A Setback Is A Thrust Forward
What may be most powerfully unlocked by Stoicism is the ability to reframe one's experiences, taking one from a diminished state to that of utterly determined. We find playwright and philosopher Seneca articulating one's potential for triumph in Letter XCI of Letters From A Stoic with the following: “A setback has often cleared the way for greater prosperity. Many things have fallen only to rise to more exalted heights.”
Seneca then goes onto describe the tendency for citizens of a town struck by tragedy to rebuild something even more beautiful, more striking, more compelling than that which was torn down.
And this is the attitude we're to take toward any perceived setback: one that sees it as a thrust forward toward that which you are now uniquely capable. It is only now, in this precise state, that you are able to rise to and above whatever task or opportunity is presented.
Merriam-Webster defines resilience as "the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress.” The Stoics advise that we are not only entirely capable of recovering (resilience aided by training and preparation), but of outdoing—of pursuing an improved position compared to what preceded any disruption.
Resilience wasn’t meant to be the peak state of the human being, but the default one. In other words, resilience is a matter of living in a constant state of knowing that life will happen, and consciously adopting the tools that will enable one to rise above it. It’s knowing when to say to yourself, quite practically, I didn’t come this far to give up, and having come this far means that I can get better.
Get up, and get better.
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