“In reality, Stoicism is not about suppressing or hiding emotion – rather, it is about . . . keeping in mind what is and what is not under our control, focusing our efforts on the former and not wasting them on the later.”

In the last year, so many things have happened to us as a result of COVID-19 that it’s easy to feel powerless.  I’m drawn to a philosophy that counters that feeling. Stoics recommend that instead of spending our energy railing against things we can’t control – like the virus—we spend our energy responding as effectively as we can.  We should focus on what we can control, or as Epictetus says in a translation of his Handbook, “Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.”  In other words, don’t waste your life.

Pigliucci, Massimo. How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life. Basic Books. 2018. p. 4.