Today I read The Stoic Challenge: A Philosopher's Guide To Becoming Tougher, Calmer, and More Resilient. This is a pretty short book and is easily read in a day. Considering it is about philosophy, it was easy to read. The author uses real life examples to illustrate his point. One time I read a quote that said "Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional." That quote struck me as a truth I hadn't considered before and this book underscores that point. Everybody has obstacles and set backs. How we respond to those setbacks is a choice we can control. We can get angry but does that help the situation? Is angry a pleasant feeling? Why not avoid feeling angry and instead concentrate on more pleasant emotions like joy and amazement? William B. Irvine suggests that setbacks are an essential part of life. Without setbacks, there would be no way to appreciate when things go according to plan. Without setbacks, we wouldn't be able to practice our problem solving skills on small problems before bigger problems come our way. This author suggests that when faced with a setback, imagine the (imaginary) God of the stoics giving us a necessary lesson. He also suggests that once the setback is over, go back over the situation in your mind and grade yourself on your performance. I thought this was a good book. Time will tell if it makes my life any easier.
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