Letting Go

  "There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things 

  which are beyond the power of our will"

-Epictetus-

The Philosophy of Epictetus

Epictetus maintains that the foundation of all philosophy is self-knowledge. It is no secret by now that what we feed grows. our thoughts are very powerful, they become our reality. 

Bad things happen to all of us, however, differ greatly in their magnitude. We can never run away from this. Our level of reasoning is one of the things that help us to overcome. When we allow ourselves to be truly honest with self, it helps us to be selective of what matters and what doesn't. The truth is that the past is one of those things that do not matter, irregardless of how recent and how ugly it may be. 

You may have called one of your co-workers the "b" word or maybe deceived someone you care about; the consequent outcomes of the action will vary but you can never take away the mistake. According to Epictetus "all external events are beyond our control; we should accept calmly and dispassionately whatever happens". Life has no eraser that removes the memories we regret the most.

Worry takes more away than it can ever give. Even though those we love may refuse us their forgiveness, we owe ourselves forgiveness of self because ultimately you can't undo the mistake. Once this has been accomplished, only then can we accept what will eternally remain unchanged and let go of the agony we put ourselves through. Worry and happiness could never coexist.