The Daily Stoic - What Comes Next Matters Less

Episode Date: November 22, 2023

It’s not that the Stoics didn’t love. It’s not that they didn’t like the nice stuff that they had or the jobs they had worked hard to earn. Of course, they liked these things and would have preferred to keep them, would have preferred a world in which fortune was less fickle, where everything lasted and no one ever grieved or missed or regretted.When Richard Feynman was in high school, he fell in love with a woman named Arline Greenbaum. They had a lovely, youthful kind of happiness that seemed like it would last forever. But while Feynman was a graduate student at Princeton, Arline was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Despite the terminal diagnosis and their parents' protest, they married a year later. She died within a year and a half. ✉️ 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.

I told this story before, but the first Airbnb I stayed in was 15 years ago. I was looking for places to live when I wanted to be a writer and we stayed at this house, I think outside Phoenix. And then when I bought my first house here in Austin, I would rent it out when South by Southwest or F-1 or all these events. My wife and I would go out of town and we'd rent it and it helped pay for the mortgage and it supported me while I was a writer. You've probably had the same experience.

You stayed in an Airbnb and thought, this is doable. Maybe I could rent my place on Airbnb. And it's really that simple. You can start with a spare room or you can rent your whole place when you're away. You could be sitting on an Airbnb and not even know it. Maybe you set up a home office during the pandemic

and now you don't need it because you're back at work. Maybe you're traveling to see friends and family for the holidays. While your way, your home could be an Airbnb. Whether you could use extra money to cover some bills or for something a little more fun, your home could be worth more than you think. Find out how much at Airbnb.ca-host. Hey Canada, ever wish that managing your money could be a whole lot easier and way less stressful? That's why Coho is created. The financial app that's going to revolutionize

the way you handle your hard-earned cash and help you save even more. Coho is a company rooted in the belief that better financial solutions for all Canadians exist. Get cash back when you spend, multiply your money by earning interest and build your credit history. No hidden fees, no fine print, and no catch, just an app that's made for your money. Join over 1 million Canadians and sign up for your free trial now. Download the Coho app on Google or the app store today and visit koh.ca. That's coho.ca for more details. Daily Stoic listeners, you can get 20 bucks off when you make your first purchase of

$20 or more using the code DailyStoic20. Again, sign up for your free trial by downloading the Coho app and receive 20 bucks off when you make your first purchase of $20 or more using the code DailyStoic20. Welcome to the DailyStoic 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 dailystoward.com. What comes next matters less. It's not that the stokes didn't love. It's not that they didn't like

the nice stuff they had or the jobs they worked hard to earn. Of course, they liked these things and they would have preferred to keep them, would have preferred a world in which fortune was less fickle, where everything lasted and no one ever grieved or missed or regretted. When Richard Feynman was in high school, he fell in love with a woman named Arlene. They had a lovely, youthful kind of happiness that seemed like it would last forever. But while Feynman was a graduate student at Princeton Arlene was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Despite the terminal diagnosis and their

parents' protests, the two married a year later, and she died within 16 months. This was tragic and devastating and it took a long time for Feynman to heal. It's wrong to think that a stoic would be less devastated by such a loss. This was tragic and devastating and it took a long time for Feynman to heal. It's wrong to think that a stoic would be less devastated by such a loss. Cicero grieved deeply for his daughter. Seneca wrote three beautiful essays on grief and Marcus Aurelius, as we talked about recently grieved the children that he had lost. How did they carry on?

In part by relying on an insight that Feynman also expressed. With Arlene Feynman said, I was really happy for a while. So I've had it all. After Arlene, the rest of my life didn't have to be so good, you see, because I had already had it all. In Meditations, Marcus really talks about how just a day, just a minute of happiness, of perfection, of peace is enough.

And the same goes for the people we love, the things we've gotten to do, the glory we've experienced, that you have or you have had it, or them, is itself a wonderful thing, something to be so grateful for. Whatever comes after, whatever fortune has in store for us for the future, it can't change that. It can't take away that we've had it all,

and in fact, we need it less in the future now. What happens next matters less because of the wonderfulness of these few fleeting seconds. Hey, Prime Members, you can listen to the Daily Stoic early and ad-free on Amazon Music, download the Amazon Music app today, or you can listen early and ad-free with Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts. Hey you, yeah you, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. Jiffy is the fastest and easiest way to get jobs done around the house.

Just hop on the Jiffy app, choose from the 40-plus services, and bam, you'll be matched with a reliable Pro in seconds. Windows and Eves cleaning, check, YAR cleanup, check. Plumbing, you guessed it, they've got it all. Plus, all jobs come with a satisfaction guarantee. Download the GIFI app or sign up at jiffyondemand.com and don't forget to use the code first

for $25 off your first job. gifiondemand.com and don't forget to use the code first for $25 off your first job.