Short video/plus-one by Brian Johnson explaining Stoicism’s primary rule: distinguish what is within our control (our present choices) from what is not. Johnson cites Ryan Holiday’s The Daily Stoic (day one) and the Serenity Prayer as modern articulations, and finishes by quoting Epictetus’ Discourses to reinforce the central practice of separating externals from choices. The piece is instructional and motivational, aimed at daily practical application.
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Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another heroic plus one. In our last one we chatted about rule number one of Stoicism. Pop quiz. Do you recall what rule number one of Stoicism is? Well, do you? As you may recall, Epictetus and his Stoic amigos tell us that if we want to live a good life, we'd be wise to focus on the things that are within our control and to let go of everything else. That, in short, is rule number one of Stoicism. And today I want to focus on this wisdom for a moment longer to make sure we get rule number one of Stoicism. Let's open up the best selling modern book on Stoicism, Ryan Holiday's the Daily Stoic. Note, if you're looking for the perfect book to get going with Stoicism, that book is it. We got a link in the plus one, obviously. Go to Amazon, the Daily Stoic and check out our notes linked in this plus one as well. Now, Ryan's Daily Stoic is a daily use year long guide of 366 daily meditations on Stoic wisdom. And guess what Ryan features on day one of that little guidebook? Yep. Ryan reflects on the same passage we just chatted about in our last one. Here's how he puts it. I quote Ryan, the single most important practice in Stoic philosophy is differentiating between what we can change and what we can't, what we have influence over and what we do not. A flight is delayed because of weather. No amount of yelling at an airline representative will end a storm. No amount of wishing will make you taller or shorter or born in a different country. No matter how hard you try, you can't make someone like you. And on top of that, time spent hurling yourself at these immovable objects is time not spent on the things we can change. He continues by saying the Recovery community practices something called the Serenity Prayer. 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. Addicts cannot change the abuse suffered in childhood. They cannot undo the choices they have made or the hurt they have caused. But they can change the future through through the power they have in the present moment. As Epictetus said, they can control the choices they make right now. And Ryan concludes by saying the same is true for us today. If we can focus on making clear what parts of our day are within our control and what parts are not, we will not only be happier, we will have a distinct advantage over other people who fail to realize they are fighting an unwinnable battle. End quote. There you go. That's rule number one of Stoicism. Ultimately, the only things truly within our control are the choices we are making right this moment. Which is why the focal point of Stoicism is beautifully captured in the Serenity prayer. 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. And that's today's plus one. I repeat, some things are within our control, others are not. Let's have fun keeping that in mind as we practice our philosophy all day, every day, especially today. P.S. here's the quote from Epictetus Discourses that Ryan is reflecting on in the passage we just talked about. He says, this is Epictetus. 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.
