The Daily Stoic16 Tammi 2019

How To Respond To Crazy People

One suspects Marcus Aurelius was referring to a particularly frustrating person, some opponent who just would not, or could not, get the message, when he wrote:

“You can hold your breath until you’re blue in the face and they’ll just go on doing it.”

There’s an American expression along those same lines: “Never wrestle with a pig. You just get dirty and the pig enjoys it.”

Both these pieces of advice are worth remembering for the inevitable moments that we find ourselves in conflict or at cross purposes with one of those nutty, obnoxious, stubborn jerks that make up a certain percentage of the population. Although it’s tempting to fight and argue with them, it rarely ends well, because you can’t beat someone with nothing to lose, and it’s impossible to reason someone out of a position they didn’t reason themselves into in the first place.

It takes great skill to identify irrationality and emotional reactions in other people. It takes a lot of confidence to avoid battling with someone acting out of ego. It requires patience to endure their onslaughts and put up with them in your midst.

But if you can, you’ll preserve your happiness and live a much less stressful life. It’s not your job to change other people—and even it were, crazy doesn’t want to be changed. Learn how to walk away. Learn how to de-escalate. Learn how to let other people be themselves and you just do you. It’s a much easier life, you can count on that.

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(3104)

7 Stoic Strategies for Managing Your Time

Most people think about time as something they have plenty of until they suddenly don’t. But Seneca’s warning raises a more unsettling question: how much of your life are you giving away without even ...

23 Elo 15min

The Marcus Aurelius Quote Steven Pressfield Couldn’t Ignore

In today's episode, Ryan and Steven Pressfield discuss one of Marcus Aurelius’ most striking lines: “Life is warfare and a journey far from home.” What begins with the epigraph to Steven’s new novel T...

22 Elo 26min

BONUS | 5 Rapid-Fire Stoic Rules for Thinking More Clearly

Before you trust your first reaction, assumption, or opinion, the Stoics would tell you to do a few things first. In this bonus episode, Ryan breaks down five rules for thinking more clearly.🎟️ DAILY...

21 Elo 2min

It’s Your Job To See This Coming | Corralling The Unnecessary

These things happen to people…therefore they could happen to you. 📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic....

21 Elo 5min

This Is Your Ticket to Freedom | What Ryan Holiday Told Shawn Ryan to Read Next

We may not control what happens to us, what other people decide, or what circumstances take away. But we can still choose what we believe, how we respond, and who we become.💡 We designed our How To R...

20 Elo 13min

Can You Just Shut Up? | Stoicism vs. Epicureanism: Enemies or Allies?

To enter into another person’s mind, even for a moment, we first need to get out of our own head. 📚 Books Mentioned:Working by Robert CaroArt of Happiness by EpicurusLives of the Stoics by Ryan Holid...

19 Elo 24min

Isn’t This What We’re After?

Why is that self-command and self-knowledge so elusive? How can we find it?💡 We designed our How To Read Epictetus (A Daily Stoic Guide) as a personal field guide —part book club, part masterclass, p...

18 Elo 3min

"I’m 56. I Lost My Faith, But I Found Strength in Stoicism"

Keith thought he knew what his purpose was. Then his daughter got sick, his life took an unexpected turn, and Stoicism was put to a test he never expected.If Keith’s story has inspired you to share yo...

18 Elo 7min