“Keep constant guard over your perceptions, for it is no small thing you are protecting, but your respect, trustworthiness and steadiness, peace of mind, freedom from pain and fear, in a word your freedom. For what would you sell these things?”
EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.3.6b-8
Today’s quote is about protecting yourself, and protecting your soul and your mind. These are important — maybe the most important things you should protect! It’s easy to lose sight of that. But as Epictetus says above, “it is no small thing you are protecting”, and he’s right.
In The Daily Stoic today, the author reminds us that stoicism helps us deal with the slings and arrows of daily life — but he also acknowledges that there’s something else we need to consider. Here it is: before your stoic practice jumps into action… should you really be exposed to all these things in the first place? Are you in a job, a home, a personal situation that is unhealthy for your mind and your soul? Is your current setup right for you? Or do you need a change? “Is this really the life I want?” the author asks.
I’m about to make a change, for all the reasons mentioned above. A really big change, in fact. I’m about to commit to moving my entire family to another country, permanently. We’ll have to sell our house, pack up our belongings, file government paperwork in our new country, find and buy a new house, find a school for the kids, get settled, buy furniture, etc. Lots to think about!
Why am I going to make such a massive change? Because I don’t have peace of mind at the moment, and that’s really important. My current situation is causing a lot of unhappiness and mental anguish. I need to change things up, so that I can regain some calm and happiness, which will give me “freedom from pain and fear” as Epictetus said in today’s quote.
I’ve realized that peace of mind = freedom. And I need to protect that, at all costs, because it’s priceless. Because that freedom is worth everything to me. So I choose to be at peace, rather than at war.
