"There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will"- Epictetus
This is an important quote in the Stoic tradition for several reasons. First, it encapsulates the idea that "will" is what we can influence--that is, what is in the immediate moment or at least what can be immediately modified. If I am worried about illnesses that are simply beyond my scope to cure, then I am letting my feelings about the body get the better of me, thereby identifying with the body rather than the mind. Secondly, when I am worried about something, I am not allowing myself to focus on the things that I can calm within me. Peacefulness is not something that depends on the circumstances of my body or on things that are simply outside my control. Peace simply comes from being in the present, and it is something that nobody can basically take away from a person.
The opposite of peace, perhaps, is a wandering and scattered mind that is full of agitations. Worrying about what I think I need is not going to do me good in the journey of life. Multiplying my thoughts to every possible anxiety isn't really going to help me very much either. What I really need to go back to is the ability to tend this present moment, in every moment, which brings me to a tranquil sense of calm and immediacy.
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