The Obstacle Is The Way

The Obstacle Is The Way is a modern take on the ancient philosophy of Stoicism, which helps you endure the struggles of life with grace and resilience by drawing lessons from ancient heroes, former presidents, modern actors, athletes, and how they turned adversity into success thanks to the power of perception, action, and will.

Have you ever wondered why the solutions to our friends’ problems are sometimes so obvious to us, yet they can’t see them? “Dude, if you can’t pass that test, just take a crash course like you did with your driver’s license, remember?”

Damn. I could’ve thought of that.

But you didn’t. The reason why is perspective. Our initial reaction when we run into an obstacle is always emotional. We get frustrated, angry and think there’s no way to solve this problem.

However, when we look at other peoples’ problems, we don’t get so worked up about them and perceive them objectively. That’s what allows us to see a lot clearer, react accordingly and give much better advice on how to tackle them.

But you can be your own friend too. Imagine you are your best friend and try to tell yourself how to get past that obstacle, keeping in mind your skills and assets, but forgetting about the emotions.

Stoics did this too, they just imagined what a sage – an all-knowing, enlightened person – would do.

Alexander the Great once faced a huge obstacle. Literally. Bucephalus was one of the best horses in all of ancient Greece. A giant black stallion, with black skin, endless endurance and an indomitable will, no one could tame Bucephalus. Whenever someone approached him, Bucephalus would fight off the rider with fury. Alexander saw his weak spot and used it against him. He made Bucephalus run in a straight line, until he could run no more. Exhausted from using all its energy in an angry sprint, Alexander mounted the horse, and from that moment on, he and Bucephalus were an inseparable unit. Just like in this story, or in science-fiction movies, where huge monsters and gigantic creatures always have a fatal weak spot, the biggest obstacles in our lives often also have large weaknesses, which can be used against them. For example, Jerry Weintraub had a really mean sergeant when he was in the army, who’d always treat him poorly and make fun of his name. One day, standing in line to get food, Jerry whispered into his ear: “I’m going to kill you.” Startled, his sergeant yelled at him. Jerry repeated: “One day, when you’re alone, I’m going to find you, and I’m going to kill you.” The sergeant completely lost it and hit Jerry in the face. One…