Consider The Cost Of Those Perks | with No Pain, No Gain

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1:37But, you know, just hearing about that, that's not what stoicism is about. Stoicism is, to me, what you're going to do about it. And that's where GiveWell comes in. GiveWell is trusted by tens of thousands of donors each year because they provide free and independent research that helps you understand how to have a big impact. GiveWell has spent the last 18 years researching global health and poverty alleviation, and they direct funding to the highest impact opportunities. Over 150 ,000 donors have already trusted GiveWell to give more than$2.5 billion over the last several years, and research suggests that these donations will save over 300 ,000 lives.

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2:57Welcome to the Daily Stoic podcast. On Friday, we do double duty, not just reading our daily meditation, but also reading a passage from the Daily Stoic, my book, 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance in the Art of Living, which I wrote with my wonderful collaborator, translator, and literary agent, Stephen Hanselman. So today, we'll give you a quick meditation from the Stoics with some analysis from me, and then we'll send you out into the world to turn these words into works.

3:37During the American Revolution, as in any war, the British quite rightly targeted the estates and the land holdings of the leadership on the American side. Because to them, these men weren't founders, they were instigators. And at one point in the war, George Washington's estate was threatened by advancing troops. Thinking he might be able to save his boss's property, one of Washington's overseers rushed out to try to convince the enemy to spare them. When Washington heard about this, he was not pleased. In fact, he wrote immediately to his staff, I'd rather my home be demolished than receive special treatment.

4:17Given our selfish and corrupt modern politics, it's a remarkable sentiment. Here was a rich, powerful man turning down a favor, not only refusing to profit from his position, but actually willingly accepting a potentially massive sacrifice because of it. Why? Because it was the right thing to do. And as Marcus Aurelius said, that's all that matters. The Stoics were, as far as we know, similarly inclined as leaders. When Rome's finances were in ruins, Marcus Aurelius sold off the treasures of the imperial palace to shore them up. He could have levied high taxes, he could have invaded another country, he could have used his power so that others suffered instead of his family, but he didn't, because that would have been unfair.

5:07James Stockdale and John McCain turned down special treatment as prisoners of war in Vietnam. They must have ached for even the slightest relief. They were desperate to go home, but they refused to abandon their duty. They would not undermine their country or deprive their fellow prisoners. This is not to say that a must decline every perk in life or that you can't be compensated for your work or your success. However, we must always consider whether these perks come at the expense of somebody else, or if our special treatment means neglect elsewhere. What if everyone took advantage of their position?

5:45How would the world work? How fair would that be? So we must always do the right thing, even if it comes at great cost.

6:03No pain, no gain. This is today's entry in the Daily Stoic. Difficulties show a person's character, Epictetus tells us in Discourses 124. So when a challenge confronts you, remember that God is matching you with a younger sparring partner, as would a physical trainer. Becoming an Olympian, it takes sweat. I think no one has a better challenge than yours. If only you would use it like an athlete would a younger sparring partner. The Stoics loved metaphors from the Olympics, especially wrestling. Like us, they saw sports as both a fun pastime as well as a training ground to practice for the challenges one will inevitably face in the course of living.

6:46As General Douglas MacArthur once said in words engraved at the gymnasium at West Point, upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that upon other fields on other days will bear the fruits of victory. Everyone has found themselves outmatched by an opponent, frustrated by some skill or attribute that they have that we don't, height, speed, vision, whatever. How we choose to respond to that struggle tells us about who we are as athletes and who we'll be as people. Do we see it as a chance to learn and get stronger? Do we get frustrated and complain? Or worse, do we call it off and find an easier game to play, one that makes us feel good instead of challenged.

7:27The greats don't avoid these tests of their abilities. They seek them out because they are not just a measure of greatness, they are the pathways to it. Marcus Rillus loved to box and to wrestle, hunt. These physical activities, his love of competition and the outdoors, it was cultivating, as MacArthur said, the seeds that upon other fields and on other days will bear the fruits of victory or bear stoicism or bear the fruits of virtue, Mark Sewellius might have said. Sports are a way to practice, to cultivate, to get after it in a safe space that hopefully you build some virtues that are transferable, right?

8:16Even the metaphor here of Epictetus is that you're matched with a strong sparring partner. If you've ever wrestled, if you've ever played against someone who's better than you, you realize, hey, this is making me better. I'm getting my ass kicked, but it's making me better. You seek that out. But how rarely we do that in life. We want things to be easy. We want them to be comfortable. We hate that challenging boss. We hate that rival or that peer, right we hate the adversity that life is dealing with dealing us we want it to go away we complain that it happened to us now it's good it's chosen for you it's chosen for you by a trainer or a coach that wants to get the best out of you if you can come to think about it that way if you can come to relish it almost for that reason you'll be able to use it you'll be able to grow.

9:10Becoming an Olympian takes sweat, Epertise says. No one has a better challenge than yours, he says, but only if you choose to treat it the way an athlete would treat their sparring partner. Someone to learn from, someone to get stronger from, someone to work out their issues on and with, right? Teammate, collaborator, even though they're also an opponent, even though they're also punching you in the head or dunking on you, literally or figuratively, right? That's why we do this work. Competition makes you better. Resistance makes you stronger. You have to understand this metaphor. And there's no better way to understand that metaphor than by literally doing those things on the field.

9:56It's cultivating strong body and a strong mind. And that's the message. No pain, no gain. It's good that it's hard. It's good that they're challenging you. It's good that you're getting your ass kicked because you're going to use it and be better so that when the real fight happens, when you're on the other field, as MacArthur said, you can bring your best. You can do your best. You can win.

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