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Stoic Acceptance Contemplation to Reduce Anxiety Over an Uncertain Future · The Stoic Handbook with Jon Brooks

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Today we are going to be doing a stoic acceptance meditation.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Before we get into the meditation, let's lay some groundwork to better understand the approach that we're taking.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: You would have noticed by now that in life we naturally want things to go a certain way.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: We want to improve our lives.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: We want to pass our exams.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: We want to get a better career, get a raise.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: We want to make good first impressions when we meet people.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: We want others to laugh at our jokes.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe we want our ex-partner to get back with us.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe we want to win the lottery.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: The issue with all of these wants is that they might not actually happen.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: And in fact, even wanting them to happen could push them away further.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: When we deeply desire something, when we crave something, there is an innate level of suffering because we fear not getting the thing that we want.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: So when you notice that you are hoping that events turn out the way that you desire, it's better to just stop.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, let's welcome events in whichever way they happen.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: You do not have control over the external events in your life, but you do have control over your conscious judgments.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: You can therefore choose to want things exactly as they appear.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Even though it is difficult, we can train ourselves to do this through stoic meditation and practice.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: This doesn't mean that we can't have goals, that we can't aim at things.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: We are allowed to think into the future and to plan and to choose the life that we want.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: But at every step of the way, we welcome events however they turn out.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: So let's practice with a simple stoic acceptance meditation.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Sit comfortably with eyes open or closed.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Think back to a recent situation where you really wanted things to go your way.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: It could be big, something related to your family, relationships, career, or it could be small like watching a sports game and wanting your team to win.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: Think back to the sensations you felt and the narrative that was going through your mind when you were hoping things to turn out exactly the way you wanted.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: How serious or significant was this desire?
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_01: How attached were you to the outcome?
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: Now whether you got what you wanted or different, your own judgment remains the same.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: Practice in your own mind now, saying, I welcome this event exactly as it is.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Perhaps you want to reduce your suffering in some way.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: Perhaps you want to increase your happiness by getting something.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're going on holiday and you don't want your flights to get cancelled.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine now things not going your way.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: You aren't getting the thing that you desire.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: Say to yourself and mean it deeply in your bones, I welcome this event exactly as it is.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: And by thinking that we can control everything, and that nature doesn't have its own order, is an illusory idea that can cause unnecessary suffering.