The Daily Stoic - This Is One Thing You Must Not Do

Episode Date: March 19, 2020

It’s possible, Marcus Aurelius said, to not have an opinion. You don’t have to turn this into something, he reminds himself. You don’t have to let this upset you. It’s not that the Stoics lived in a world where people didn’t do bad things or a world free from rudeness and cruelty. On the contrary—those things were far more prevalent in Rome than they are today. But what the Stoics worked on was not letting these things get to them, not letting it provoke them to anger. If someone insulted Cato, he pretended not to hear it. When someone attacked Marcus Aurelius’s character, he tried to think about the character of the person saying it. When someone said something offensive to Epictetus, he told himself that if he got upset, he was as much to blame as they were. He also joked that if they really knew him, they’d be even more critical. It wasn’t that the Stoics were apathetic or that they never tried to change the world. Clearly, they wouldn’t have been engaged in politics if all they cared about was the status quo. Why would Seneca have written those letters if he didn’t believe he could have an impact on people? It’s just that the Stoics saw only danger in getting angry. They refused to be provoked. They tamed their temper so they could do the work they believed they needed to do. And that’s what you must do also. You don’t have to have an opinion. You don’t have to turn things into bigger things. You can control your emotions. You can do what you need to do. 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. 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. This is one thing you must not do. It is possible, Marcus Aurelia said, to not have an opinion, you don't have to turn this into something, he reminds himself. You don't have to turn this into something, he reminds himself. You don't have to let this upset you." It's not that the Stoics lived in a world where people didn't do bad things, or a world free from rudeness and cruelty. On the contrary, those things were far more prevalent in Rome

than they are today. But what the Stoics worked on was not letting these things get to them, not letting them provoke them to anger. If someone insulted Kato, he pretended not to hear it. When someone attacked Marcus Aurelius' character, he tried to think about the character of the person saying it. When someone said something offensive to Epic Titus, he told himself that if he got upset, he was as much to blame as they were. He also liked to joke that if they really knew him, they'd have been even more critical. It wasn't that the Stoics were apathetic or

that they never tried to change the world or themselves. Clearly, they wouldn't have been engaged in politics if all they cared about was the status quo. Why would Seneca have written those letters if he didn't believe you could have an impact on people? It's just that the Stoics saw only danger in getting angry. They refused to be provoked. They tamed their temper so they could do the work they believed they needed to do. And that's what you must do also.

You don't have to have an opinion. You don't have to turn things into bigger things. You can control your emotions. You can do what you need to do. Thanks for listening to today's Daily Stood Podcast. I've got really great news. The e-book of the obstacle is the way. It's currently on sale for $199 on Amazon. It's got great stories about wisdom. And we take the things that life throws at us and we see them not as obstacles, but as opportunities how we make what is in the way, the way the book

is $199 as an ebook in the US right now. Really excited every time we do this, a whole bunch of new people come in. So if you haven't read the book and you want to give it a try, it will never be cheaper than this. Or if there's someone you know that would benefit from it, maybe you could gift it to them. So check that out on Amazon, or you can follow us on social media and get a link to it. But the book in the US on Amazon, 199 as an ebook, I think also iBooks and the other book platforms. So check it out. Hey, prime members, you can listen to the Daily Stoke,

early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today, or you canoke early and add free on Amazon Music, download the Amazon Music app today, or you can listen early and add free with Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts. Raising kids can be one of the greatest rewards of a parent's life. But come on, someday, parenting is unbearable. I love my kid, but is a new parenting podcast from Wondry that shares a refreshingly honest and insightful take on parenting. Hosted by myself, Megan Galey, Chris Garcia, and Kurt Brown-Oller, we will be your resident

not-so-expert experts. 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 feel less alone. So if you like to laugh with us as we talk about the hardest job in the world, listen to, I love my kid, but wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen ad-free on the Amazon Music or Wondering app.

I love my kid, but wherever you get your podcasts, you can listen ad-free on the Amazon Music or Wondery app.