February 22, 2023 • 9 mins
Dramos looks at lyrics from 50 Cent's "Many Men" and discusses the importance of pushing through the challenges of life. He also takes a look at a quote from Seneca that states how joy could not be possible if pain didn't precede it.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Yes, Yes, I and dramas and this is the Street
Stoic Podcast, bringing you your daily dose of timeless stoke
(00:23):
philosophy remixed for the hip hop generation. Now, with that
in mind, let's get things started with your daily shot
of inspiration. Now today we are going to be focusing
around the stoic idea of practicing resilience when faced with obstacles, failure,
(00:47):
or tragedy. And a lyric that immediately came to my
mind when I was thinking about this. You know, one
of my favorite artists of that era, fifty cent and
in the song many Men, and he says, sunny days
wouldn't be so special if it wasn't for rain. Joy
wouldn't feel so good if it wasn't for pain. And
(01:09):
and if he's talking about, you know, shifting his perspective
in order to handle adversity in a healthier way, right,
Like he's accepting the fact that there is no good
without the bad. Right you think about it like it's
it's why you have the the yin and the yang, right,
good and evil God and the devil like a polar
opposite always has to exist in this world, you know,
(01:33):
And especially when you talk about the idea of being
able to appreciate the good. Like if we're all being
being real, you know, we already find it incredibly difficult
to stay present. And it's way too easy as human
beings to take things for granted, right, So can you
imagine if everything was just good, it would be an
incredibly bland and mundane life. We just have to learn
(01:56):
to accept and embrace the hard times and the disappointments
as as you know, normal parts of our existence as
human beings. And I feel like the following quote is
sort of like the action to this observation by fitth you. Right,
Seneca says, to bear trials with a calm mind, rob's
misfortune of its strength and burden. Now, this is kind
(02:21):
of like a blueprint on how to deal with adversity
and how to not allow it to overcome you, you know,
and it how to relinquish its power over you. You know.
Oftentimes our reaction to certain situations, that's what makes you know,
a difficult situation truly difficult, Right, Like if we were
calm and just sort of like, you know, there, accepting
(02:42):
whatever's in front of us, you know, and staying calm
in the face of adversity, and instead decided that we're
going to move into a mindset of being proactive or positive,
you know, that difficult moment, it wouldn't really be all
that bad. And listen, of course, there are situations, right,
like situations like the the death of a loved one
that can be incredibly difficult. But even in that, you know,
(03:06):
we see people adapting the idea of celebrating one's life
right rather than mourning them. And of course it doesn't
take away all of the pain, but it's a far
healthier way of facing what is, you know, inevitably a
terrible situation, right And I think for me, in sort
of just reading the stuff and internalizing it, I think
(03:29):
about something that I'm going through right now, and I
can't be incredibly specific on it because it has been
made public or completely confirmed, but you know, I'm in
a situation where it looks like I'm no longer going
to be working on a particular project that I've been
doing for a while. I won't have that check to
count on anymore. And of course, initially, you know, I
went into panic mode thinking about, man, how am I
(03:51):
going to supplement this income? And then on a personal level,
like thinking to myself, why don't these people find value
in me anymore? Right that those self deprecating thoughts. But
to be fairer, and to my credit, I quickly checked myself, right,
Like I took a deep breath, and I reminded myself
that I've always been able to figure it out, right,
(04:11):
I've always been able to find a way to make
it through the hard time. So this is just another
inevitable part of my story. And eventually another opportunity will
present itself, right, just like it always has. A storm
will always pass, you know, And in the meantime, I'm
gonna make the most of this, you know, this moment, right,
I'm going to take those extra two hours a week
(04:32):
that I have and do something great with them. Right.
