Decompose your difficulties
Life can become overwhelming, even for seasoned Stoic practitioners like Marcus Aurelius. That’s why he wrote consistently in his journal: to remind himself of useful Stoic principles and techniques in times of need. In his journals, Marcus relies heavily on the idea of focusing on the present moment, which is a theme Johan picked up on while reading the Meditations and tried putting to use. Johan’s Stoic practice taught him that he had no control over the past, and only limited influence over the future, but just knowing this didn’t prevent him from painfully ruminating over these things. He found that journaling helped him focus on the present moment, and allowed him to decompose his thoughts, rather than buy them wholesale. This week, you’ll explore why he found this technique useful.
"Do not let the impression of life as a whole confound you. Do not focus in one all the train of possible and painful consequences; but as each trouble comes, say to yourself: What is there here too hard to bear or to endure? And you will be ashamed to avow it so. And yet again remember, that you have not to bear up against the future or the past, but always against the present only. And even that you minimize, when you strictly circumscribe it to itself, and repudiate moral inability to hold out merely against that.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 8.36
The Stoics often rephrase or decompose impressions in order to arrive at better judgments. We have recently encountered a number of these exercises. In Week 44, Marcus broke down the sources of his desires to remind himself that they were not, in fact, so desirable. In Week 49, Epictetus suggested using neutral language whenever we are tempted to judge others. This week we learn another way: Rephrase or break down elements into component parts—this time in order to deal with our aversions.
Marcus does this in two steps. First, he reminds himself that it is useless to let your mind wander over the many negative outcomes of a given situation. Author Barry Glassner has argued that we tend to be afraid of the wrong things, often out of a lack of understanding of the likelihood of possible scenarios, and we then waste a lot of emotional energy and money trying to stave off those outcomes.1 Moreover, Marcus says, many of the possible outcomes can, in fact, be endured. Not only are we not as fragile as we sometimes assume, but plenty of others have had to overcome similar situations, and have done it successfully. Why should it be different for us? Even when a negative outcome is inevitable, as in the case of a terminal disease, we can find comfort in the realization that others have faced the same situation bravely. We draw inspiration from those who have come before us, and can overcome our own fears.
Next, Marcus recalls one of the fundamental principles of Stoicism: the dichotomy of control. This tells us that neither the past nor the future is in our control, and so in the Stoic sense they are “nothing to us.” We can and should focus on what is happening right here, right now instead. The present is the only effective realm of our agency. Are you in pain? It isn’t helpful to think about how long it will last. Rather, focus on enduring the pain as it presents itself to you, now. Things not going well at work? It’s useless to let your mind wander toward possible futures in which you will have lost your job. You are facing a specific situation unfolding at the moment. Can you deal with it? What is the most effective way?