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.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(3065)

BONUS | Made For Working Together

According to the Stoics, we humans have a higher obligation—not to the gods but to each other. 📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Stor...

24 Juli 0s

We Are All Kings Now | Why We Can’t Stop Talking About The Odyssey

You’re the king now. The Republic is in your hands. Can you keep it?-- Featured guests in order of appearance: Kenny Curtis | Full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTubeStephen Greenblatt | Full ...

24 Juli 0s

They Have Been Misled | The Road Trip That Put Stoicism To The Test

If we want people to change, we have to give them a way to see the truth for themselves.👉 Watch Ryan Holiday on Mike Herrera's Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HEuo5HxHiQ📚 Join the Quarterl...

23 Juli 0s

Is It Even Possible To Be Happy?

A master does not actually master anything. The Stoics understood this.👉 The Daily Stoic Habits for Success, Habits for Happiness course is a six-week challenge designed to change your entire relatio...

22 Juli 0s

How Epictetus Captured The Mind Of Marcus Aurelius

One of history’s most powerful rulers was shaped by a teacher he never met. In this episode, Ryan talks with Professor William O. Stephens about how Marcus Aurelius discovered Epictetus, why the forme...

22 Juli 0s

This Is How You Change | What Is Our Duty To Society?

Change is hard but it doesn’t mean you have to be hard on yourself.📚 Books Mentioned: In My Time Of Dying 👉 The Daily Stoic Habits for Success, Habits for Happiness course is a six-week challenge de...

21 Juli 0s

The Wealthiest Person is a Pauper | Practice Gentleness Instead of Anger

The Stoics understood that the wealthiest person can still be a pauper—poor in peace, poor in contentment, poor in perspective.📚 The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art...

20 Juli 7min

6 Stoic Rules To Beat Ego

You don’t need to be an egotistical asshole to be successful. History is filled with powerful people whose pride ultimately destroyed them, from Caligula and Nero to Xerxes and Mussolini.The Stoics be...

19 Juli 0s