Talking About Stoicism 215 It Will Get Better

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[@graymalkin4871]

Thank you for this video. As always, the memories you share with your viewers and the lessons you learned, and the grace with which you handle these things are immensely useful. I have been disabled for many years, and at 65 am dealing with physical deterioration my parents didn't develop until they were in their 80s. They're actually in better shape than I am, perhaps due to the loving support they give each other. This support doesn't extend to me, never has, and I am pretty isolated. Resilience and grace under pressure are qualities I cultivate in dealing with chronic pain. My situation doesn’t allow for much expectation that my quality of life will get better. I exist in a half-life with no resolution in sight. The principles of Stoicism help in keeping bitterness and its cousins from taking over, but it's an ongoing fight. There is a subject I'd like to hear your thoughts on, and that is dealing with memories of a brighter time. When I was younger and healthy, I was a passionate dancer, with many like-minded friends. Those years weren't without the problems of everyday life, but for the most part, they were very happy and fulfilling. There is, of course, no going back, and I do live in my memories where my friends (long gone now, some having passed away) and I are dancing, in transcendent moments that even at the time I knew were extraordinary and precious. When one is aging and ill, what is the wisest way to deal with happy memories without "letting go" -- that is, losing them? (Writing things down doesn't work for me.) Those years were essentially my life, and the last 25 years feel like a death. I'm not afraid of actual death. It's the chronic pain and the decline of aging that drives me into the past. I would like to learn how to hold the past and face the present with grace.

[@anotherdaveiknow]

One of the things that helped with the breakup of my marriage was to remind myself, when things seemed darkest, that this too shall pass. I didn't know it was a stoic practice at the time. Thank you for this ongoing series - it's been immensely helpful.

[@mkglobetrotter]

Hearing you talk about your experience reminds me of my own thought process after my cochlear implant surgery and activation. I had heard many stories of those who were disappointed or dismayed by the new, disorienting mechanical sounds. I prepared myself by not allowing myself to comment on whether or not I hated the sounds in the first few months until I got used to it. It was challenging to learn to listen again but I knew my listening skills would improve eventually, and they have.

[@londubh2007]

I’m going through an illness and I don’t know yet if I’m going to get better. I’ll know soon. If I’m not in the latest stage it’s very survivable. If it is the odds drop. Stoicism is helping me and your videos remind me to practice Stoicism. The one practice I’m adding during this process is meditation. I know in theory that we could die today, but it’s been in the abstract. It’s very different when it becomes a real possibility , though I’m not that close to that yet. I am learning to live with uncertainty. So keep doing these videos. I do find them useful.

[@MissMarilynDarling]

I remember feeling the same when I broke my knee in 2015 I was cared for but not about and I had nobody to really be with me I had to care for myself and it was so hard and I thought at moments of being absolutly helpless and being overwhelmed so easily and crying at the drop of a hat or a tv scene where people were holding hands or any type of romantic gesture it was this horrible feeling of being alone ... but the moment passed and I am gratefuyl that I lived through those hard moments made me realize that I would make it through to the other side and if I had any thing like that happen to me again that I would be able to push through and choose acceptance and move forward or as the great Walt Disney would say Just keep moving forward :)

[@edwardstaats4935]

I think you mean "long jump". Love hearing about your past.

[@greyareaRK1]

Long jump? One of my sisters is a thalydomide victim, and she had, as children often do, the most resilient nature, overcoming endless surgeries and the daily struggle of living with no arms or legs. She's now a gifted painter, has travelled extensively, and lives in a beautiful penthouse condo. When we were children we would immitate her limitations as a game, like drinking without using our hands.

[@edwardstaats4935]

Happy Birthday. Have a Stoic one

[@JCAMD]

Happy birthday 🎂

[@qwertoxz]

shut up. I'm first.

[@mokwed6283]

First