Being Steady in a Turbulent World.

The world for the last few years has been existing on a knife edge, we have a war in Central Europe, a cost of living crisis, energy price increases, and strikes, coupled with pay disputes, extreme climate issues, and of course Covid 19 is still dragging out its last breath.  the world is not in a steady place at the moment…

If You Want to be Steady:

“The essence of good is a certain kind of reasoned choice; just as the essence of evil is another kind. What about externals, then? They are only the raw material for our reasoned choice, which finds its own good or evil in working with them. How will it find the good? Not by marvelling at the material! For if judgments about the material are straight that makes our choices good, but if those judgments are twisted, our choices turn bad.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 1.29.1–3

We live in a world where everyone wants a stable life, no sane person wants war, trouble or upheaval. Just peace, steadiness, and tranquillity. Sadly, for many people, these are wishful thoughts to aspire to or so fleeting that we wonder what happened…did we blink?

When we live our lives seeking that peace and tranquillity but allow ourselves to be controlled by external forces, the choice we have made is not a good one. By choosing to allow those external views and issues to affect us, we lose the steady footing that would have kept us firmly placed in our own peaceful minds and lives.

Riding out the Stormy Seas

Many years ago, I was asked how I could remain calm during a rather rocky sea journey between England and France…while most of the people with me were clutching their bellies and wondering if they were able to make it to the toilets before losing their breakfast, I happily sat and watched the rain lashing at the windows, using my rucksack as nice back support and enjoying the feeling of the engines as well as the rise and fall of the ship.

I didn’t know how I remained calm and steady at the time, I just relaxed, I had no fear that the ship was going to sink, and knew that I wasn’t going to die that night.

It’s funny as I looked back at that event and others where I have remained steady, I think of the negative and destructive thoughts that could have run amok in my mind, the comments and the looks on the faces of my group but also many of the other passengers.

Fear, doom, worry…you name it, they had it…their external attitude could well have pushed me into panic and fear mode…but I didn’t let it…I sat calmly, relaxed and tried to read my book. We had given up trying to play a board game due to the ship’s erratic movement.

I wasn’t the only one on that short trip across the channel who had remained calm and relaxed, there were quite a few who, like me, just enjoyed the unexpected storm.

Finding That Steady Place…Within Ourselves

The quote above by Stoic Philosopher Epictetus tells us how through filtering out those external evil and negative issues and only allowing or working with the good, we can find that place of steadiness in our lives.

It’s all down to the choices we make, having the clear-mindedness, and the right view to find the right footing in the chaos around us.

“If you want to be steady if you want clarity, proper judgment is the best way.” (Ryan Holiday & Stephen Hanselman’s book The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, And the Art of Living)

“I only want to live a peaceful life, I didn’t ask for all this crap!” How many times have you heard this, or even said it yourself?
I bet like me you have said and heard it said a fair few times over the years. But, in truth, you probably have asked “for all this crap” and you didn’t even realise it.

When Taking The Easier Road Isn’t Always The Best Road

Sometimes we make the choice to take the easier road without even having a clear thought of where the road may lead, or what may come at us in the future.

In life, we constantly have to choose which path we wish to take, and if you can take the time to carefully think with an open mind, a mind that is not filled with chaos, if you can judge the situation with clear, unbiased, and uninfluenced attitude, then you may well succeed in finding that steady tranquil life.

A life of peace that you always wanted.

Thank you for reading this post, feel free to comment in the section below, share your thoughts on the blog, and or follow me on social media, using the links below.

Once again, thank you.

Ric Temple. Waywyrd Wanderer. 

Life Coach, Motivational Mentor, Writer, and Dog Lover

Author of Freeing Yourself From Other People’s Limiting Bullsh*t 

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Ric is a passionate, motivated, and dynamic person. He lives his life to the full and enjoys the wonderful pleasures that are available to him, with a zest for writing and helping people improve their lives. 

Ric is a Life Coach, Blogger, and Author of the successful  book Freeing Yourself From Other People’s Limiting Bullsh*t  Available on Amazon