The Daily Stoic25 Loka 2018

Time Doesn’t Make Everything Better...It Just Makes Them What They Are

When we get dumped or we fail or we lose someone, we often hear that “Time heals all wounds” or some such remark, all of it in consolation. Obviously this is meant well, but it’s also frustrating--if only because it’s trite...and way too simple.

As Rilke wrote, “Time does not ‘console’ as people say superficially; at best it puts things in their place and it creates order.” There is a Zen story about a man whose horse ran away. People said it was bad luck. Then the horse came back, which people thought was good luck, and then his son broke his leg while falling off it and people thought that was bad luck come round again. But because his leg was broken, the man’s son was saved from fighting and dying in a war, and the cycle went on and on.

Time doesn’t make things better or worse, it simply makes them what they are. That’s why the Stoics talk about not rushing to judgment about anything, about waiting and seeing. Because we don’t know. Just giving something time isn’t automatically going to make it better--but it does at least give things a chance to shake out, for us to see the full picture. If there is one aphorism about time that we CAN rely on, that the Stoics would agree with, it's that 'time will tell.'

That’s the moral of the Zen story too. Trying to label things as good luck or bad luck is shortsighted. It assumes that all the facts have been entered into evidence. It’s better to hold off on forming an opinion, because fate is constantly unfolding around us, and today’s bad luck may very well be setting up tomorrow’s good luck (and vice versa).

Time isn’t a panacea, but it is a form of truth. So watch for it. Time will, in fact, tell.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(2982)

This Is An Important Time in Your Life | How Do You Do Hard Things When Life Is Already Hard?

People probably thought Marcus Aurelius was strange. The time he spent alone in his room. The long walks he took by himself. There would be no Meditations without this quiet solitude, but more alarmin...

15 Tammi 14min

The Lie That Keeps You Feeling Behind Every Single Day | Oliver Burkeman

Most productivity advice promises that if you just find the right system, you’ll finally catch up. In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with Oliver Burkeman who explains why that feeling never arrives a...

14 Tammi 58min

Beware Lost Footsteps

Our feet will always move in the direction of our focus. So look where you want to go. Stay focused on the path, keep moving forward, one foot in front of the other.👉 Support the podcast and go deepe...

14 Tammi 2min

This Is It, Isn’t It? | Circle of Control

Focus on what you can control. Keep your cool. Do the right thing. Be brave. Because if you’re not going to do it now, when will you?📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic...

13 Tammi 8min

Who Decides Who Gets What? | What Young Men Get Wrong About Stoicism

You went to school. You worked hard. You sacrificed. You got really good at what you do. And yet…despite this success, this track record, this leverage you have, your life is so backwards.👉 Support t...

12 Tammi 10min

26 Stoic Rules to Survive an Uncertain 2026

The year ahead is unknown, but one thing you can control is how you show up. In this episode, Ryan breaks down 26 timeless Stoic rules you can rely on when things feel overwhelming, chaotic, or out of...

11 Tammi 24min

Why You’re Not as Hard to Manipulate as You Think | Rebecca Lemov

Most people think manipulation only works on other people. That belief is exactly what makes it dangerous. In this episode, Ryan sits down with historian and human behavior expert Rebecca Lemov to tal...

10 Tammi 1h 5min

Can You Get Inside? | The Top Books Ryan Holiday Recommends

Marcus Aurelius wrote about how the philosopher is one with their weapon—like a boxer, more than a swordsman. A boxer just clenches their fist. A fencer has to pick something up. Through repetition, t...

9 Tammi 16min