Control

    If you've read any Epictetus, you've undoubtedly been beaten over the head by the idea of what is in our control and what is not in our control. If you have not, the short version is that we can control our thoughts/opinions and we cannot control anything else. The logic that follows from that premise is that if we can control only our thoughts, then we should focus all our concern and efforts into making our thoughts/opinions into the best state they can be for what I see are two reasons. The first reason is that the quality of our existence and actions is a product of our thoughts. If you want a good life, then you can find it inside your head and nowhere else. I'll relate the second reason with a story of my friend, Jeff. When it comes to placing a wager, Jeff refuses to place the wager unless he is fully confident of the outcome. While I don't usually share the same conservatism for the sake of entertainment, I find his logic to be outstanding. This relates to Stoicism because consider concerning your mind with some matter (a car, the environment, a relative) that is not your thought/opinion. In essence you are making a wager with your mental health since, ultimately, you do not control those items and you may experience a negative outcome. The Stoics have the same line of reasoning as Jeff in saying that they will not place any mental wager that they are not assured the outcome of.

    This idea is probably one of the deficiencies of Stoicism in terms of attracting people. Not because it doesn't make sense but because it is either confusing or threatening to their current beliefs. The question I would put towards those who think this idea is foolish is, 'What is so foolish about the idea of increasing your chances for happiness by putting it in your hands and limiting the factors that influence it to one?' Shouldn't a simplified plan with only one variable be more likely to succeed than one dependent on many outside factors? How many people go and get married with the idea that it will make them happy? We know the statistics on that dispute the intended result. The culture in America is designed for us to chase the things outside ourselves as the fulfillment of the good life instead of looking inward. The rest of the blog will be visually devoted to making this idea less confusing and perhaps a little more palatable and persuasive. One of the latest internet memes has been to use charts or graphs to present a joke (of which I've added one). I'm making my own chart about control for all the visual learners.

This graph is my representation of the control we have over the events in our life based on when they happen to us:

    Obviously, there is no control to be had over past events. We should all slap ourselves on the wrists every time we begin dwelling on the past. It is really hard to think of something more foolish unless your thoughts are about how you could have handled yourself better. As we move to the current moment we gain a sudden burst of control. Nothing major. We can choose to do certain things with our bodies or say certain things and most importantly we can establish our opinions on the current situation. And I think I'm being generous in saying that our control can extend minutely into the future. Definitely no further than today. We can put things into motion, but that doesn't mean we can assure their arrival. Many people might point to the successful plans they've made, implemented, and fulfilled as a counter to this idea. My response would be to point to all the failures and disappointments in their lives and ask where those fit into a plan. A phrase I smile at every time I hear it is that everything happens for a reason. People bring this out when those unscheduled and unpleasant detours happen in life. I see it as Monday morning quarterbacking to apply something meaningful and positive to a situation because the person is too scared to be in the hands of fate. Logic tells me that since they can't identify the reason that they are not the creator of the reason and that they must not be in control of the reason. 

    Take the time right now to look from the moment you were born to the moment you will die and ask yourself how much control you have over all this. Look at the nature of people, objects, and opinion. Do these things last long in whole scheme of things and can you bend them to your will? Now look into your own head and realize that you have dominion. Here is where you are master. Seize the reins where you can find them! I think you will find that when you begin to master this domain that you won't crave mastery anywhere else as you begin to realize that one precludes the other.