Verba Diei X

"For Fate the willing leads, and the unwilling drags along. Let us speak and live like that. Let fate find us ready and eager." - Seneca, Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Letters from a Stoic), Letter CVII

This ancient line forms one of the cornerstones of Stoic resilience. Life will continue to flow, with or without your consent. The more you resist its currents, the more violently you will be thrashed against the rocks. Align yourself with the current - the course of events - and you will be led, not dragged. But make no mistake, this is not an act of resignation, but one of understanding.

To the Stoics, fate is not fatalism. It is not surrender. It is a disciplined cooperation with the nature of reality. It does. not mean that everything is predetermined and you ought to do nothing; it means that you should act where you can, and release your grip where you must.

This concept resonates clearly with the Buddhist concept of Right Intention. According to the Noble Eightfold Path, freedom begins not with grasping at our outcomes but through aligning our will with truth and compassion. Intention rooted in clarity will allow you to move with the current of life, not against it.

Seneca is not telling us to resign. He calls for intelligent striving. Aim high, but only where the effort is yours to provide. Striving for what lies outside your control, like societal approval, will bring you nothing but misfortune. Put in the effort where it matters, and everything else will fall into place.

Walk forward, eyes open. Struggle well, but only where it truly matters.

Are you being led, or are you being dragged?