Should I be fatalistic toward the future?

I write this in the middle of Covid-19 pandemic.

It’s easy to think, ‘oh it’s not fair’. If only that person in China who first contracted the disease didn’t go to that seafood market. If only I would have save more money. If only, if only, if only.

There is a great saying suggesting we should not cry over spilled milk. This is a profoundly deep stoic thought.

The Stoics were fatalists. This means that whatever happened was meant to happen and whatever happens will happen regardless of whatever happens.

From my blog series here

Throughout my life I’ve had to explain myself. Why won’t you eat your dinner? Why did you come home at 3 am? Why didn’t you study more?

Why didn’t you train harder?

As I get older, it seems, the more I stick my head up, the more I need to explain myself.

Why did you do it like this, or that, or I thought we would do this instead?

In order to please people, I’ll give an explanation, any explanation. This comes from my inability to say no.

I am here on my journey and not even I understand the reason I do things.

From my blog series here

I run a business and we are decimated by the stupid Covid-19 virus.  

Here's how I've used all the tools I've learnt to navigate with firing staff, shuttling the office and dealing with suppliers who have gone broke.

It's never too late to get on board.

From my blog series here

We can lean on ancient philosophies to get through these hard times.

The philosophies have been around for over 2,000 years and multiple plagues and disasters.

Here are 4 steps to get through tough times and find the sun.

From my blog series here

It feels natural to focus on the past and the future. We can get caught up with past decisions, regrets, or even reminiscing about the good times.

Like everyone, I worry about the future and all it holds.

“No one can lose either the past or the future, for how can someone be deprived of what’s not theirs?” Marcus Aurelius.

To focus on the present is all we have. All the good times (and bad times) in my life are irrelevant now. I need to be indifferent to the past, and the future.

From my blog series here

Is arrogance good or bad?

Sometimes it’s seen as a strength. We commonly refer to strong leaders with romantic notions of walking through a crowd with quiet arrogance. It’s seen as a sign of confidence, of someone on top of their game, provided it is not unjustified.

But deep down, it’s not one of those terms I want to be associated with.  It is one of those terms that has negative connotations.

“The truest characters of ignorance are vanity and pride and arrogance.” ~ Samuel Butler

Why is it seen considered a negative trait?

Mark Twain said it simply, but in a manner that required great thought.

“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”

From my blog series here

When something terrible happens, I’m quick to respond with “oh bad luck”.

Similarly, during bad times I (like many people), am hopeful of good times ahead. I hope that eventually my luck will turn.

This belief in a future positive circumstance is called hope. And we all believe in hope in one way or another.

“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one” ~ John Lennon.

So pervasive is our need for hope that we hope for hope. We hope for good luck in the future.

From my blog series here

On not implementing ideas and being jealous of those who steal, or actually implement your idea.

I've neen through it. We all have.  Here is aa way to deal with it.

From my blog series here

Today I was tested. I had to fire someone who was fast becoming a friend. The person was doing a good job, and I liked him, but the business conditions had changed so dramatically that it made it difficult to keep him employed. My stoic practice helped immensely with this process despite there being a seeming contradiction with one of the four virtues of Stoicism.

Further blog articles can be found at https://www.stevendipietro.com/blog

What does it cost to buy something? Sure there is the monetary consideration. A croissant cost you a couple of dollars. A car might cost me tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. I know with a car there is the added cost of insurance, maintenance and fuel. But there are hidden costs like the cost to garage the vehicle.  But if I look deeper I can find even more costs.

From my blog series here