I Prefer

    The Stoics make a wonderful distinction when it comes to how we pursue material things, pleasure, life itself and all other things that they define as being "apparently good". For instance, wealth is something that most people seem to gravitate towards naturally and is apparently good. Wealth, however, has no intrinsic power to make one's life good as opposed to virtue (the source of true good). The opposite of virtue and the only bad things in life would be the vices. All the rest in the middle is indifferent since it can neither bring you good or bad. Even life and death are indifferent since they are merely transitions into and out of phases we must all enter and leave. Whether the virtues and the vices are all that matter is a conversation for another day....

     This distinction that is made is that many of these apparent goods (money, ability, health) which are indifferent can also be preferred. For me, the power of that statement is apparent and abundant. The power is in the point of view. Take this silly example. You're at a restaurant and you're going to order a hamburger. There's no mention of cheese or cheeseburger anywhere on the menu. You say to the waiter, "You know what, I'll take the hamburger, but I'd prefer to have some cheese on it. If you don't have it, that's fine". Or you could complain to everyone about not having any cheese or decide that a plain hamburger simply isn't good enough for your fussy palate. Which person do you want to be? 

    The point is that we cultivate a certain ease and peace of mind when we simply prefer something opposed to desiring it and seeing it as something that is essentially good in our lives. We're able to let it go and we're able to accept its absence. In a word, we prevent becoming a slave to this object or state or desire. This is how Seneca responds to the criticisms levied against his wealth in his essay On the Happy Life. The opening of this quote is Seneca giving voice to the questions of one of his critics.

'Why, then,' you say 'do you mock me, since you give wealth the same status as I do?' Do you wish to know how differently we view it? In my case if wealth slips away, it will deprive me only of itself, but you will be struck dumb, you will think you have been deserted by your own self, if it leaves you; in my eyes wealth has a certain place, in yours it is centre-stage; to sum up, my wealth belongs to me, you belong to yours.