The essence of stoicism lies in understanding freedom of choice in every situation; focusing on what is within our control is key. The Stockdale paradox emphasizes the importance of taking ownership of our responses. Captain Charlie Plomb's rule highlights that if a cell mate's actions annoy us, it is our fault, promoting the ultimate ownership of reactions. Epictetus reinforces this by stating that when we take offense, we are complicit in being offended. Stoicism teaches that events are objective; our opinions about them being subjective, thus emphasizing the need to take responsibility for our reactions and emotions.