Time Doesn’t Make Everything Better...It Just Makes Them What They Are
The Daily Stoic25 Okt 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.

Episoder(2884)

The Most Misunderstood Philosopher of All Time | Diogenes Expert Inger Kuin

The Most Misunderstood Philosopher of All Time | Diogenes Expert Inger Kuin

Diogenes wasn’t a Stoic… but without him, the Stoics don’t exist. His life was so bold, so uncompromising, and so brutally honest that it reshaped the entire philosophical world the Stoics inherited. ...

19 Nov 202537min

Are You Having Trouble With These Changes? | Practice Letting Go

Are You Having Trouble With These Changes? | Practice Letting Go

Culture has changed. Technology has changed. Work has changed. Politics have changed. The environment has changed. You think these changes could have been prevented. Yet what you’re forgetting is that...

18 Nov 20258min

It’s Nothing Without This | Judge Not, Lest...

It’s Nothing Without This | Judge Not, Lest...

People are weak. People are scared. People are afraid to go for what they want. It has always been thus.📚 Books mentioned:Courage is Calling by Ryan HolidayThe Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday 👉 Support ...

17 Nov 20258min

Make Stoicism Your Anchor in Chaos (Ryan Holiday Live at FreedomFest)

Make Stoicism Your Anchor in Chaos (Ryan Holiday Live at FreedomFest)

We should fight, as Marcus Aurelius says, to be the person philosophy tried to make us. In this episode, Ryan shares why deciding to live with virtue can completely transform your life.🎟️ Come see Ry...

16 Nov 202522min

Mark Manson: “I Didn’t Realize How Out of Control I Was.”

Mark Manson: “I Didn’t Realize How Out of Control I Was.”

What’s the point of achieving success if you’re burned out, lonely, or exhausted? In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with Mark Manson (bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k) to tal...

15 Nov 202540min

This Is The Part To Love | "I Spent 6 Years Researching The Most Elusive Trait In The World"

This Is The Part To Love | "I Spent 6 Years Researching The Most Elusive Trait In The World"

It seems insensitive to even suggest that someone “love” their fate. How are you supposed to love a breakup? Love that you buried someone? Love that you lost your business?🎥 Watch this episode on The...

14 Nov 202521min

BONUS | Where Service Meets Stoicism — U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Joe Byerly & Ryan Holiday

BONUS | Where Service Meets Stoicism — U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Joe Byerly & Ryan Holiday

In this bonus episode, Ryan sits down with his friend and collaborator, Joe Byerly, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, writer, and host of From the Green Notebook. The two talk about the overlap be...

13 Nov 20251h 8min

There’s No One Stupider Than An Angry Person | Ask Daily Stoic

There’s No One Stupider Than An Angry Person | Ask Daily Stoic

There’s even a famous old saying: Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make angry.🎟️ Come see Ryan Holiday LIVE: https://www.dailystoiclive.com/Seattle, WA - December 3, 2025 San Diego, CA - Feb...

13 Nov 202518min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
dine-penger-pengeradet
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
pengepodden-2
finansredaksjonen
pengesnakk
utbytte
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
rss-sunn-okonomi
okonomiamatorene
lederpodden
liberal-halvtime
rss-markedspuls-2
rss-investering-gjort-enkelt
rss-impressions-2