Harmony in the Chaos: The Art of Being Calm

“By staying calm, you increase your resistance against any kind of storms” 

The goal of Stoicism is to attain inner peace by overcoming adversity, practicing self-control, being conscious of our impulses, and realizing our ephemeral nature and the short time allotted. 

Marcus Aurelius was one of the most powerful men of his time and was a student of a school known as stoicism. Below are the Virtues that this powerful man used to keep himself calm even in the worse situations. 

Accept 

“Forget everything else. Keep hold of this alone and remember it: Each of us lives only now, this brief instant. The rest has been lived already, or is impossible to see” 

Whatever happens to you is not by chance but it's already written and is meant for you. You cannot do anything about something that has already happened to you, but there’s one thing you can do and that’s accept it. These two words “Amor Fati” means the lover of fate. These two words hold in them a lot of things. They tell us that nothing is in our control and that whatever has happened cannot be changed but your action is what matters, it's the only thing that can change everything from the point. If you become angry or stressed then you're causing more trouble to yourself but rather if you tell yourself that whatever has happened is in the past and is not in your hands now, what’s in your hand is the mere present that can change the upcoming future.

So just think clearly and be patient. 

Judgement 

“…don’t treat anything as important except doing what your nature demands, and accepting what nature sends you” 

Marcus wants us to be smart about the things we judge as important. He believes that the truly important thing in life is to live virtuously, in pursuit of justice, honesty, self-control, and courage, and just be a good person. When we judge the wrong things as important, such as wealth, fame, or looking good in front of others, we tend to feel more anxious, because these things are largely out of our control and depend on other people. But when we value the right things as important, such as living virtuously and being a good person, we feel more calm and peaceful because being a good person is always something that we can control. 

Change 

“Frightened of change? But what can exist without it? What’s closer to nature’s heart? Can you take a hot bath and leave the firewood as it was? Eat food without transforming it? Can any vital process take place without something being changed? Can’t you see? It’s just the same with you-and just as vital to nature.”

Change is the nature of the universe. All things aren’t in constant flux and motion. The world is constantly moving forward, so if you stand still, you will get left behind. Keep changing that’s what separates you from the rest, it’s something that opens new wonders to you and if you don’t change you won’t be learning things apart from what you know.