The Daily Stoic - Get Narrow Before Life Does

Episode Date: February 14, 2024

It’s interesting that these three great Stoics spent their final moments not as lone wolves but as friends, as fathers, as people who loved their fellow human beings. On a recent episode of The Daily Stoic Podcast (a great 2-hour episode you can watch on YouTube, by the way), the comedian Christina Pazsitzky told a story of an experience that led to a related insight:“I broke my ankle two years ago. The truth is, they gave me a shit ton of ketamine. I was tripping, and I thought I was dying. I really did. I was like, ‘I think this is it.’ And I wasn’t thinking about my career. I wasn’t stoked that I had so many specials on Netflix or that I was successful at anything. I was literally only thinking about my children and my husband. My children and my husband. It got real narrow real quick. And I came out of that and anytime I catch myself getting on this kick of, ‘I should be bigger,’ ‘I should be more successful,’ ‘I should be selling out arenas’—I go, ‘I’m going to die. My kids and my husband are all that matter.’”This is not to say that you shouldn’t strive to be successful. It is not to say that you can’t be ambitious.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, where each day we bring you a passage of ancient wisdom designed to help you find strength, insight, and wisdom every day life. Each one of these passages is based on the 2,000-year-old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us at DailyStoic.com. Get narrow before life does. At the very end of his life, we know that Marcus Aurelius was making arrangements for many guardians, among whom were numbered to be the best

men in the Senate to look after his kids. We know that at the end of his life, Seneca was with his wife, Paulina, hugging her and urging her calmly not to grieve for him too much and to live on without him. We know that Cato spent his final night hosting friends and family for dinner. Wine was poured, dice were rolled, plates were passed, and philosophy was discussed because in the end it was friendship and being together that counted. It's interesting that these three great Stoics spent their final moments not as lone wolves but as friends, as fathers, as people who loved their fellow human beings.

On a recent episode of the Daily Stoic podcast with the comedian Christina P, which you should listen to if you have an all-length to it, she tells this story of an experience that led to a similar insight. So I broke my ankle two years ago and I talk about this, my last special, but I read a joke about it. But the truth is they gave me a shit ton of ketamine. I was like, I think this is it, man. And I wasn't thinking about my career. I wasn't stoked that I had so many specials on Netflix or that I had this successful anything. I was literally thinking about my children and my husband. I was like, I'm not gonna do this.

I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do this.

I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do this. Is on Netflix or that I had the successful anything. I was literally thinking about my children and my husband. My children and my husband. And it got real narrow real quick. And I came out of that and anytime I catch myself getting on this kick of like, I should be bigger. I should do arenas too.

I should be like, oh, I'm gonna die. And it doesn't matter. And my kids are the only ones who are really going to give a shit. Anyway, this is not to say that you shouldn't strive to be successful. It's not to say that you can't be ambitious. It is first a reminder that the things we chase don't matter as much as we think they do. In fact, they only seem to matter because we have taken other things for granted, namely life and time. The second is a reminder that when life gets real, our priorities get narrow real quick.

We realize what's actually important. We become present. We become grateful. Don't let injury or death be the clarity that you need here. You can have it now. You can act on it today. Hey Prime members, you can listen to the Daily Stoic early and add free on Amazon Music, download the Amazon Music app today, or you can listen early and add free with Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts.