Action Is The Antidote
As expressed by Epictetus in Discourses and Selected Writings, philosophy’s chief task is to illuminate unsound beliefs. It’s to expose where our consciously or unconsciously-held assumptions may be undermining the quality of experience we seek. Chaotic as the world around us may be, our brains seek order, particularly in the way of linear results per the standards we've determined sensible. What's often missing from our best-laid plans is precisely the consideration of chaos, the confluence of environmental and human factors wholly separate from us that influence anything at any given time. In a chaotic world indebted to no one, action is our anchor and armor—the former in agency, the latter in preparation.
At the root of Stoicism is a quality that, in a time where the popular narrative is that it’s everyone else’s fault, rings powerfully: agency. If time is the great equalizer, action is the great separator. Beyond position, placement, and any other factors of randomness, action, sustained through disciplined exertion and clear intent, is what separates the directed from the wandering. It is the indicator of an aligned life.
The aim is to remain accountable to what we own: our thoughts, our will, our efforts. May our capacity for action in the direction of our own and others' betterment be our strength.
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