Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, where each day we bring you a stoic inspired meditation designed to help you find strength and insight and wisdom into everyday life. Each one of these episodes is based on the 2000-year-old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women, to help you learn from them, to follow in their example, and to start your day off, the little dose of courage and discipline and justice in wisdom. For more, visit DailyStoic.com. Don't let it trouble your mind.
It's wrong. It shouldn't be happening. You should accept being treated this way. You don't need to let people take advantage of you.
You should stand up. You should speak out. But you know what you shouldn't do? You shouldn't ruminate on this.
You shouldn't let it consume your every waking moment. People mistake the stoic emphasis on equanimity and poise on the inner citadel and the dichotomy of control with passivity, with indifference to injustice, with self-absorption in the face of suffering and solvable problems. But this is wrong. The Stoics ran for office.
The Stoics ran empires. They were involved. They didn't let people treat them like garbage. They spoke their mind.
They had active, productive, positive lives. The reason they were able to do this is that they didn't allow the stuff happening around them to consume them. They didn't allow people or things to live in their head rent-free. They didn't allow themselves to be distracted.
And they tried not to confuse emoting about a problem with doing something about it. What's happening in our world right now is something you cannot ignore. You are not a doormat. You are not a dilettante.
At the same time, you must protect your mind. You must maintain your poise and your clarity. Because what happens to you is not your choice. How you respond to it is.