The Daily Stoic - You Have To Be Firm… But Not Rude

Episode Date: October 5, 2021

Ryan explains how to balance the discipline and poor bahavior, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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You have to be firm but not rude. A stoic guards their time. You get that from Seneca. He chides us for being protective of our property, but spend thrifts with our time. Life is short, he says. Don't waste it. Don't let it be eaten up by other people. Don't fritter it away on the inessential obligations.

But the problem with this advice is that if we're not careful, this very real imperative can devolve into selfishness. It can make you an externalizer, so protective of your time that you actually cost people theirs by making them wait, by putting them off, shunting off your responsibilities as a human being to them. So remember for the Stelox, a key virtue is moderation, which means not being too selfless or too selfish with your time. Marcus Arellis was taught the importance balance of these approaches by Alexander the Platonist. From Alexander's example, Marcus Strove, not to be constantly

telling people or writing them that I'm too busy unless I really am. Similarly, he says not to be always ducking my responsibility to the people around me because of pressing business. So yes, you have to protect yourself. You have to be firm, but you can't pretend that the world revolves around you or that the world outside your interests doesn't exist. You can't close yourself off to other people completely. You can't just be a taker of time and never a giver. What kind of deal is that? As Marcus said, we decline the inessential so we can give more to the essential.

That's the key. We guard our time, we are firm, but for a reason, so that we can be generous and present for the people who matter to us, for the tasks we are put on this planet to accomplish. It's tricky balance, but if you follow Marcus and Alexander you'll find it. Hey, it's Ryan. Thank you for listening to the Daily Stoic podcast. I just wanted to say we so

appreciate it. It's an honor. Please spread the word, tell people about it, and this isn't to sell anything. I just wanted to say thank you. 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 on Amazon Music, download the Amazon Music app today, or you can listen early and ad-free with Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts. Raising kids can be one of the greatest rewards of a parent's life.

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