How To Think About The Little Problems, So They Don’t Become Big Problems

 [Musonius Rufus] often talked in a very forceful manner about food, on the grounds that food was not an insignificant topic and that what one eats has significant consequences. In particular, he thought that mastering one’s appetites for food and drink was the beginning of and basis for self-control.

Musonius Rufus: Lectures and Sayings

I read an interesting idea about gasoline and water today.

It’s fairly simple.

Imagine your life surrounded by little fires all around you. One of those little fires can be, for example, how unclean your home is at the moment. Now, depending on the action you take, healthy or unhealthy, you decide if either you pour gasoline or water into the little fire.

If you just ate, for example, will you clean your plate right off? Or will you leave it dirty?

Will you add a little gasoline? Or will you add a little water? It is a simple mind experiment that helps you make the best out of every situation, however dumb.

Some weeks ago, I arrived back in Mexico from Colombia. I spent about a month and a half in beautiful Colombia. Had a great time, climbed a big and beautiful mountain, and had the pleasure of meeting a lovely girl whom with I spent a couple of dates. The trip was fantastic.

Not the food though. Sorry, if you’re Colombian and reading this, but I prefer Mexican food a thousand times.

When I came back to Mexico City, I ate all the tacos and tortas that you can imagine. It was glorious. Mexican food is absolutely fantastic, full of spices and chili and flavor all over.

I am happy I am able to enjoy it every day.

However, it can also be pretty unhealthy. There is a lot of grease in it.

But, do you know what is even unhealthier? Pizza. On the last day of my eating rampage, we ordered a Domino’s pizza, which was a really bad idea, as the next day, I felt sick. I couldn’t work correctly, I didn’t clean my apartment. I made all the wrong choices, in short, I poured gasoline, a lot of it, into all the fires that were going on around me.

Not good amigo.

That same day I wanted to write something, and, you will laugh, but look at the quote I chose to start the article with:

When a soul rises superior to other souls, when it is under control, when it passes through every experience as if it were of small account, when it smiles at our fears and at our prayers, it is stirred by a force from heaven. A thing like this cannot stand upright unless it be propped by the divine. Therefore, a greater part of it abides in that place from whence it came down to earth. Just as the rays of the sun do indeed touch the earth, but still abide at the source from which they are sent; even so the great and hallowed soul, which has come down in order that we may have a nearer knowledge of divinity, does indeed associate with us, but still cleaves to its origin; on that source it depends, thither it turns its gaze and strives to go, and it concerns itself with our doings only as a being superior to ourselves.

Seneca

I wanted to feel divine while in reality, I felt like shit. I wanted to cheat my way into feeling better, telling myself that a true Stoic feels good no matter what. And yes, there is truth in that statement, but for this article, I want to leave for another day that deeper philosophical reflection and concentrate instead on one action that you do every day that will hugely determine your success in life and in philosophizing well.

That action is eating of course. And sleep, sleep as well.

Let’s look at Musonius Rufus quote again:

[Musonius Rufus] often talked in a very forceful manner about food, on the grounds that food was not an insignificant topic and that what one eats has significant consequences. In particular, he thought that mastering one’s appetites for food and drink was the beginning of and basis for self-control.

Musonius Rufus: Lectures and Sayings

He says that food is no insignificant manner, and he is absolutely right. Food, just as sleep, defines in great proportion your ability to focus.

As you know, Stoicism is huge on control and willpower. If you can control the way you see the world, you are invincible. You are invincible in the sense that nothing that happens can get to you, because you can always decide what the things, good or bad, that happen in the world, mean to you.

“Men are disturbed not by things, but by the views which they take of things. Thus death is nothing terrible, else it would have appeared so to Socrates. But the terror consists in our notion of death, that it is terrible. When, therefore, we are hindered, or disturbed, or grieved let us never impute it to others, but to ourselves; that is, to our own views. It is the action of an uninstructed person to reproach others for his own misfortunes; of one entering upon instruction, to reproach himself; and of one perfectly instructed, to reproach neither others or himself.”

Epictetus

What you need to do

It is simple. Eat right and sleep right.

Focus on those things first. Those two simple things will get you back in the game.

Man, it doesn’t hurt to eat pizza from time to time. However, what you can do to know when enough is enough, is to remember the water and gasoline idea from above.

How big are the fires going on around you? Life will always be full of fires, it is impossible to put them all out, but it is possible to maintain them under control.

So the next time you’re going for a donut, remember, am I putting gasoline or water into this fire?

Am I choosing to control the things that I can actually control, or am I choosing to not do anything? Remember that freedom comes when you make the choices yourself and not the world or other people.

“No man is free who is not master of himself.”

Epictetus

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