If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.
Marcus Aurelius
MEANING OF THIS QUOTE
None of us can choose what happens in our lives. However, our reactions to these events are completely in our hands. Often times, it is not so much the setbacks in our lives that cause us pain and suffering, but rather the way we respond to them. It is, therefore, imperative for us to look inward and process our emotions better. Once we have broken down and analyzed our emotions, it gets easier to take control of our mind and consequently the way we react to a given situation.
DOES FINE-TUNING OUR REACTIONS END ALL SUFFERING?
Most of it, yes. Unfortunately, no matter how gracefully you react to a disappointment, it is bound to hurt. Let’s face it, some things in life are going to be painful, no matter how elegantly we respond to them. That said, our reactions often amplify the pain. A person who isn’t mindful enough will over-analyze the circumstances to keep coming up with one outlandish conspiracy theory after another. This keeps them reliving the painful experience over and over again, prolonging their suffering. On the other hand, when your reaction is controlled and conscious, you make sure that the suffering will not perpetuate for a lifetime.
CONCLUSION
When we take back external factors’ right to inflict pain upon us, we make our life that much more free from avoidable suffering. By understanding how cause-and-effect relationships work, we mold our reactions in a way that they won’t make an experience more unpleasant than it already is. And in doing so, life becomes so much more bearable.
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, popularly known as Marcus Aurelius, was a Roman emperor and a Stoic philosopher. The last of the rulers known as the Five Good Emperors, Aurelius commented: “If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”