About three years ago, I got into the idea of stoicism. If you’re not sure what that is exactly, it’s an old school of thought based on three principles:
- Taking responsibility (Top)
- Living life to the fullest (Left)
- Focusing on what you control (Right)
While reading a bit about stoicism, you might just think that it’s just a philosophy for dark times. In other words, you follow these three principles when you’re facing crises.
- Not sure why the ground and walls are shaking in the middle of the night & realizing you just went through a 5.7 magnitude earthquake?
- Seeing the world change overnight due to a ongoing worldwide pandemic?
- Your health temporarily deteriorates days after your child’s daycare announced a positive COVID test?
- Trying to stay warm through a historic winter storm in the middle of Texas?
Sure stoicism will help you here, but it’s even more powerful when you live it everyday.
To me, stoicism represents the Legend of Zelda’s Triforce. The Triforce has three pieces: Power (top), Wisdom (left), and Courage (right).
It’s the ultimate source of power. Except, possessing the Triforce doesn’t necessarily give you power, rather it’s a symbol of living based on each of these three principles.
Stoicism is no different. Let’s compare each of these:
- Triforce of Power – Taking responsibility (Yourself)
- Triforce of Wisdom – Living life to the fullest (Others)
- Triforce of Courage – Focusing on what you control (Future)
What sticks out here is how you might approach each of these principles. Let’s go back to Legend of Zelda for a second.
Ganon is the antagonist villain and in almost every game, he possesses the Triforce of Power and is trying to obtain all three pieces to form the Triforce & take over the kingdom.
Zelda is the eponymous princess and in almost every game is kidnapped. She possesses the Triforce of Wisdom and guides Link to his true potential to return the world back to normal.
Link is the protagonist hero and in almost every game, he possesses the Triforce of Courage and through heroism, he transforms to be worthy of acquiring the Triforce, defeat Ganon & rescue Zelda & the kingdom.
Now coming from a perspective that any of these individuals can acquire the Triforce, the one who is most successful is the one who has the courage to choose what events mean to us (judgements), and what we do with them (actions).
Now let’s revisit our events.
- Not sure why the ground and walls are shaking in the middle of the night & realizing you just went through a 5.7 magnitude earthquake?
Can I control an earthquake? How does it make me feel that this happened? What can I do in my power right now?
- Seeing the world change overnight due to a ongoing worldwide pandemic?
Can I control a pandemic? How does it make me feel that this happened? What can I do in my power right now?
- Your health temporarily deteriorates days after your child’s daycare announced a positive COVID test?
Can I control COVID spreading? How does it make me feel that this happened? What can I do in my power right now?
- Trying to stay warm through a historic winter storm in the middle of Texas?
Can I control a winter storm? How does it make me feel that this happened? What can I do in my power right now?
You probably can see the pattern now that these are things you can’t ultimately control. There’s no amount of future proofing that will prepare you for these types of things. The only thing that you can control is how you feel about it, and how you choose to act based on your emotions.
When you do this, you’ll see that the triforce was inside you all along.
Credit: https://www.njlifehacks.com/explain-stoicism-the-stoic-happiness-triangle/ for a wonderful blog that helped describe my thoughts on stoicism as well.