The Daily Stoic9 Maj 2019

You Decide The End of The Story

When James Stockdale was shot down in Vietnam, he was taken prisoner by the North Vietnamese. He spent seven years being tortured and subjected to unimaginable loneliness and terror. He had little choice over the fact that he was shot down, or that he was taken prisoner.

But what he told himself—and what helped him endure this terrible ordeal—was the sense of agency that Stoicism gave him, the sense that he could ultimately use this experience as fuel.

As he said later:

“I never lost faith in the end of the story, I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade.”

The sheer bravery and strength Stockdale exhibited by truly embodying this notion of amor fati gives one goosebumps, even some 50 years later. It’s just unreal.

It’s a reminder that for everything outside of our control, we retain—at the core of our being—an incredible power: The power to choose what we do with what happens to us. The power to decide what role an event will play in our lives. The power to write the end of our own story.

No one can take that away from us. People can hurt us. Money can be lost. Jobs can disappear. Cars can crash into each other. Stoicism can’t change what happened. No philosophy is a time machine.

But what we can do, what the Stoic practice is meant to help us do, is to prevail over what happened, and decide what comes next.

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(3082)

This Is Almost a Miracle | The Epictetus Lesson Kyle Carpenter Lives By

Epictetus’s work changed Marcus’ life. Both of them have changed Ryan's life. Both of them will change your life—if you let them.--Kyle Carpenter is a medically retired United States Marine who receiv...

6 Aug 11min

These Are Things You Cannot Buy

As Epictetus, the slave-turned-philosopher who inspired Marcus, reminds us, ”Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”🎶 Song lyrics: A Satisfied Mind (Bon Iver versi...

5 Aug 2min

The Marcus Aurelius Quote Tom Junod Can’t Forget

One sentence from Marcus Aurelius made Tom Junod circle it three times, star it, and dog-ear the page. In this episode, Ryan talks with the acclaimed writer about reading Meditations for the first tim...

5 Aug 12min

BONUS | The Craziest Reasons Books Were Banned

Got a banned book at home? Send it our way — we need a lot more 👉 Address: 912 Main St. Bastrop, TX 78602🎥 Watch this episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m02lZEbBY9E 📚 Sign up for Ryan’s...

4 Aug 11min

None of These Things Change | 10 Habits That Made Marcus Aurelius Great

This is what it is to be a human. Some of it good, some of it better to resist. But it’s the rhythm of life, the bleeding of eras, one into the other.🎟️ DAILY STOIC LIVE | Ryan Holiday is coming to a...

4 Aug 13min

You Can’t Stop Here | No Blame, Just Focus

Marcus Aurelius was not satisfied just getting the gist of Epictetus’ powerful teachings and you shouldn’t be, either.💡 We designed our How To Read Epictetus (A Daily Stoic Guide) as a personal field...

3 Aug 8min

Can Stoicism Fight Modern Corruption?

Corruption is everywhere, from politics and business to sports and universities. But as modern as it all feels, the Stoics saw the same thing happening thousands of years ago. So how did they resist i...

2 Aug 28min

5 American Heroes Everyone Should Know | Ty Seidule

Some of the greatest American heroes are people most of us have never heard of. In today’s episode, Ryan talks with retired Brigadier General and military historian Ty Seidule about five remarkable Am...

1 Aug 39min