stoic thought

In recent days, I have been with people in the middle of horrific losses. Inevitably, someone steps up and in an attempt to comfort, says, “Everything happens for a reason.”

That comment is rarely comforting in the painful moments.

But deeper than that, is it even true?

Many people default to this as a reaction to something that happens and is outside of our capacity to understand.

Sometimes, we want to think that there is something behind it — not just some random event. But what does that phrase mean? Does it mean that some force is trying to teach some lesson?

For many people, the answer is yes.

But does that make it so?

Does everything happen for a reason? Given all that is going on these days, this question seems particularly important.

Let’s chat. . .

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I was at a book signing a while back, signing a book of mine that is a few years old. This person picked it up, looked at the publication date, put it down, and said, “I was looking for something more recent.”

That had me pondering… how long is information valid? Sure, I would not likely want to read a computer book about the Windows 98 operating system, or about the coming “Y2K crisis.” But what about transformational information? When does that lose value?

Human brains have not changed in structure for millenia. Which is why we still garner insight and understanding from books written millenia ago. Ancient thoughts and texts still illuminate us these days.

Which brings me to my guest this week on the Thriveology Podcast. I asked Donald Robertson to talk with me about some pretty old thoughts. No, Donald is not millenia old. But the philosophy he espouses and teaches is. Donald is a modern Stoic philosopher, drawing on ancient Stoicism and what it offers to us in our current world.

And in our current pandemic situation, Stoic thought has LOTS to teach us. In fact, Stoic thought is the underlying philosophy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the cornerstone of modern mental health counseling.

Donald discusses the relevance of Stoic philosophy in today’s world, and how we can apply it to the pandemic in which we find ourselves. Listen in as Donald Robertson gives some powerful help in dealing with our thoughts and our emotions in the midst of today’s (and future) struggles.

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Does Everything Happen for a Reason?

Thinking Through The Pandemic