And in doing this, in adapting this mindset, I took
the power of this negative moment away. I reminded myself
that this is just a normal part of life. And
it also caused me to kind of stop and appreciate
the time that I had on this project, right, to
have gratitude for the fact that I even had the
(04:54):
opportunity to do it, and to think back on the
journey that it was, and to really, you know, just
sit there and appreciate the beauty of life. Even with
it ending, it brought so much to my life and
has contributed in such a positive way, Right, there's beauty
in that. And with that, I quickly got over it
and and I moved on. And to be honest, you know,
in the past, I may have allowed it to hurt
(05:16):
my confidence, you know, and I may have like sulked
for a couple of weeks and then been incredibly unproductive
on other aspects of my life. And of course, like
I think, it goes without saying, that is the worst
thing that you can do, right, That is the complete
opposite of the mindset that you you should be adapting, right,
because again, it isn't the end of the world. When
(05:39):
when something bad happens, when something unexpected happens, when and
opportunities is taken away, Again, it's not the end of
the world. So you shouldn't stop living at that point.
You have just have to accept it as an inevitable
part of life. And I'm proud to say that that's
what I've been able to adapt in this particular situation.
And I can tell you that it hasn't really phased me.
(06:00):
And life is still good, and I'm really happy that
I've been able to adapt that mindset. It's been incredibly powerful.
Now with that said, you know, we have heard the
words of fifty cent, we have heard the words of Seneca.
I've kind of given you insight into certain things that
I'm working through right now as we speak. Now let's
talk about you, you know, and how you can make
this your mantra for today. But first let's take a
(06:22):
quick break and then we'll be right back. All right,
So we have heard the words of fifty cent Seneca myself,
all in relation to this stoic idea of practicing resilience
(06:42):
when faced with obstacles, failure, or tragedy. Right now, let's
talk about how you can make it your mantra for today. Now,
of course this is easier said than done, but it
truly is all about acceptance, right not looking at adversity
or a difficult moment as this sort of like woe
(07:04):
is me a moment, or you know, telling yourself how
you have the worst luck in the world. It doesn't
mean anything about you personally. You have to realize that
this is just life, and sure they're going to be
times where it feels like bad things are happening to
you more than others, but there's no way of actually
knowing that, right, like, we don't know what others deal
with behind closed doors or what they're trying to work
(07:25):
through mentally. So even wasting a second of time trying
to play this sort of comparison game and seeing who
wins the Trauma Olympics, you know, it's a waste of
your precious time here on this earth. And again remembering
that the yin and the yang are necessary, right, This
is why every hero has a villain, you know. The
juxtaposition is necessary to give us the perspective of right
(07:48):
and wrong, good and bad, the ability to appreciate the
good and recognize it as something truly positive. Right, All
of that works in conjunction with each other. We need
to see what the bad is in order to appreciate
the good, So we have to stop trying to fight
the natural order of life and instead work with it. Right,
except every part of it, even when you know it's
(08:09):
not ideal. This is what it truly means to be alive,
you know. This is the human experience, going with the
flow of life, good or bad, and accepting it for
what it is as just a moment in time now
to recap fifty is talking about the idea of shifting
his perspective to recognize that the pain of life also
(08:32):
allows you to appreciate the joy of life. Right and Seneca,
you know it talks about bearing the trials of life
with a calm mind. You take away the strength and
the power that they have over you, you know. And
even for me in my story, training myself to look
for the opportunity that is there right, no longer doing
(08:52):
this project gives me more free time, right, And then
also finding the gratitude in it. I'm grateful that I
even got to do it in the first place. And
then also having that faith knowing that i have made
it through tough times and I've always found a way
to bounce back. And if you are listening to this,
you two have made it through tough times. You've always
found a way to bounce back, and somehow, some way
(09:14):
it will work itself out. That is life. Just like
it can't stay good all the time, it also cannot
consistently be bad. There's always a juxtaposition in life, and
when you accept that, that is when you are truly living.
