【每日斯多葛】9月21日

September 21st

MAINTAIN COMPOSURE, MAINTAIN CONTROL

“When forced, as it seems, by circumstances into utter confusion, get a hold of yourself quickly. Don’t be locked out of the rhythm any longer than necessary. You’ll be able to keep the beat if you are constantly returning to it.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.11

We’re going to get caught off guard from time to time. Not just by “black swan” type events—a terrorist attack or a financial panic—but also by minor, unexpected occurrences. Your car battery dies, your friend cancels at the last minute, you suddenly don’t feel well. These situations have a way of throwing us into confusion and disarray. We’ve made an assumption about the world and built plans on top of that assumption. Now that the assumption has collapsed, so too might our organization or understanding.

That’s perfectly OK! It happens. A line of infantrymen will face withering attacks—what’s key is that they don’t allow chaos to reign. Musicians will experience technical difficulties and lose their place from time to time. In both cases, it just matters that they get back into position as quickly as possible.

The same is true for you today. The order and the peace might be interrupted by a new circumstance. OK. Get a hold of yourself and find your way back.

9月21日

保持镇定，保持掌控

“当你似乎被环境逼入彻底的混乱之中时，要迅速稳住自己。不要让自己脱离原有的节奏超过必要的时间。只要你不断回到这个节奏中，你就能够重新跟上拍子。”

——马可·奥勒留，《沉思录》，6.11

我们时不时都会被突如其来的事情打个措手不及。不只是“黑天鹅”式的大事件——比如恐怖袭击或金融恐慌——也包括一些小小的、意想不到的事情。你的汽车电瓶没电了，朋友在最后一刻取消了约会，你突然感觉身体不舒服。这些情况很容易把我们弄得手足无措、陷入混乱。我们原先对世界作出了某种假设，并在这个假设之上制定了计划。如今这个假设崩塌了，我们原有的安排或理解也可能随之瓦解。

这完全没问题！这种事情就是会发生。一排步兵会面对猛烈的攻击——关键在于，他们不能让混乱占据上风。音乐家也会遇到技术故障，时不时失去自己的节拍。无论哪种情况，真正重要的都是尽快回到正确的位置。

今天对你来说也是一样。原有的秩序和平静可能会被新的情况打断。没关系。稳住自己，找到回去的路。