Can You See This In It?

Seneca was exiled to what he felt was a rock in the middle of the ocean. He hated it. He thought it was torture. And of course, it was unfair that he was sent there—on trumped up charges no less—and it would have been lonely and sad to be so far from his family. Yet it is a little funny that the place he was sent to, Corsica, is a beautiful vacation spot for people all over the world today. Seneca couldn’t see that, just as perhaps you can’t see what’s just underneath the rough exterior of the situation you’re in. We’ve talked before about the Maggie Smith poem Good Bones. It takes a certain eye to be able spot what others are too depressed or too cynical or too devastated to see. Think of the settlers and developers who were able to see what later became bustling cities in the uncultivated land. Think of the people who were able to see the potential for renewal and growth in a run down neighborhood. Think of the leaders who saw a future in an organization or franchise that everyone else gave up on. We can forgive Seneca for his moments of self-pity and doubt and hopelessness. It would happen to the best of us. We can also learn from what he missed by focusing on that. We can try to see the good bones, the better future, the potential in the situation we’re in. We can strive to make that come true.✉️ 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. 📢 Share | ⚙️ Manage Subscription

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:02Ryan Holiday?

  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 in everyday 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, dailystoic.com. Can you see this in it? Seneca was exiled to what he felt was a rock in the middle of the ocean. He hated it. He thought it was torture, and of course, it was unfair that he was sent there on trumped-up charges, no less. And it would have been lonely and sad to be so far from his family. Yet, it is funny that the place he was sent to, Corsica, is a beautiful vacation spot for people all over the world today.

• 0:44Ryan Holiday?

  Seneca just couldn't see that, just as perhaps you can't see what's underneath the rough exterior of the situation you're in. We've talked before about the Maggie Smith poem, "Good Bones." It takes a certain eye to be able to spot what others are too depressed, or too cynical, or too devastated to see. Think of the settlers and developers who were able to see what later became bustling cities in the uncultivated land. Think of the people who were able to see the potential for renewal and growth in a rundown neighborhood. Think of the leaders who saw a future in an organization or a franchise that everyone else gave up on. We can forgive Seneca for his moments of self-doubt and pity and hopelessness. It can happen to the best of us. We can also learn from what he missed by focusing on that.

• 1:29Ryan Holiday?

  We can try to see the good bones, the better future, the potential of the situation we're in. And then, we can strive to make that true.

• 1:41Ryan Holiday?

  Thanks so much for listening. If you could rate this podcast and leave a review on iTunes, that would mean so much to us, and it would really help the show. We appreciate it, and I'll see you next episode.