The world is heading to a new paradigm. People are constantly evolving with all the new creations which are heading up. Humans are becoming more and more powerful. But with great powers comes great responsibility, and with great responsibility comes great problems. What is the initial response to these problems? Oh God why always me? If that isn't then we aren't humans đ . Apparently, to whatever life gives us, are we ready for all things to face, or are we just stagnated at one place and watching out for the good things to happen without accepting the harsh reality.
There's an amazing concept of stoic philosophy called Amor Fati from Ryan Holiday's book Obstacle is the way. But, first let's start with a story from his book itself.
One fine evening Thomas Edison returned early from his laboratory. Shortly, after dinner, a man came rushing to his house with the bad news that a fire had broken down in Edison's research and production campus. Firefighters had gathered at the scene but they were unable to handle the blaze. The glare of the fire was so bright and red. Edison stood there watching his entire empire burn to ashes. He called his son out and told him "Go get your mother and all her friends, they won't see a fire like this again". Edison had a sheer childlike excitement on his face. His response to the incident was amazing. He didn't indulge himself in this incident instead he got his factory partially running. Within a month men were working two shifts a day. Edison made over $10million revenue even after a loss of $1million.
Edison didn't lose hope he accepted the reality and moved on from whatever he faced. The stoic philosophy of Amor Fati speaks about accepting your fate and loving everything you face. Things that aren't under our control hurt the most. Accept the things which aren't under your control but take action on the things which are under your control.
Fate guides the person who accepts them and hinders the person who resists them -Cleanthes.
Love your fate, tragic incidents, losses, and unusual things can make you feel unworthy but that doesn't mean you aren't worth anything. Change the perception and find new paths. We face many failures throughout life, doors get closed, unable to find the ray of hope. The next step would be not staring at the closed door but instead trying to find some other alternative. If you keep staring at the door you won't be finding any.
Do not seek to have events happen as you want them but instead, want them to happen and your life will go well. -Epictetus.
But there's a thing that deserves a notable mention. "You can't love all the things you face". How you are going to love the situation when you face the death of a loved one. Finding a positive note on events like this one is preposterous. But not accepting them and being stagnated in one single place can make things much worse. Accept the fact and move on. Everyone takes birth in this world to die someday. Instead of resisting the situation, you need to accept the reality and move on. It will give you the opportunity to grow. There's a beautiful quote from Steve Harvey
If you are going through hell then keep going, why would you stop in hell?
Failure is the best teacher. It teaches us what we shouldn't do the next time we try. But we try to avoid failure just because it feels shameful and embarrassing. But instead, if we learn from our mistakes, we won't repeat them over and over again. Failure comes with its own cost it's paid in discomfort and loss of having to start over. But if we see failure as an opportunity to learn from our actions then it can be our advantage. "Failure shows us the way- by showing us what isn't the way".
Two years ago I missed my opportunity to get into my dream college by a matter of just 3 marks. I accepted my fate because my teacher used to always say "If something goes according to your wish then it's good, but if something happens against your wish then it's the best because it happens according to God's wish". He always has something good for you. My whole unexpected failure event has been written in this Quora post check it out if you want.
So whenever I face something unusual I just read this Serenity prayer to myself.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I can. And the wisdom to know the difference.
If you want to learn more about stoicism and Greek philosophy then I would recommend you to read the book Obstacle is the way.
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Cheers âïž.
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