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November    27th

THE PLEASURE    OF  TUNING  OUT THE NEGATIVE

“How    satisfying  it  is  to  dismiss and block   out any upsetting   or  foreign impression, and

immediately to  have    peace   in  all things.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS,   MEDITATIONS,    5.2

he Stoics were mercifully spared the information overload endemic to today’s society. They had no
social media, no newspapers, no television chatter to rile them up. But even back then, an
undisciplined person would have found plenty to be distracted and upset by.
Part of the Stoic mindset then was a sort of a cultivated ignorance. Publilius Syrus’s epigram
expresses it well: “Always shun that which makes you angry.” Meaning: turn your mind away from the
things that provoke it. If you find that discussing politics at the dinner table leads to fighting, why do you
keep bringing it up? If your sibling’s life choices bother you, why don’t you stop picking at them and
making them your concern? The same goes for so many other sources of aggravation.
It’s not a sign of weakness to shut them out. Instead, it’s a sign of strong will. Try saying: “I know the
reaction I typically take in these situations, and I’m not going to do it this time.” And then follow it with:
“I’m also going to remove this stimulus from my life in the future as well.”
Because what follows is peace and serenity.