Stoic Coffee Break
67 - The Neutrality of Circumstances
Mar 16, 2018
Explore Stoic concept of the neutrality of circumstances and how our perspective can determine our happiness. Learn strategies to redefine our limits of happiness.
04:22
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Quick takeaways
- External circumstances are neither good nor bad, only our judgments determine their value.
- Setting lower limits for our happiness allows us to find contentment independent of external factors.
Deep dives
The Neutrality of Circumstances
Epictetus reminds us that good and bad are simply our own judgments and that things external to us, events and circumstances, are neither good nor bad. The Stoics teach that it is not circumstances and events outside of ourselves that make us happy or sad, but how we view them. By choosing to set a lower limit for our happiness, such as just being alive or being able to breathe, we can immediately find happiness regardless of external factors. The story of the speaker's struggles with financial difficulties and the realization that he could make it through and still be in control of his life serves as an example of this principle.
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