April is drawing to a close. At the Daily Outsider, I assisted with curating a salute to the Holy Father, Pope Francis, across all digital properties (including the Perspectives, Visions, Education, Ordinary Faces, Esparenza, and Weekly Perspective Properties, along with the Facebook, X & Instagram Corners).
I also decided to share some Random Thoughts, including remembering Reza Shah the Great and Mohammad Reza Shah, with images of the reign of Reza Shah, along with other random Thoughts on Iran and the World (including a Podcast on Ukraine especially in light of the pressure on Ukrain by the Trump Adminstration to capitulate) and closing it out with thoughts on the life of Marcus Arelius courtesy the team at the Daily Stoic.
Onward to May with all its possibilities!!!
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For the past 100-plus years, V Corps has been helping to reinforce NATO commitments in Europe. Today, under the command of LTG Charles Costanza, the corps is doing some of its most important work with partners stationed near the Russo-Ukrainian War. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with LTG Costanza to discuss his latest observations about the battle and how he was able to continue serving while recovering from a near-fatal emergency brain tumor procedure, and compare their knowledge (or lack thereof...) of the Polish language.Don’t waste time worrying about other people’s opinions. Marcus talked about a strange paradox: we are generally selfish people, yet, more than ourselves, we value other people’s opinions about us. “It never ceases to amaze me,” he wrote, “we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.” Stoicism teaches us to focus only on what we can control. What others think of us isn’t something we can control. So, it’s not worth worrying about what others think.
Concentrate on your effort, not the results. It’s another strange paradox. The people who are most successful in life, who accomplish the most, who dominate their professions—they don’t care that much about winning. They don’t care about outcomes. As Marcus said, it’s insane to tie your wellbeing to things outside of your control. Success, mastery, sanity, Marcus writes, comes from tying your wellbeing, “to your own actions.” If you’ve put in your maximum effort, if you’ve committed fully, if you’ve made decisions with careful thought—that in itself is a victory…regardless of whether it’s a good or bad outcome.
Be active in your rescue. Marcus noticed how often he found himself praying for assistance and eventually realized it’d be wiser to strengthen oneself to not require what he wished the gods to provide. Epictetus calls this blowing your own nose. Don’t wait around hoping for someone to save you. Instead, listen to Marcus’ empowering call to, “get active in your own rescue—if you care for yourself at all—and do it while you can.”
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Yes, a Stoic blows their own nose. Yes, a Stoic is brave. Yes, a Stoic carries the load, and willingly carries the load for others when necessary. But they also have to be able to ask for help. Because sometimes that’s the strongest and bravest thing to do. “Don’t be ashamed to need help,” Marcus Aurelius wrote. “Like a soldier storming a wall, you have a mission to accomplish. And if you’ve been wounded and you need a comrade to pull you up? So what?” Whether you need a moment to yourself, a hand to hold, words of encouragement, a special favor, therapy, a fresh start, or someone to rely on, don’t be afraid to ask for it.
