The Stoics make it clear that nothing in this world is ours. We don’t own anything, it is simply in our possession for a brief time. So we should not grow attached to anything, for one day it will no longer be with us.
Today, I discovered my apartment was robbed. I have a cup at my place where I store my rip money. Usually it is well hidden, but I was planning to take it to the bank, so I pulled it our and counted it. I forgot to take it with me, left in on the counter, a maintenance person came in for my AC, now half the money is gone.
Now, I do take part of the blame – there’s no reason for me to leave cash just out in the open. I will admit, I have a little too much faith in society sometimes. Either way, the money is gone, I’m a little bummed, but this is just another Stoic test.
The only thing I could do was report the incident, so I did. There’s no way for me to get the money back myself, no way to go back in time, there’s nothing else I can do. I honestly have already accepted the fact that the money is gone forever. Luckily it wasn’t hundreds of dollars and I’m not in desperate need of cash, but it would’ve been a nice boost in my bank account.
This to me is how Stoics need to think about everything they possess. If you detach yourself from everything you “own”, you won’t be heartbroken or phased if you lose them. Favorite coffee mugs break, money gets stolen, clothes are ruined, cars break down, relationships end… everything is finite and we only control how we view these things and how we respond when they disappear.
There’s nothing wrong with loving the things you have, but you cannot be so attached that the thought of losing them tears you apart. Nothing is ever really yours except your thoughts. So learn to view things in a logical light and never become engrossed in things. Nothing lasts forever, nothing is truly yours, so don’t act like you have control over it.
October 1, 2024
