The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living

Day 37

November 18th - Four Habits of the Stoic Mind

"Our rational nature moves freely forward in its impressions when it:

1) accepts nothing false or uncertain;

2) directs its impulses only to acts for the common good;

3) limits its desires and aversions only to what's in its own power;

4) embraces everything nature assigns it."

-Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 8.7

From the Author:

"... let's align our minds along these four critical habits:

1. Accept only what is true.

2. Work for the common good.

3. Match our needs and wants with what is in our control.

4. Embrace what nature has in store for us."

Accepting only truth, or nothing uncertain, can be quite difficult without total knowledge, and in this day and age there are many things claimed to be true that are obfuscated, whether intentionally, or through lack of understanding/research. You must use critical thinking, as best you can, to determine if a claim is truth, or bad actors are attempting to lead you astray.

With misinformation being talked about by media, govt. officials and orgs, and people on social media, it's pretty clear that there is an agenda on who determines the truth. I think many could agree that those who claim for control over what we are fed as truth have something to hide. But that's not to say everything that is condemned by them /is/ truth. Use critical thinking.

Number three and four are very much about not striving for control outside and over that which cannot be in our control. Nature is as does. We can only accept what comes, and must not complain, lest we expend our energy complaining instead of using the momentum to steer in a direction that works for us, within our wants, needs, and abilities.