Marcus Aurelius Says This Is All You Need
Global politics. Does it matter if I have an opinion on this? No. Most of us are not in a position to do anything about it. You could donate to relieve organizations that help those affected by war or policy. Last, accept that bad things happen. We don’t have to like it, but pretending it isn’t happening does no good. Cheating in sports. If I know that I can get an advantage by putting a foreign substance on a baseball, or that I can flop and feign a penalty in in soccer or football, that helps me. But if I look at it objectively I can see that in the long term more people will do it, which will lessen the benefit I get from it. If instead I played by the rules, and others see this and do the same, we will all benefit. There will still be a few that take any advantage, even if it isn’t fair. But I can accept it because I know I’m doing what is right, and good for the game.
Family member is addicted to drugs. It is clearly bad. We wonder why someone would make the choice to use drugs in the first place. If we zoom out and see that they are coping with something, we won’t just be angry with that person, we will have compassion for them. With compassion, we can help them. If we acted selfishly here we may not be able to help them overcome their problems, but instead just make it easier on ourselves. Pretending that it is not that big of a deal, or overlooking it will only lead to bigger issues. Accept that it is, then objectively and unselfishly do what is in your control to help.
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