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Good morning to you and welcome back to practical stoicism. Thanks so much for being here. Before we start, I'd like to remind you that if you hate ads and you'd like to get rid of them, you can do so by becoming a subscriber to the premium version of this podcast for just $6 a month.

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practical stoicism by reviewing it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify Podcasts, or Podchaser.com,

or by sharing it with friends and family you think would enjoy it. Today's meditation is the fourth from book four, which reads as follows.

This then remains. Remember to retire into this little territory of thy own, and above all,

do not distract or strain thyself, but be free, and look at things as a man, as a human being, as a citizen, as a mortal,

but among the things readiest to thy hand, to which thou shalt turn, let there be these,

which are two. One is that things do not touch the soul, for they are external, and remain

immovable, but our perturbations come only from the opinion which is within.

The other is that all things which thou seest change immediately and will no longer be,

and constantly bear in mind how many of these changes thou hast already witnessed.

The universe is transformation.

Life is an opinion.

This meditation should sound a little familiar because we've touched on both points before. Marcus, in George Long's words here, is reminding us of

two important points. First, that the events of the external world do not touch the soul,

and by this he means that they cannot have an effect on us.

Stoics, remember, feel the full spectrum of emotions the same as anyone else, but that the ability

for external forces to have a sustained impact on our soul is something our minds have to allow.

...