{"id":9007,"date":"2020-07-21T19:16:20","date_gmt":"2020-07-21T23:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailystoic.com\/?p=9007"},"modified":"2020-07-21T19:16:20","modified_gmt":"2020-07-21T23:16:20","slug":"what-else-can-you-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailystoic.com\/what-else-can-you-do\/","title":{"rendered":"What Else Can You Do?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s funny how quickly people swing back and forth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When all this began, folks were excitedly using this time at home to tackle projects they\u2019d long been putting off. They were focused on being productive, connecting with family, not letting the moment go to waste. There were Friday afternoon cocktails and family meals on Zoom; there were Master classes being taken; there was so much sourdough bread being baked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our friends cheered us on with all this: That\u2019s a great attitude! Then as time went on, the mood began to falter and resolve began to weaken. What, they started saying, I\u2019m supposed to make the most of the biggest catastrophe of my lifetime? I\u2019m supposed to turn it into an opportunity for self-development? People are <\/span>dying. <\/span><\/i>Democracy is <\/span>dying.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

That\u2019s the refrain from the new chorus. Those same friends who cheered on our sourdough have soured on everything: Yeah, you\u2019re right! This isn\u2019t fair! And so the momentary surge in empowerment reverts to defeatism and pity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Stoics would shake their heads: <\/span>We don\u2019t control what happens, we only control how we respond<\/span><\/a>, they would say. That\u2019s what this philosophy is. Marcus Aurelius defined flexibility and resilience as the ability to look a situation in the face and say, \u201c<\/span>You\u2019re just what I was looking for<\/span><\/a>.\u201d The Stoics knew that the formula for greatness was the ability to turn obstacles into fuel, to see everything as an opportunity to do something.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

No one is saying this isn\u2019t a catastrophe. No one is saying this is fair. But what the Stoics are saying\u2014as they always have\u2014is deal with it. And so we must. Not in short bursts, but with sustainable energy and perseverance. With endurance and fortitude. With Churchill\u2019s commitment to keep buggering on to the end.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Who knows how long this will go on. What we do know is that it\u2019s here now. So let\u2019s use it. <\/span><\/p>\n

P.S.\u00a0<\/i>This was originally sent<\/i><\/span><\/a> on July 22, 2020. Sign up today for <\/i>the Daily Stoic\u2019s email<\/i><\/span><\/a>\u00a0and get our popular\u00a0<\/i>free 7-day course on Stoicism.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s funny how quickly people swing back and forth.\u00a0 When all this began, folks were excitedly using this time at home to tackle projects they\u2019d long been putting off. They were focused on being productive, connecting with family, not letting the moment go to waste. There were Friday afternoon cocktails and family meals on Zoom; […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Else Can You Do?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dailystoic.com\/what-else-can-you-do\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Else Can You Do?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s funny how quickly people swing back and forth.\u00a0 When all this began, folks were excitedly using this time at home to tackle projects they\u2019d long been putting off. They were focused on being productive, connecting with family, not letting the moment go to waste. 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