The Daily Stoic5 Apr 2019

What Goes Up, Must Come Down

Each of has been blessed by Fortune. We’re alive right now, instead of 50 or 500 years ago. We were born free, and not into slavery. We’re reading this email on a computer in our office or on our cellphones, because we’re not laying in a hospital in a permanent vegetative state.

Some of us are even luckier than all that. You might currently have the career you’ve dreamed of. Or you’re married to a wonderful spouse. Or you’re a world-famous expert or a billionaire. Great.

Just remember what Seneca said:

“No man has ever been so far advanced by Fortune that she did not threaten him as greatly as she had previously indulged him.”

The opposite of good luck is bad luck. What has been given randomly, can be taken away randomly. Indeed, it happens all the time. Look at Seneca: Born healthy. Born rich. Born talented. He achieved so much...and then his pupil turned out to be deranged and he lost all of it, including his life.

What goes up, must come down. If not today, then tomorrow or the day after.

The point of telling you that is not to prompt anxiety or worry. It’s just a reminder. Take nothing for granted. Don’t waste a moment feeling like you don’t have enough or comparing yourself to other people. Avoid the temptation to conflate your self-worth with your net-worth or your identity with your place in society. Because all of this is temporary. All of this is dependent on Fortune.

And Fortune is as fickle and as cruel as she is generous.

P.S. Get all our Daily Stoic medallions in one bundle and save $57! The full collection includes our popular Memento Mori medallion, Amor Fati medallion, Summum Bonum medallion, and 4 others. Learn more here.

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

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(3110)

Stoic Lessons From 3 Cities in 3 Days

A chaotic few days on the road gave Ryan plenty of opportunities to practice what the Stoics taught. Between disrupted travel plans and visits to museums honoring Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, and R...

27 Aug 25min

This Is Where True Power Comes From

If you are a slave to your desires, if you are a slave to your fears, if you are a slave to things that were outside of your control, then you are not powerful at all. LIVE Q&A TODAY | If you get our ...

27 Aug 3min

It Takes a Guide To ‘Get’ It | 9 Core Stoic Beliefs

Wisdom doesn’t come from first impressions and it does not come easy. It’s hard work…and the only way to speed up the process is with the help of a great teacher.💡 We designed our How To Read Epictet...

26 Aug 33min

How to Be Freer Than a King

We often imagine that freedom means having more power, more money, or fewer people telling us what to do. But none of that makes us free if we cannot control ourselves.💡 We designed our How To Read E...

25 Aug 3min

Can Journalism Survive the Collapse of Trust?

When everyone else seems to be abandoning their standards, what keeps you from abandoning yours? Ryan talks with USA TODAY national correspondent Rick Jervis, author of The Devil Behind The Badge, abo...

25 Aug 19min

Can You Do This Even Here? | It's In Your Self-Interest

With enough practice, Seneca said, he found he could think anywhere. He could find stillness and peace anywhere.📚 Stillness Is The Key by Ryan Holiday 🎟️ DAILY STOIC LIVE | Ryan Holiday is coming to...

24 Aug 7min

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 Aug 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 Aug 26min