We often use the expression taking life philosophically. This expression certainly refers to a state of inner tranquility, to the ability to face life with a balanced attitude. In other words, it means reacting to events without being overwhelmed by negative emotions.
To adopt a philosophical approach to life, it is necessary to reason, reflect and frame things in a broader perspective. To simplify further, one could say that taking life philosophically simply means remaining calm in the face of the adversities of human existence.
But what happens when faced with a traumatic event? It becomes impossible to take it philosophically because that event turns into something that can change the course of our lives.
I had just been hired and, with a colleague, who was driving the car, we were headed out of the office for an important business meeting, when, perhaps because of the tension that animated the colleague he, on a stretch of icy road, lost control of the car and we ended up in a ditch, turning upside down 2-3 times (maybe more, I don’t remember exactly) remaining with the car upside down, almost balanced on a steep cliff. We had to get out of the car with difficulty, then we were helped and we got away with a short hospital stay.
It’s quite easy to imagine what rapid flashes went through my mind in those moments: I only remember thinking, “I’m losing everything”! In reality, the course of my life could have changed permanently. And certainly my vision of life has changed a lot.
I have learned to look at difficulties and unexpected events with greater acceptance, considering them events that fall within the unpredictability and uncertainty of things in life. I have understood that we cannot fight the unexpected but must accept it as it is and face it with confidence and resilience even when it can have harmful aspects.
I realized that if we start to believe that life is full when it is lived and not only when it brings results, then we will be able to not sink into negative emotions. It is about accepting any experience of life, being in it fully and intensely.
The unexpected, whatever it is, forces us to stay in the present situation without knowing in advance what to do, without previous expectations but simply with what we are in the present and with the possibilities that we build today, taking into account not only our plans but also what life is offering us.
Ultimately, life is strange and unpredictable.
We set goals, we draw up a plan of action to achieve them, and then we have to be good and commit to achieving them in the shortest time possible. But if it were that easy, we would all make our dreams come true; the reality is very different.
Destiny (or call it what you want) often leads us to do something unexpected, to find ourselves on a path that we had not planned and that we had not even thought about.
Life can surprise us at any time and without warning: anything can happen without us realizing it or without us having time to take stock, organize things, and deal with them rationally. In some cases, we cannot do anything to avoid an event that suddenly occurs.
So, if it really takes just a handful of seconds to see our world collapse, to feel like you are dying inside or the ground is being taken away from under your feet, the only thing we should do is live fully, which does not mean reaching the top of Abraham Maslow’s pyramid of needs, the place where self-realization resides. Living fully means feeling able to accept what cannot be changed, having the courage to transform what can be changed, and moving forward without losing personal balance. It means being an active part of the flow of life, feeling strong and capable in the face of events.
That car accident must have been horrifying, Aldo. So happy that you passed it with only a short stay at hospital.
However, I can say safely that you take life philosophically. This is mirrored in your lines, “I have learned to look at difficulties and unexpected events with greater acceptance, considering them events that fall within the unpredictability and uncertainty of things in life.”
This makes me suggest who is a great leader. I say he is the one who meets the unexpected and sudden events with a philosophical approach to life. Leaders who do not lose their balance when most other people do.
First of all, I must thank you as always for the kindness you show me.
I absolutely agree that a leader should have a lot of self-control that allows them to curb impulses, weigh rewards, and better control tensions and anxieties.
Feelings are an invaluable source of energy and can generate extraordinary motivations: one must therefore be able to channel the strength they arouse towards achieving own goals.
As for me, I have always tried to maintain good personal stability, striving to balance all areas of my life as best as possible, because an imbalance in them can lead in the long run to not being able to fully realize oneself either as a person or as a professional.