Stoic Insight

A thought from the ancient Stoic philosophers: It’s not what happens to us that determines how we feel as much as how we meet what happens. We may have little to say about the “cards we’re dealt” at any given time, but we have a lot to say about the conclusions we reach, the stories we tell ourselves, the meanings and significances we ascribe, and whether we regard adversity as an enemy or an opportunity to transcend. In those moments when “resistance is futile,” we can endure by bending and moving with rather than against conditions. Everything changes. If you’re struggling, hang in there, and while you’re doing that, try responding rather than reacting. Often, things come right when we do.