How to Control Your Response to Bad Things That Happen

Nothing bad that happens is outside our control. If something bad happens, then it is inside our control. And if something happens that is outside our control, then it is not bad.

I engaged in divisive speech. Because it is bad, it is inside my control. I can disengage from divisive speech in the future. But if it is bad, then why did I engage in it in the first place? I engaged in it because I did not understand the difference between right and wrong. If I did understand the difference between right and wrong, then I would not have engaged in divisive speech. Therefore, I should resolve to sharpen my understanding of the difference between right and wrong.

Someone engaged in false speech against me. Because it is outside my control, it is not bad. But if it is not bad, then why did I resent him for having engaged in it against me? I resented him because I did not understand the difference between good and bad. If I did understand the difference between good and bad, then I would not have resented him for having engaged in false speech against me. Therefore, I should resolve to sharpen my understanding of the difference between right and wrong.

Edit. I had titled an earlier version of this post “Nothing That Happens is Bad”. The post argued as follows: Suppose that something that happens is bad. Either it is within my control or it is not within my control. If it is within my control, then it will not happen if it is bad. If it is not within my control, then it is not bad. So either it will not happen or it is not bad. Therefore, nothing that happens is bad. The argument is unsound because the statement that “If it is within my control, then it will not happen if it is bad” is false. Bad things can happen even if it is within my control. They arise because of a lack of understanding of the difference between right and wrong; good and bad.