Nothing Personal

When a boxer enters the ring and gets punched in the face, he doesn’t complain. He understands that it is part of the game and continues fighting, focused on winning.

In life, when people argue with us or oppose us, we should understand that this is just a part of who they are. Rather than judging them, we can choose to accept them, just as we would accept a large rock on our path by simply walking around it, tackling a steep uphill climb, or even swimming across a wide river to continue towards our destination.

The Stoic attitude of accepting the world as is and working with what is within our control permeates the laws that govern human behaviour. Much like boxers in the ring do not say, “Stop hitting me,” we can accept that challenges, conflicts, and resistance are natural parts of life.

In Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, he reflects on human nature, noting that people often act out of self-interest and short-sightedness. He writes, “Whenever you are offended, remember, no one else is responsible for your feelings. It is you who have made the choice to be upset.”

We must understand those forces and their impact on the world, not only to prepare ourselves for them, and defend against them, but also to acknowledge that the work we do, the ideas we share, and the changes we are attempting to bring about will inevitably face resistance.

We cannot take this personally, nor should we let it discourage or upset us. Instead, we should learn how to overcome this resistance, transform negative energy into something positive, and encourage others to see the value in our cause.

However, while each of us should commit to being good, honest, and fair, it is unrealistic to expect that everyone else has made the same commitment.

So, let us try to approach life with a little bit of detachment. It is not about indifference, but rather about understanding that we cannot control others’ actions, only how we respond to them. I feel that this approach would make us happier and more successful in general.

Would you agree?