You Don’t Have To Be Lucky, You Just Have To Be Good

0:00The world is full of tours. But you don't choose a Toyota truck to follow the beaten path. You choose it to find the places in between. The detours, where each adventure pulls you toward the next. And wrong turns turn out right. So why would you ever take a tour when you could take a detour? Toyota Trucks.

0:35Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, where each day we bring you a Stoic-inspired meditation designed to help you find strength and insight and wisdom into everyday life. Each one of these episodes is based on the 2 ,000-year-old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women to help you learn from them, to follow in their example, and to start your day off with a little dose of courage and discipline and justice and wisdom. For more, visit dailystoic.com.

1:25You don't have to be lucky. You just have to be good. Not everyone finds themselves in a position to reveal some world-changing government secret. Not everyone is there when somebody falls into the water and can't swim. Not everyone was born to be emperor in a time of crisis. as Marx realist was, or an elected official in a moment of great consequence, as Cato was. Sociologists and historians speak of something called moral luck. This is what Churchill was referring to when he noted, sadly, of the Earl of Roseberry, that the man lived in an age of great men and small events. We don't all have the chance to be heroes on a grand scale.

2:06We don't all get tapped on the shoulder by destiny, as Churchill was. But the Stoics would say that there is no such thing as small events, that we all have a chance, indeed an obligation, to get involved in the issues of our time and try to make a positive difference wherever it is in our control. And besides, Churchill's assessment of that period was laughably inaccurate. Roseberry lived from 1847 to 1929. Slavery was still rampant around the world. For the entirety of his life working conditions in England's factories were heinous and awful. Britain's colonial system and all its abuses carried on with few objections.

2:45The Irish question loomed over British politics, and most leaders believed it was hopeless. Countries regularly went to war for little reason and with little thought to the people affected. Millions starved, millions were abused. Countless things went uninvented, unreformed, and unchampioned. And the same is true for the moment we are in right now. Depending on where you live or what you do, things may seem relatively calm or even sunny. But the world was just rocked by a pandemic that killed millions. What did you do to help? Income inequality, climate change, disruptive technologies like AI loom before us.

3:25Fascism is on the rise globally. More locally, there are people who are hungry, people who need a second chance, people who could use a friend, kids who need to be adopted, students who need mentorship, local offices that could be filled, abuses that could be called out. Are you doing anything about this? It doesn't matter whether the events are big or small. What matters is if you are a big or a small person, a brave and a just or a cowardly and a selfish person. How are you helping? What are you doing? How are you acting like a stoic as opposed to just being stoic? You can make your own moral luck.

4:06In fact, you must. And basically, this is where two of the books in the Virtue series come together. Courage is calling and right thing right now. One was the first book in the series. One was the third. But the idea is that we don't need to wait for these big moments to make a difference. We can get involved. We can do things. We can decide to be a great person and involved in great defense, or we can be a great person making a difference in a small way. It doesn't really matter. The point is we don't sit on the sidelines and wait, can tap ourselves on the shoulder. If you want to grab signed copies of Courageous Calling or Right Thing Right Now, you can do that from the Daily Soik store.

4:40We even have signed copies of Discipline is Destiny and Wisdom Takes Work. I'll sign all four books in the series, or you can grab them on Audible anywhere you want. I don't care, But I think this Virtue stuff is important, and I think you'll like the series.

5:05My family owns a 2023 Toyota 4Runner, and honestly, it's my favorite vehicle that 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.

5:34From remote trails to scenic byways, Toyota Trucks empowers you to take the detour, roam freely, and discover places that still feel wild and untouched. And they're not just making great trucks. They're working to expand access to adventure so more people can connect with the outdoors and pass that passion on to the next generation. Discover your uncharted territory. Learn more at toyota.com slash trucks slash adventure dash detours. That's toyota.com slash trucks slash adventure dash detours.