Objective Judgment, Unselfish Action, Willing Acceptance
"Objective judgment, now, at this very moment. Unselfish action, now, at this very moment. Willing acceptance—now, at this very moment—of all external events."
Some time ago, I heard this quote from Stoic author Ryan Holiday, and it resonated with me. As is often the case in Stoicism, quotes and concepts from that epoch often contain absolute truths, to a certain extent, whose value appears to be timeless. No matter when you were born or in what part of the world, you can find resonating ideas in the Stoic philosophy. This quote is composed of three main elements, each one packed with significance and potential.
Objective judgment, now, at this very moment.
What is objective judgment, and why at this very moment? I would define objective judgment as the ability to interpret what occurs around us scientifically. The scientific method is in a perpetual quest for the truth. There is no space for wanting to be right. When you pursue the closest insight you can get into the truth of a situation, you drop your egoic reactivity, accept what is, and analyze it with objectivity, breaking things down to first principles. Objective judgment is a conscious decision we can make in life: the decision to let go of the predictable flow of emotions within us, in favor of the unpredictable pursuit of being less wrong.
In psychological terms, we can be *objective *in our judgment when we take a holistic approach to analyzing people and their actions. There is no mere lack of good. There is good and evil in every human being. There is also much more than good and evil: potential, past events shaping our characters, present fears influencing our behavior, future expectations acting as worry in disguise. There are also personality traits, such pivotal yet often overlooked factors in human interplays.
Now, at this very moment, recites the second part of the quote. There is no space for ruminating about the past or hoping for a brighter future in objective judgment. Objective judgment takes place at this very moment. There is only now* *under our control when we are faced with an external situation. We can only act now, with full presence, responsibility, humility, and seeking to be a bit less wrong.
Unselfish action, now, at this very moment.
There is more than you in the world. There is your in-group, your neighborhood, your city, country, society, the world. Your *objective judgment *has an effect on the broad community. Society is composed of other individuals and nature first and foremost. There is value in acting for a greater good once you have sorted out your own good (in psychological terms—you have integrated your own shadow, past, present, future, relationships as a unicum in your own existence). You are a member of a broad ecosystem. Acknowledge that your actions, now, at this very moment, have ripple effects on the people around you, and society at large. Take full ownership for that, and act unselfishly in accordance with the greater good. Be a good person, and pay attention, as Sam Harris once pointed out.
Willing acceptance—now, at this very moment—of all external events
The dichotomy (or trichotomy) of control is one of the absolute truths from Stoic philosophy: some things are under your control, others aren't. Focus on what you can control, let go of you can't control, and experience a deep existence. Willing acceptance of all external events is a conscious decision we can make once we deeply understand the dichotomy of control. We can completely accept uncontrollable situations for what they are. Let go of what you can't control. This can feel incredibly liberating and can lead to a deeper existence, now, at this very moment.