Marcus Aurelius

I really like this quote:

"God give me patience, to reconcile with what I am not able to change
Give me strength to change what I can
And give me wisdom to distinguish one from another."

- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations


I think it's a good strategy. It's an algorithm that is worth having.

It is so simple:
Do what you can.
Accept what you can't change.
Learn to distinguish one from another.

Many algorithms, that are worth having are simple.

It sounds too trivial to pay close attention to it, doesn't it?
That's why people tend to remember wise words as cool quotes and they go on living their lives according to their programs.

If only they put it into practice…

There are so many teachings and philosophies that seem to not understand this quote.

For example, there's a very popular belief promoted in many spiritual teachings that "Everything is perfect as it is. You don't have to do anything.".
But what if you saw a child on the tracks and an oncoming train? Would you say "Everything is perfect as it is" and do nothing?
I know it's an extreme example, but it actually works like that. Because of this belief, people are passive in situations that require taking action.

Another popular belief: "World is just a reflection of yourself.".
Oh, really? So I can completely change the entire Universe by changing myself?
I'm not saying that the external world doesn't reflect our internal worlds in some aspects. I'm not saying that it's not a useful tool for some people to think like that.
But you won't eliminate world problems just by changing yourself internally.
Many people think that there is something seriously wrong with them because the world and their life conditions reflect it to them.

This is the problem with what I call "talking to the belief system".
The belief from the first example was probably intended to deal with a panic state that there's something wrong and with some desperate pointless attempts to fix it. But it is not very useful as a standalone algorithm.
The belief from the second example was probably intended to help people with a victim mentality take more responsibility for their lives. But it creates a lot of confusion.

The quote from Marcus Aurelius covers all that, but unlike these beliefs, it is very practical.

It doesn't neglect your responsibility.
But it admits, that there are things, that you cannot change.
And it tells you to be smart about it.