Daily Advice 11.24.20

[readoldthings]

You can never go wrong by looking to Epictetus, though the following saying is a very difficult one.

Never say of anything, “I have lost it,” but, “I have restored it.” Has your child died? It is restored. Has your wife died? She is restored. Has your estate been taken away? That likewise is restored. “But it was a bad man who took it.” What is it to you by whose hands he who gave it has demanded it again? While he permits you to possess it, hold it as something not your own, as do travelers at an inn.

None of the external things of life are ours. Not our homes or our possessions, not our spouses or our children, not even our bodies, and not even our minds. All of them are on loan. If we can keep this in mind, then, instead of being overcome when we lose them, we will be grateful for the time when we have them.

Comments

[sdi]

There is a Sufi saying,* You should give thanks when you lose something, for God has removed it from your care. I think it captures this, too... after all, I have too many responsibilities!

*At least, I think it is. I remember reading it in a book of Sufi wisdom years ago, but I've never again been able to find the citation (though I have looked diligently).

[readoldthings]

Sufi or not, it's good advice.