Don’t Suffer In Advance

0:00My family owns a 2023 Toyota 4Runner and honestly it's my favorite vehicle I've ever owned. Around town, it's smooth and reliable, but where it really shines is on our trips into the backcountry. We've taken it on backpacking adventures to Colorado and New Mexico, loaded it up with gear, and never had to think twice about whether it could handle the terrain. That's what Toyota trucks are built for. Off-road confidence, rugged durability, and the freedom to explore. Toyota has a long history with the outdoor community, and they're committed to helping more people get out there and experience what nature has to offer.

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1:15You know, like a detour. So why would you ever take a tour when you could take a detour? Toyota trucks.

1:29Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, where each day we bring you a passage of ancient wisdom designed to help you find strength, insight, and wisdom in everyday life. Each one of these passages is based on the 2 ,000-year-old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us at dailystoic.com.

1:55there is a balance to stoicism between awareness and anxiety the stoics want you to be prepared for an uncertain and oftentimes dangerous future but somehow they don't want you to worry about it they want you to consider all the possibilities and not be stressed that many of those possibilities will not be good. How exactly is that supposed to work? The answer lies simply in the idea of presence. As Seneca writes, it is likely that some troubles will befall us, but it is not a present fact. How often has the unexpected happened? How often has the expected never come to pass? And even though it is ordained to be, what does it avail to run out to meet your suffering.

2:46You will suffer soon enough when it arrives. It may well rain tomorrow, but that doesn't mean you have to get wet in advance. You can enjoy the sunshine today while still bringing in your furniture just in case. It's important not to take the phrase premeditatio malorum, premeditation of evils, too singularly. When Seneca says that all the terms of the human lot should be before our eyes and then only lists the bad things, he's accidentally doing that. Because of course, good stuff can happen too. Bad stuff can also not happen. The point is that the future is out of our control. It is uncertain and also vast.

3:31We have to be aware of that, yes, but we don't need to suffer, particularly not in advance. Because we have plenty of time to prepare and plenty of wide-open present before us still as well. Enjoy it.

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