Something to Keep
“The highest form of peace is having no desire to be seen, validated, or understood by anyone.”
Epictetus
A Second Look
Epictetus was a Greek Stoic philosopher who lived roughly 2,000 years ago. He was born into slavery, and as soon as he was emancipated from it, he started teaching philosophy. His life was completely different than ours, yet it was remarkably similar.
Back then, people didn’t have phones, cars, or Netflix, but they were dealing with the same problems we do, such as greed, power, or jealousy. That’s why the quote above feels like it could have been written today.
I read that quote in this video, where Mark Manson talks about the importance of growing up. According to Manson, adulthood isn’t just about age. Adulthood, the author believes, is about developing a strong foundation of moral principles and living by it, even if it makes you unpopular with other people.
Having the courage to be disliked comes from having something you value more than anything else. As humans, we’re wired to care about others and what they think about us. The goal should be to find people with similar values and care about what they think while ignoring everyone else.
So far, we’ve made a connection between the ancient world and the modern world, so let’s continue. How does an ancient Greek philosopher relate to Instagram?
Something I Liked
As we discussed in the previous paragraph, the world has changed drastically in the last 2,000 years, but human nature hasn’t. Epictetus encouraged us to ignore our desire to be liked to find inner peace, yet we’re constantly comparing ourselves to others on social media. But what about the people who don’t use social media? Why do they do it? And how do they live? That’s what the latest Mark Manson video explores.
I often wonder if people who are active on Instagram would go on vacation if they couldn’t post pictures of their trip. This isn’t me judging others; it’s just that I find that compulsion to overshare your life strange. Would that latte taste different if you couldn’t post a picture of it on Instagram for strangers to see?
Now, something interesting that Manson brings up is that social media amplifies your personality. If you have a predisposition to be happy, social media will make you happier. If you have a predisposition to experience obsessive behaviors, insecurity, or social comparison, social media will make you sad and depressed. This is related to another point he brings up in the video: social media favors extroverts.
That said, not engaging in social media can make you powerful. Instead of relying on the opinion and validation of others, you simply go somewhere and enjoy the moment. It turns out my grandma was right, so stop what you’re doing, go outside, and touch grass.