"Everything that happens is either endurable or not. If it's endurable, then endure it. Stop complaining."

In 1912 Douglas Mawson was exploring Antarctica. He was a hundred miles from his base camp when disaster struck. One of his companions fell into a deep crevasse along with their tent and most of their food. His other companion died a few weeks later from exhaustion and sickness.

Mawson was completely alone. He was starving. The winds were howling at fifty miles per hour. His body started to break down. The skin peeled off his face. The soles of his feet completely detached. Mawson didn't sit in the snow and complain to the wind. He didn't ask why this was happening to him. Complaining burns calories. He needed every calorie to stay alive.

He smeared wool grease on his raw feet. He tied the loose soles back onto his feet with bandages. He put his boots back on, and then he walked. He walked alone for thirty days. At one point he fell through a snow bridge into a crevasse. He dangled helplessly from his sled harness in the freezing dark, but he still refused to quit. He climbed hand over hand up the rope and pulled himself out. He made it back to base camp alive.

Marcus Aurelius offers a brutal but freeing logic. Everything you face is either endurable or it isn't. If it isn't endurable, it kills you. The pain ends. If you're still standing, then by definition, it's endurable.

When you complain, you're arguing with reality. You're saying the burden is too heavy while you're actively carrying it. Drop the argument. Save your breath. Tie the boots back on and take the next step.

Errors & Corrections

• Don't burn the fuel. Complaining takes physical and mental energy. When you're in a crisis, you need all your fuel to solve the problem. Whining is a leak in your gas tank. Plug the leak.
• Don't lie to yourself. You say, "I can't handle this," but you're breathing. You're handling it right now, just with a bad attitude. Change the attitude.
• Don't seek pity. Pity doesn't get you out of the crevasse. It keeps you stuck at the bottom. You don't need sympathy. You need traction.

Applications to Modern Life

Work

You have a difficult boss and a massive workload. You complain in the breakroom every day. This changes nothing. It just makes you and your coworkers bitter. The job is endurable. Do the work or find a new job. The complaining is just useless noise.

Leadership

A major vendor goes bankrupt. Your supply chain is ruined. A weak leader complains to the team about how unfair the market is. The team loses confidence. A Stoic leader states the facts. "We lost our supplier. We need three new options by noon." They endure the hit and adjust the plan.

Athleticism & Sport

You're halfway through a grueling run. Your lungs burn. Your mind screams that you can't endure the pain. But your legs are still moving. You're literally enduring it. Tell your mind to catch up with the reality of your body.

Politics

A new law passes that hurts your industry. You can spend hours complaining online. The law is still there. Endure it. Figure out how to operate your business under the new rules. Then organize a campaign to change the law.

Social Media

People use the internet as a global complaint box. They post about every delayed flight and cold cup of coffee. This trains the brain to look for problems. Stop posting your complaints. Endure the minor friction of life in silence.

Interpersonal Relationships

Your partner has a habit that annoys you. You complain to your friends about it. That's toxic. Either the habit is endurable or it's a dealbreaker. If it's a dealbreaker, pack your bags. If you stay, endure it gracefully and stop keeping a scorecard.

Maxims

• If you're breathing, it's endurable.
• Complaining is a leak in your gas tank.
• Tie your boots and walk.

In-depth Concepts

Phorēton (Endurable)

This translates to bearable or endurable. The Stoics believed nature never gives you a burden heavier than your capacity to carry it. If you face the obstacle, you automatically possess the strength to survive it.

Mempsimoiria (Complaining)

The Greeks considered complaining a serious character flaw. It's a rebellion against reality. It implies you know better than the universe how things should be organized.