On Fate

StockCake

 This is the prayer Cleanthes, the second head of the Stoic school, once said,

“Lead me, Zeus, and you, Fate, wherever I am assigned to go. I will follow willingly. And if I refuse, I must follow nonetheless.

Fate guides the willing, but drags the unwilling.”

Early Stoics used the idea of a dog tied to a cart to illustrate how much power the invincible forces of the universe have over humans and what’s in our power in this interesting situation. 

Imagine Cleanthes’ dog for a second. 

When tied to a long enough leash, it’s free to explore along the road, even rest and pee a bit. It has freedom within specified limitations- though it can’t decide where or when the cart moves.

Say it wants to stop but the cart intends to keep moving- it’ll be dragged and possibly get hurt in the process. But if it chooses to continue just as the cart does, it’ll own the journey- constraint becomes freedom.

Your life moves the same way. 

You could be fired, betrayed, or lose someone you love, but you can’t reverse what has already happened. You can’t negotiate with aging, go back in time to change yesterday’s mistake, or wish death, illness, work and bad weather away. You’ll notice that the universe doesn’t consult any of us or consider that we haven’t had a break for the last one week. It just does as it pleases.

In those cases, you’re the dog and the cart is already moving.

You can slow down to cry, to grieve, to prevent bitter from turning sour, seek justice, leave and rebuild- but after some time we have to keep going with and from the world that now exists.

Your next steps will either require courage, restraint, patience, action, endurance or a difficult conversation with yourself to restrategize and start over. Not complain.

But that’s just the beginning.

Marcus Aurelius challenged himself to push the idea further. 

What would happen if you learned to regard the difficult and unwanted parts of life as necessary material to your particular existence- as something to learn from, work with to build your quirks, and create a beautiful life with?

Marcus Aurelius on Fate

“Love what happens to you and what is woven into your life. 

What could be more fitting for you than what belongs to the pattern of your own existence?”

Socratic questions for a better life:

1. If you think Marcus is asking too much of you and the situation you’re in, what point do think you can get to right now? Perhaps not complaining?

2. What would it mean to see an event as good and love it without pretending it’s good- this can be a failure, illness, betrayal or humiliation? What do you think it’s saving you from, helping you develop or giving you time to start building?

3. If it’s possible to make good of the situation fate brings to us, is saying something is ‘unfair’ describe reality or a fault in your judgement?

4. Where are you bargaining with reality, wishing it was different- yet there’s nothing you can do about it?

5. Suppose you could change the past, what would disappear with it? Consider new strengths, skills, relationships, opportunities, or discoveries you were forced into.

6. Should you accept a mediocre life and castrate your ambition just because fate is leading you? If not, how would you differentiate between accepting the facts you can’t change from simply being lazy and unbothered to do your best in the right strategy?

7. What possibilities are now open to you now that you’re no longer resisting the reality that has happened- now that this life can’t be exchanged for a different one?

in, The Stoic Manual