I was discussing work stress and anxiety with a friend who is in operations at one of the quick commerce companies. I suggested that she should read up on Stoicism.
Stoicism, as a philosophy, has been used by kings, statesmen and knights to survive and manage their stressful lives. Stoicism was meant for people like Emperor Marcus Aurelius to maintain his cool in time of war and deceit.
I, on the other hand, am a simple peasant. I don’t command armies, I won’t be held captive by the enemy if I fail, then why do I need to follow the philosophy of these great men to survive my day to day life. Why do I, a commoner, need the anxiety remediation of these great men?
Does a peasant of today have more anxiety than rulers of yesteryear? If yes, then why?
One answer: Leverage
Everyone today has way more leverage than before. With code, automation and delegation, every one of us can influence the world way more than people of before. In all the “How to get rich” Twitter literature it is portrayed as a good thing. The more leverage you have, the more you can influence outcomes, the faster you can build wealth.
But the higher leverage comes with higher anxiety and stress. If the operations manager friend messes something up, it can affect delivery of 1000 kg of fresh produce. A few hundred years ago, for a person to mess up 1000 kg of produce, he would have to be a feudal lord. This stress reserved for feudal lords and kings is now common place for a middle manager.
So yeah, we have gotten the power and the leverage of the emperors and we have gotten their anxiety and depression as well.