"There is only one way to happiness, and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will."
--Epictetus
The above words were spoken nearly 2,000 years ago by the Greek philosopher, Epictetus. Yet, they are just as true today as they were then. It seems that such a profound truth, which was recognized so long ago, would be both accepted and practiced by almost everyone today. But such is not the case. We continue to exert enormous amounts of energy worrying about things that are beyond our control.
Perhaps one of the problems is that it is often difficult, if not impossible, to know what is within our power and what is not. Some of us surrender too easily when things go wrong. We accept defeat even before we are totally defeated. But others of us beat our heads against the wall trying to reverse things that are clearly irreversible.
As trite and overused as they may be, the expressions, "Don't cry over spilt milk;" and "Don't cross your bridges until you come to them;" are still very solid advice. We cannot change the past. What's done is done. We can certainly learn from the past, and try to use that experience to avoid problems in the future. But none of us can return to the past and undo things that we may regret. So what is the point of dwelling on such thoughts as, "If only I had done things differently?"
Likewise, we cannot live in the future. We can think about the future and plan for the future, but we cannot foresee it. Worrying about potential tragedies that might occur at some point in the future is more than a waste of time. It greatly diminishes the quality of the present. No matter how good things are going at the moment, some of us have a tendency to spoil that moment with worries about the future.
If we are to be happy, we must accept the fact that all of us will experience tragedies, as well as joys, during our lifetimes. Our own actions can increase our joys and prevent some tragedies. But we must recognize that there is much that is beyond our control, and we must try to avoid worrying about those things which are beyond the power of our will.
Tomorrow is uncertain for all of us. And, although we can do certain things to improve our chances of having a better tomorrow, our capacity to do so is limited. But today is ours to enjoy, even if it is not free from problems. Often we can do something about today's problems, so isn't that where we should concentrate our efforts? Doesn't it make sense to try to avoid dwelling on the past and becoming obsessed with the future? If we do so, won't we greatly improve the quality of the present?
Copyright 2014, Allen Smith
TB-58—Posted 06/03/2014
