone looking around today. Yet we are likely, as things get better (which they inevitably will), to forget this fact if we’re not careful...and that is a waste of the pain we are experiencing right now.The world is always teaching us. The question is whether we’re open to listening. The question is whether we’re ready to hear. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey, prime members, you can listen to the Daily Stood Podcast early and add free on Amazon Music. Download the app today. Hi, I'm David Brown, the host of Wondery's podcast business wars. And in our new season, Walmart must fight off target. The new discounter that's both savvy and fashion forward. Listen to business wars on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. on music or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to the Daily Stoic. For each day, we read a short passage designed to help you cultivate the strength, insight, wisdom necessary for living good life. Each one of these passages is based on the 2000-year-old philosophy that has guided some of history's

greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us at dailystowach.com. The world is trying to teach you. This was all pretty sudden, wasn't it? The economy was chugging along, life was going well, we had travel plans, we had work plans, we had things we were doing, we had a sense for what we do next. And then bam, now here we are. You know what that is? It is a reminder. It's a reminder that Seneca, a man who experienced

exile, illness, financial setbacks, and all sorts of other adversity. It's a reminder of something that Sennaka, a man who experienced exile, illness, financial setbacks, and all sorts of other adversity, wrote about more than 2,000 years ago. He told us that we should never trust prosperity and always take full note of Fortune's habit of behaving just as she pleases, treating her as if she were actually going to do everything it is in her power to do. His point was that events can change quickly and that we have to be vigilant,

particularly in good times, because vigilance is the first step towards preparation. Whatever you have been expecting, he said, comes as less of a shock. The events of the last few weeks have been expecting, he said, comes as less of a shock. The events of the last few weeks have been an expensive and merciless reminder of the truth of that advice. We ignored it at our peril for too long as humans often do. Fate is fickle, reversals happen, black swans are real, nothing is stable, change is the only constant. No one is so rich, so healthy, so strong, or smart, that they cannot be brought low. That is obvious to anyone looking around today.

Yet we are likely, as things get better, which they inevitably will, to forget this fact, if we're not careful. And that is a waste of the pain we are experiencing right now. The world is always teaching us. The question is whether we're open to listening. The question is whether we're ready to hear. Thanks for listening to the Daily Stoic podcast. If you could leave us a review in iTunes, it helps a great deal. And of course, if you know anyone who had benefit from these messages, please spread the word. Thanks. Hey, prime members, you can listen to the daily stoic early and

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Each week we'll share a parenting story that'll have you laughing, nodding, and thinking. Oh yeah, I have absolutely been there. We'll talk about what went right and wrong. What would we do differently? And the next time you step on yet another stray Lego in the middle of the night, you'll been there. Amazon Music or Wendry app.