Stoicism and what life presents to us

Stoicism can be applied to virtually anything that one might come across during their life.

In Baltimore, where I am from, the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River in late March. The often-traveled structure was hit by a cargo ship which had lost power. It seems as if the boat hit the bridge in its weakest spot, causing it to plunge into the water below as if it were a poorly-built science experiment using popsicle sticks. The number of commuters traveling across the bridge was minimal since the event happened prior to morning rush hour. Several overnight road crew members on scene, however, were not as fortunate.  

When people’s bridges collapse

It can be like this for people throughout their life. One minute, we experience a safe passage from one moment in life to another, thinking very little of the present. The next minute, our safe passage has been wrecked by something previously unimaginable, our lives never again to be the same, our thoughts no longer focused on the trivial. 

• The individual who had worked their whole life, saving up for retirement, only to get the news that they have stage four, terminal cancer which will keep them from enjoying what they had put so much effort into earning. 
• The wife who tempered her career ambitions in order to start and take care of a family, only to be told by her husband of five years that he was no longer faithful and wanted a divorce. 
• The employee of a large retail chain who worked tirelessly for a billion-dollar company, spending many holidays waiting on customers instead of with family members, only to be told that self-service registers were more cost efficient and that their shifts, and paychecks, would be coming to an end.

No guarantees

One frightening thing about life is that no one knows what the very next second will hold, let alone the next hour, next day, next week, next month, next year. The only two things in life that are guaranteed are that 

1. nothing is guaranteed, and 
2. nothing stays constant. 

It is in this reality that we all exist and need to be mindful of what we can do to live a “good” life despite its unpleasantries. 

Being like a rock

Marcus Aurelius understood this. He wrote that to survive through life and all of its uncertainties with tranquility, one’s rational self needs to be like a steadfast rock. 

Be like the rock that the waves keep crashing over,” he wrote. “It stands unmoved and the raging of the sea falls still around it. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 4.49

Yes, things will happen in life that you cannot plan for. Things will look bleak. You will be disappointed by others. You will feel like life has treated you unfairly. You will be angry, sad, and frustrated. You can even feel bouts of despair. Yet, with a Stoic resolve, you will come through troubling experiences with a sense of calmness. 
When your bridge collapses

The bridge we call life will one day crumble in some terrible yet majestic way. The most important question around this fateful event isn’t when will it happen or why did it happen. Instead, the important question will be how are you going to handle the situation with courage, wisdom, and peace. 

Through reading the words of Stoics, actively participating in Stoic-based discussions, and reflecting on the principles of this philosoph,y we can live a good life, even when life is not good to us.    

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