The single most important practice in Stoic philosophy is differentiating between what we have control over and what we don’t. Epictetus said,

“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own…”

Today, we are calling on you to perform your “chief task in life.”

You don’t control the dark money that has flooded politics. You don’t control the mediocre (or awful) candidates out there. You don’t control that more than 50% of the population doesn’t bother voting. You don’t control the gerrymandering and voter suppression. You don’t control who ultimately gets elected.

But the act of casting a ballot is in your control. You control whether or not you engage in the democratic process. And the Stoics are explicit on this point: the philosopher, they say, is obligated to contribute to the polis, and to participate in politics. This is an essential difference between the Epicureans and the Stoics (Seneca said, “Epicurus says: ‘The wise man will not engage in public affairs except in an emergency.’ Zeno says: ‘He will engage in public affairs unless something prevents him.’”)

While it is hard to argue with the statistics that any individual’s vote makes a difference, think about how dangerous it would be when that logic is extrapolated out. Almost no difference is made by the individual who decides to do the right thing, to do an act of kindness, to insist on the truth when a falsehood is easier, to be a good parent, to care about the quality of their work. Is that a reason to be a liar, a cheat, an asshole, a bad parent, or a poor craftsman? Of course not. And imagine what the world would look like if everyone insisted it was?

A better world is built “action by action,” Marcus Aurelius said, vote by vote. We vote, we do good things, not because it has a noticeable or significant impact on the world, but because it is our duty. We make our tiny contribution to the common good—today, in the next election, in every election. We perform our chief task in life—today, tomorrow, every day.