Say to yourself in the early morning: I shall meet today inquisitive, ungrateful, violent, treacherous, envious, uncharitable men. All these things have come upon them through ignorance of real good and ill. People do not choose to behave the way they do so that men of a certain type should behave as they do is inevitable. To wish it otherwise were to wish the fig-tree would not yield its juice. (Marcus Aurelius, Meditations II.1)

As pessimistic as it sounds, one can’t deny the truth of it: On any given day, you will meet a few jerks. Similarly to “Prepare for Battle”, it’s best to anticipate that and remove the sting of surprise.

But further, consider how you will handle them, philosophically. Go through the mental play-acting of not losing your cool, of acknowledging that they could only act as they do. Consider how you will preserve your serenity and remain above the fray. Admit that you have your faults, too, and sometimes you hide them better than other times.

Imagine that, somewhere in your fine city, someone else is taking a deep breath, making a face, and preparing to deal with you.

If you are interested in learning more about Practical Stoicism, you can visit the parent post here.