It’s often said that life is full of surprises. I’m confident that most people would agree with that sentiment; very few things come about as we expect, and monkey wrenches are all too-often found to be thrown in the mix. Being surprised isn’t inherently unStoic, however, our opinion about those surprises can deem our perspective to be Stoic or not.

Marcus Aurelius stated in Meditations:

How ridiculous and strange is he, that wonders at anything that happens in this life in the ordinary course of nature! - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 12.10

Daily frustrations

Regular occurrences throughout day-to-day life are perhaps a larger culprit in frustrations than they ought to be. How often do we catch ourselves getting upset at the same old traffic, the same old people, or the re-occurring menial tasks at work that always cause us discomfort?

Monday morning, we arrive at work only to be “surprised” and upset about how much our co-worker blabbers on about their weekend without any concern for others. What an odd thing; one should consider that maybe, just maybe, this has happened for the last 27 Mondays in a row and that it is likely that it will happen this Monday, too! Yet we find ourselves upset.

The Stoic response here is simple: accept that you will run into all kinds of people while being prosocial in the cosmos. Some of those run-ins will be pleasant and others unpleasant, but in either case, you don’t need to become upset.

Why become surprised that people will sometimes annoy you from time to time? Certainly, as a Stoic, it would perhaps be a better response to change one’s opinion from “that’s annoying” to “that’s normal” or even “that’s natural”, no?

Suffering and death

A heavier version of the above is our wonder and anxiety regarding suffering and death. When we look around at the world, we see suffering and death all over the place. We, too, shall suffer with pain throughout our lives and ultimately die. It is the way of Nature – of course it is. Yet this natural occurrence causes us much stress and anxiety.

Part of walking the Stoic path means accepting that you are simply one piece of a much greater whole, that whole being the cosmos herself.

It is “in the ordinary course of nature” Marcus Aurelius urges us to consider, and how strange of a thing it is for you or me to wonder at that. It is, indeed, what it is. Death is a part of life, so why should we think and act in a way disharmonious with this natural rhythm?

Viewing from above

What is the antidote to this issue of getting overwhelmed and overtaken by these often unpleasant yet very natural occurrences in life? It’s the Stoic view from above.

Part of walking the Stoic path means accepting that you are simply one piece of a much greater whole, that whole being the cosmos herself. The opposite of this perspective is one of individualism and selfishness where the only lens we view the world from is our very own. This is a tempting perspective; we only naturally see life through our own lens.

However, if we wish to attain tranquility, we must practice seeing things, not through our own limited perspective, but rather from the perspective of the greater whole. Practically, this humbles us and subdues our ego, which wants us to believe that we are the most important thing in the universe.

When we recognize our true vital yet humble place in the cosmos, we accept that our pain, suffering, and ultimate death are simply natural occurrences which result in our own life ending but not the ending of the more important greater whole.

And for those who may feel disheartened by their own demise, there is another perspective I’d like to share: yes, we all die, but our body then simply changes into another part of Nature. One could view that as immortality, in a sense. I’m compelled to end with yet another wonderful quote from Marcus Aurelius.

Every part of me then will be reduced by change into some part of the universe, and that again will change into another part of the universe, and so on forever. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditation, 5.13

Brandon is most well-known for his podcast, The Strong Stoic Podcast, where he discusses philosophical ideas both solo and with guests. He also coaches individuals to help them be their best selves, writes articles, plays music, manages projects, and several other things.

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