Life is hard.
Scratch that.
Life is VERY, VERY hard.
But do we have to make it harder? Stoic philosophy says no, and I tend to agree.
“The beatings will continue until morale improves” is arguably one of the funniest quotes I’ve ever heard. I have no attribution for it, and frankly, I don’t have the interest today to look it up for you.
The first time I saw the quote shared, it was in response to yet more new requirements from management on an already burdened healthcare system. We felt on the verge of collapse.
Six and seven day work weeks, and so many dead bodies, and now there were to be even more tasks required. The new work was advertised as a solution to ongoing problems. We were touted as “heroes”. Everyone knew that was a lie.
We were meat for the grinder.
Pushed until we dropped out.
And replaced by fresh meat.
But in reading some of the stoic writings, I came to realize a little gem of truth in the statement.
The beatings of life come and go. But having poor morale, allowing things to drag and keep you down, in essence, allows the beating to continue far past the time of its delivery.
Allowing anger or despair to fester is akin to rubbing soil into a wound. Infection is a deadly thing. Infection spreads.
I carried home a lot of anger and tension at the end of the day. And I held on to it. And I brought home more the next.
I beat myself down.
I developed a destructive habit of holding on.
Foolishness.
How many nights did I languish in a despair of my own making? Did I do a patient any good contemplating into the night? Did I improve anything by wasting days of my time stewing?
The beatings continue until morale improves.
Modern Survival Arkansas 