Now with that said, thank you so much for checking
out the Street Stoic podcast. Do your best to apply
these concepts that we've discussed today into your everyday life,
(09:36):
and I'll catch you next time. The Street Stove Podcast
is a production of Ihearts Michael Bura Podcast Network
Yes, Yes, I and dramas and this is the Street
Stoic Podcast, bringing you your daily dose of timeless stoke
(00:23):
philosophy remixed for the hip hop generation. Now, with that
in mind, let's get things started with your daily shot
of inspiration. Now today we are going to be focusing
around the stoic idea of practicing resilience when faced with obstacles, failure,
(00:47):
or tragedy. And a lyric that immediately came to my
mind when I was thinking about this. You know, one
of my favorite artists of that era, fifty cent and
in the song many Men, and he says, sunny days
wouldn't be so special if it wasn't for rain. Joy
wouldn't feel so good if it wasn't for pain. And
(01:09):
and if he's talking about, you know, shifting his perspective
in order to handle adversity in a healthier way, right,
Like he's accepting the fact that there is no good
without the bad. Right you think about it like it's
it's why you have the the yin and the yang, right,
good and evil God and the devil like a polar
opposite always has to exist in this world, you know,
(01:33):
And especially when you talk about the idea of being
able to appreciate the good. Like if we're all being
being real, you know, we already find it incredibly difficult
to stay present. And it's way too easy as human
beings to take things for granted, right, So can you
imagine if everything was just good, it would be an
incredibly bland and mundane life. We just have to learn
(01:56):
to accept and embrace the hard times and the disappointments
as as you know, normal parts of our existence as
human beings. And I feel like the following quote is
sort of like the action to this observation by fitth you. Right,
Seneca says, to bear trials with a calm mind, rob's
misfortune of its strength and burden. Now, this is kind
(02:21):
of like a blueprint on how to deal with adversity
and how to not allow it to overcome you, you know,
and it how to relinquish its power over you. You know.
Oftentimes our reaction to certain situations, that's what makes you know,
a difficult situation truly difficult, Right, Like if we were
calm and just sort of like, you know, there, accepting
(02:42):
whatever's in front of us, you know, and staying calm
in the face of adversity, and instead decided that we're
going to move into a mindset of being proactive or positive,
you know, that difficult moment, it wouldn't really be all
that bad. And listen, of course, there are situations, right,
like situations like the the death of a loved one
that can be incredibly difficult. But even in that, you know,
(03:06):
we see people adapting the idea of celebrating one's life
right rather than mourning them. And of course it doesn't
take away all of the pain, but it's a far
healthier way of facing what is, you know, inevitably a
terrible situation, right And I think for me, in sort
of just reading the stuff and internalizing it, I think
(03:29):
about something that I'm going through right now, and I
can't be incredibly specific on it because it has been
made public or completely confirmed, but you know, I'm in
a situation where it looks like I'm no longer going
to be working on a particular project that I've been
doing for a while. I won't have that check to
count on anymore. And of course, initially, you know, I
went into panic mode thinking about, man, how am I
(03:51):
going to supplement this income? And then on a personal level,
like thinking to myself, why don't these people find value
in me anymore? Right that those self deprecating thoughts. But
to be fairer, and to my credit, I quickly checked myself, right,
Like I took a deep breath, and I reminded myself
that I've always been able to figure it out, right,
(04:11):
I've always been able to find a way to make
it through the hard time. So this is just another
inevitable part of my story. And eventually another opportunity will
present itself, right, just like it always has. A storm
will always pass, you know, And in the meantime, I'm
gonna make the most of this, you know, this moment, right,
I'm going to take those extra two hours a week
(04:32):
that I have and do something great with them. Right.
