Embrace what happens
“The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings.”
Without the internet, TV, and advertising the Ancient Greeks had plenty of time to think.
This led to the founding of their many philosophy schools under famous teachers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
The word ‘philosophy’ literally means ‘love of wisdom’, and the goal of these thinkers was to share their reflections on what makes for a good life.
Each branch had its own take on things, much like it is the case with religion.
One of the most helpful and enduringly relevant is Stoicism.
Founded by Zeno of Citium in the early 3rd century BC, it later became popular in Ancient Rome.
More modern proponents of its teachings include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Nelson Mandela.
This philosophy's core idea is to distinguish between the things you can control and the things you can’t and act accordingly.
Zeno observed that a great deal of human anxiety and unhappiness comes from worrying about things we have no influence over.
Instead, what we should do is change our attitude toward these events. Rather than trying to exhaust ourselves fighting an undesirable set of circumstances, we should try to embrace them.
After all, if they can’t be changed into something more desirable, then is it not better to avoid the mental anguish from trying to fight against them?
Many centuries later, the German philosopher Fredrick Nietzsche perfectly encapsulated this idea with the words Amor fati.
Translated from the Latin, it means ‘love of fate’.
Happiness comes to those who chose to embrace whatever comes their way.
Or as Epictetus put it more eloquently, “Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will - then your life will flow well.”
