On Christmas Day in 1776, George Washington faced one of the most difficult moments in his life. The Revolution was at its lowest ebb. The troops were freezing and hungry. Many even lacked proper books. And now, they would have to cross the Delaware River in a desperate gamble to surprise the British.
How had things gotten so bad? Why was their luck so poor? Why had so much suffering been visited upon the limited supply of troops?
Washington wasted no time with those types of questions. As he wrote in a letter to Robert Morris that Christmas Day, “it is in vain to ruminate upon, or even reflect upon the Authors or Causes of our present Misfortunes.” Instead of looking backwards, Washington said, “we should rather exert ourselves.” Focusing on how to respond, Washington launched the daring attack on the British the next day, which turned the tide of the Revolutionary War and eventually, secured the future of a new nation.
This mindset is part and parcel of the Stoicism that Washington knew and followed all of his life. Looking at events in the calm light of mild philosophy, as he liked to quote from the Stoic philosopher Cato. Taking nothing personally, focusing only on what one could do about the problem, how one could demonstrate greatness and virtue because of the hardship in front of them.
And here, on Christmas day 246 years later, we should think about how we are going to respond in 2023. Because some of the signs and forecasts for the new year are already pretty bleak. A potential global economic recession. Political divides and gridlock among our governments. A culture war that continues to be inflamed. An increasingly uncertain future for the environment. The grinding war in Ukraine and new threats from international actors like North Korea and Iran.
These are some dark clouds but, like Washington, we have to focus on exertion, not rumination. Not what caused our troubles. Not who authored them. Not how much blame they deserve. Those questions are irrelevant distractions. The same goes with the issues in our personal lives, in our marriages, in our businesses. Finding fault, nurturing resentments, complaints about how hard things will be. All of that must be put aside.
What matters is how we plan to exert ourselves, how we plan to fix our situation, how we plan to respond to whatever life has thrown at us, how we plan to attack 2023. It doesn’t matter what has happened to you—the Stoics say again and again—it matters what you do next. Will you ruminate? Or will you exert yourself?
P.S. If you want to start off 2023 by exerting yourself, join us in the 2023 Daily Stoic New Year New You Challenge! It’s a set of 21 actionable challenges, presented one per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy.
There are just a few more days left to register. Do not ruminate! Sign up for the New Year New You Challenge at dailystoic.com/challenge!
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That is a great word! Happy new year to you. -MK
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
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