And in doing this, in adapting this mindset, I took
the power of this negative moment away. I reminded myself
that this is just a normal part of life. And
it also caused me to kind of stop and appreciate
the time that I had on this project, right, to
have gratitude for the fact that I even had the
(04:54):
opportunity to do it, and to think back on the
journey that it was, and to really, you know, just
sit there and appreciate the beauty of life. Even with
it ending, it brought so much to my life and
has contributed in such a positive way, Right, there's beauty
in that. And with that, I quickly got over it
and and I moved on. And to be honest, you know,
in the past, I may have allowed it to hurt
(05:16):
my confidence, you know, and I may have like sulked
for a couple of weeks and then been incredibly unproductive
on other aspects of my life. And of course, like
I think, it goes without saying, that is the worst
thing that you can do, right, That is the complete
opposite of the mindset that you you should be adapting, right,
because again, it isn't the end of the world. When
(05:39):
when something bad happens, when something unexpected happens, when and
opportunities is taken away, Again, it's not the end of
the world. So you shouldn't stop living at that point.
You have just have to accept it as an inevitable
part of life. And I'm proud to say that that's
what I've been able to adapt in this particular situation.
And I can tell you that it hasn't really phased me.
(06:00):
And life is still good, and I'm really happy that
I've been able to adapt that mindset. It's been incredibly powerful.
Now with that said, you know, we have heard the
words of fifty cent, we have heard the words of Seneca.
I've kind of given you insight into certain things that
I'm working through right now as we speak. Now let's
talk about you, you know, and how you can make
this your mantra for today. But first let's take a
(06:22):
quick break and then we'll be right back. All right,
So we have heard the words of fifty cent Seneca myself,
all in relation to this stoic idea of practicing resilience
(06:42):
when faced with obstacles, failure, or tragedy. Right now, let's
talk about how you can make it your mantra for today. Now,
of course this is easier said than done, but it
truly is all about acceptance, right not looking at adversity
or a difficult moment as this sort of like woe
(07:04):
is me a moment, or you know, telling yourself how
you have the worst luck in the world. It doesn't
mean anything about you personally. You have to realize that
this is just life, and sure they're going to be
times where it feels like bad things are happening to
you more than others, but there's no way of actually
knowing that, right, like, we don't know what others deal
with behind closed doors or what they're trying to work
(07:25):
through mentally. So even wasting a second of time trying
to play this sort of comparison game and seeing who
wins the Trauma Olympics, you know, it's a waste of
your precious time here on this earth. And again remembering
that the yin and the yang are necessary, right, This
is why every hero has a villain, you know. The
juxtaposition is necessary to give us the perspective of right
(07:48):
and wrong, good and bad, the ability to appreciate the
good and recognize it as something truly positive. Right, All
of that works in conjunction with each other. We need
to see what the bad is in order to appreciate
the good, So we have to stop trying to fight
the natural order of life and instead work with it. Right,
except every part of it, even when you know it's
(08:09):
not ideal. This is what it truly means to be alive,
you know. This is the human experience, going with the
flow of life, good or bad, and accepting it for
what it is as just a moment in time now
to recap fifty is talking about the idea of shifting
his perspective to recognize that the pain of life also
(08:32):
allows you to appreciate the joy of life. Right and Seneca,
you know it talks about bearing the trials of life
with a calm mind. You take away the strength and
the power that they have over you, you know. And
even for me in my story, training myself to look
for the opportunity that is there right, no longer doing
(08:52):
this project gives me more free time, right, And then
also finding the gratitude in it. I'm grateful that I
even got to do it in the first place. And
then also having that faith knowing that i have made
it through tough times and I've always found a way
to bounce back. And if you are listening to this,
you two have made it through tough times. You've always
found a way to bounce back, and somehow, some way
(09:14):
it will work itself out. That is life. Just like
it can't stay good all the time, it also cannot
consistently be bad. There's always a juxtaposition in life, and
when you accept that, that is when you are truly living.
Now with that said, thank you so much for checking
out the Street Stoic podcast. Do your best to apply
these concepts that we've discussed today into your everyday life,
(09:36):
and I'll catch you next time. The Street Stove Podcast
is a production of Ihearts Michael Bura Podcast Network
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