Our Perception of Uncontrollable Events

I have recently discovered how important one’s attitude towards an activity can change their perception of how fun or happy that activity made one feel. I worked at a camp over the summer, and every week we would do the same activities. However, by the middle of the summer, I began to observe that no matter their age the kids were more inclined to have fun and enjoy the activity if they came into it with a positive mindset. Thus when reading Epictetus, The Enchiridion, I agreed with the commentary, “What upsets people is not things themselves but their judgments about the things” (55).

This coincides with “do not seek to have events happen as you want them to, but instead want them to happen as they do happen, and your life will go well” (56). Trying to control outcomes in life is worthless. There will always be at least one variable that you cannot control or foresee. Being open to the possibilities of new outcomes can shape your perception of the event thus changing your level of affection and happiness towards it. However, I do contest that life will not suddenly be well or all rainbows and sunshine. One must allow themselves to feel and express their emotions, to regain the emotional capability to feel happiness and well again. To illustrate, someone watching their father battling cancer and hoping for remission will not be well if their father succumbs. Especially, if afterward they bottle up their emotions and refuse to feel grief and sadness. Nonetheless, a person may still be able to feel happiness and well again if they allow themselves to process and attain their perception of happiness. A person may not be able to control all of their emotions, but they can guide themselves to be able to find the event and mindset towards life that makes them the happiest.