1: Consider it happened before it did

You’re not an actor. Of course, you’re not. You’re not playing a role. You don’t make-believe, and you also have a lack of imagination. Actors play someone fictitious. But leave that aside. Their approach to a script helps you approach what life offers you—the good and bad stuff. Let’s assume, a tragedy will happen. The actor knows because it’s written in the play. You also know because you prepared for it in your daily meditations. The worst outcome is always the likeliest. And that’s the one you’re equipped to handle in the best way possible. Here’s what actors also do. Even though the actor knows the storyline, he will step into the scene as if he experienced it for the first time. He doesn’t force feelings and actions, he lets them happen because he’s guided by what his character wants. You don’t know the storyline. But since you’re running a warmed-up mind you can allow yourself to enter the excruciation and go through the tragedy. In these times of ordeal not your favorite philosopher’s wise words or your religion will help you. It will be your calm and reasoned mind leading to inner equilibrium that takes care of it. An actor becomes a character after months and then plays this person naturalistically. You apply the wisdom that you’ve acquired throughout the past years and act out naturally. Being well-trained, your moments of trouble will still feel dark and cloudy. But managing them will feel like flying an airplane on autopilot. Life is a stage. Maybe you’re an actor after all. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stoicserenity.substack.com