The Power of Not WantIng

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Desire leads to servitude and tyranny. In the modern world, we willingly submit to controlling bosses, conform to fit in, and seek approval from others. But by eliminating our desires, we gain freedom and power. Bill Cunningham, a fashion photographer, refused payment for his work, understanding that accepting money meant becoming a servant. Seneca echoes this sentiment, stating that indifference to worldly desires transforms the highest power into no power.

We look back on things we clearly messed up. We were too preoccupied. We were too harsh. We were wrong. We didn’t know.

And because we messed up, we feel guilty. We regret what could have been. We’re mad at ourselves. We wallow in pity or shame.

Dr. Edith Eger, the Holocaust survivor, cut through all this with her graceful bluntness on the Daily Stoic podcast recently (she’s been on twice, both episodes are must listens). “I’ll give you a sentence,” she said. “If I knew then, what I know now, I would have done things differently.”

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And in today's excerpt from the Daily Stoic, Ryan explores why "the highest power is no power if you desire nothing."

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