November 12th, 2021
If we judge as good and evil only the things in the power of our own choice, then there is no room left for blaming gods or being hostile to others.
The authors of "The Daily Stoic" tell a story of a sign on President Harry Truman's desk that read THE BUCK STOPS HERE. The message being that for Truman, when it came to accountability, the chain ended with Truman.
In life, we find that SHIT HAPPENS. We can take responsibility for our role, or we can blame others. Often we choose the later option, which Truman said he would not.
Blaming others for our predicament is not unusual, but in reality it makes little sense. It assumes the rest of the world is conspiring against us. You could argue that the faster that you can take responsibility the faster you can move forward.
We can't control every outcome and event in our lives, so when we are faced with a dilemma we have two choices. Try to reason that others are responsible or have the attitude THE BUCK STOPS HERE. This is easier said then done obviously. It is our reaction and attitude that determines the ultimate outcome. Acceptance ends with us.