127 - Laugh In the Face Of Evil

“If evil be said of thee, and if it be true, correct thyself; if it be a lie, laugh at it.” 



― Epictetus

Show Notes:

•When I read this quote the first thing that came to mind was “I laugh in the face of evil!”
•How often do we get upset at what others say about us?
•How often do we let what others say about define who we are?
•Why get upset about their opinion, esp if it’s a lie?
•Remember, as Stoics we need to open to correction, because what we believe and how we see the world could be totally wrong.
•We are going to make mistakes.
•We need to act with integrity and decide if they said has merit.
•So if someone points out a flaw, we should be thankful because we now know what to correct. 
•And if what is said about you is patently false, rather than let it upset, you should simply laugh in the face of evil.
•On the surface this quote is telling us that we shouldn’t let what others say about us bother us, because it’s just their opinion, their way of seeing the world.
•But if we dig a little deeper, what this quote is also telling us is that we need to deal with reality as it it, and not what we want it to be.
•The reality is we will make mistakes. We’re not perfect. And there will be times when we fail to uphold our standards.
•Often we don’t see the crappy things that we do, because sometimes because we don’t want to see them. Our ego gets in the way.
•If we act with integrity should be willing to own our actions, and the outcome of our actions. 
•Don’t own others reactions. Everyone is responsible for their own emotions and reactions.
•Be grateful for your enemies because they are often the only ones that tell you the truth.
•And if they lie, laugh in the face of evil.


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