Stoicism: life without hassle

I’ve mindfully watched our world long enough to have seen countless people live their lives squabbling over nugatory circumstances. Every single person on this earth—with no exceptions—has been blessed enough that they have no reason to be angry or hang our heads and gripe. This ecstatic circumstance comes from God’s grace; he has forgiven all of the people on this earth and sends his relentless love. The appropriate response is to live a full life of praise, and this is not possible with constant complaining and sadness. I’m Mike Lubben and this I believe.

I’m not saying people shouldn’t be joyous; in fact, people should be in a mirthful state nearly all the time. One should make it a priority to handle their emotions in a way that they never become any sadder than a brief anguish. Joy should always fluctuate up and down in a person’s life as different things influence them. This joy is very necessary as it makes one optimistic, energetic, and elevates one’s disposition.

As the oldest of three, I have a younger brother and sister who have tormented my life over the years. I have often been confronted about possessions of mine that have been obliterated by my siblings. The items in question were, nearly always, taken without asking. I would become like a raging mother Grizzly and get so mad I couldn’t think straight. I’d get sad about offenses such as these and over all types of losses in my life. I have, overtime, learned to take a stoic approach to high emotional risk situations. This is a far better approach as you can easily amend a problem otherwise complicated by emotions. Stoicism works far better than letting emotions run rampant and leads to less time being depressed and more being optimistic and prosperous.

When I was in Elementary school I would often get in disputes involving flaring emotions. One day I was making a castle in the mud with some friends when a boy from our grade trampled over and destroyed the delicate creation. I quickly exploded into carnage with the offending party by cussing whatever words a boy of 10 has acquired and drenching the opponent in mud. This was a poor idea, as the monstrous adversary significantly tanned my hide. I was angry for weeks that I alone received punishment for the brawl I started. I held a grudge for even longer, viewing my pier as stuck up for over a year. Luckily we are now good friends. That experience as well as many other marvels of boyhood led me to find my current stoic approach. This is cool and calm and is a guard from rage, anger, frustration, sadness, and depression.

My point is not that life should be lived without passion, as that would defeat the goal of living a fulfilling life. People just shouldn’t get too down about things out of their control. Being angry or moping isn’t going to change anything. Life here on earth is short and too unkind for fussing and fighting my friends. If one can live stoically they can put aside that which stands between them and a full, zestful life.