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“I don’t even remember being hit.”

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Seneca relates the story of what Cato the Younger did when, visiting the baths in Rome one day, he was shoved and struck. Once the fight was broken up, he simply refused to accept an apology from the offender: “I don’t even remember being hit.”

This was Cato’s Stoic practice in action. And he stood out because of it. You don’t remember being hit? It literally just happened! In his own lifetime, Cato, through the force of his example, would change how people thought of Stoicism. And he would change himself, into someone who could take a punch without noticing.

No one is telling you to go out and start a fight with someone to see how quickly you can forget it. But Cato’s example is a good one for us to remember the next time we are slighted. Are we going to hold onto it? Are we going to demand that someone earn our forgiveness and pat ourselves on the back at how generous we are for giving it? Or can we just move on—like nothing even happened. Because honestly, nothing really did.