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Dying Every Day is a podcast by the Perennial Leader Project. Each episode turns a selected passage from Stoic philosophy into a guided meditation designed to help you (and me) contemplate what it means to live a ‘good’ life. Learn more at perennial.substack.com.
You're listening to a podcast by the perennial leader project. Welcome to another episode of dying every day, stoicism in a year. We've reached day 97, and we're learning how to adapt and overcome obstacles. A quick reminder before we get started, if you enjoy these meditations and would like to support the project, I've created a few options that you can learn about at perennial meditations on Substack. You'll find details and a link in the show notes.
J.W. Bertolotti:Alright. Let's get started. In his meditations or notes to himself, the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote, quote, in a sense, people are our proper occupation. Our job is to do them good and put up with them. They may impede our actions, but they cannot impede our intentions or dispositions because we can accommodate and adapt.
J.W. Bertolotti:The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes, the obstacle to our acting. The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way, unquote. And this is adapted from Meditations 5.2. How comfortable are you adapting to life?
J.W. Bertolotti:What about in the face of obstacles or challenges? Learning to let life unfold or to put it another way, to adapt instead of resisting is difficult for us all. As the stoic teacher Epictetus stressed, quote, don't demand that things happen as you wish, but wish that they happen as they do happen, and you go on well, unquote. For the stoics, obstacles are opportunities. In a letter known today as on ill health and endurance of suffering, Seneca advised his friend, Lucilius, quote, of course, I prefer that war should not occur.
J.W. Bertolotti:But if war does occur, I shall desire that I may nobly endure the wounds, the starvation, and all that the war brings. The conclusion is that hardships are not desirable, but virtue is desirable as it enables us to endure hardships patiently, unquote. It's important to remember that difficult circumstances, as well as every moment of life, invite us to practice our philosophy. Each day and moment is a precious opportunity to embody virtue. As a daily exercise, I invite you to reflect or journal on what it means to be adaptable.
J.W. Bertolotti:You might ask yourself, what role does virtue play in navigating obstacles? Or how can I remember to view hardships and challenges as opportunities? Thank you for listening to dying every day, stoicism in a year. I hope you found something useful for daily life. If you enjoy what we're doing here and want to support the project, consider becoming a perennial meditations member.
J.W. Bertolotti:And finally, as always, I urge you to put what you heard into practice. Until next time, be wise and be well.