Philosophy #13: Change Your Attitude and Change Your Life! The Story of Anton Chekhov

Can your attitude change the trajectory and outcome of your life?

The Stoics believed that the external world is uncontrollable but how we interpret what happens is controllable. Hence, a large part of how we view the world depends on our interpretation of external events.

"Keep in mind that it isn't the one who has it in for you and takes a swipe that harms you, but rather the harm comes from your own belief about the abuse. So when someone arouses your anger, know that it's really your own opinion fueling it. Instead, make it your first response not to be carried away by such impressions, for with time and distance self-mastery is more easily achieved." - Epictetus

LILA's own Debashish Bindra recently explored this question in his presentation at a recent company All Hands meeting. Debashish presented the story of Anton Chekhov as described in the book The Laws of Human Nature by author Robert Greene.

Consider the life story of Anton Chekhov (from Debashish’s presentation):

• He was born to an impoverished family, where his father used to beat him and his five siblings daily. His father did not beat him out of anger or any apparent malice but out of love. "It was God's will that children be beaten to instill humility."

• Getting beaten instilled a fear in him and caused significant anxiety and panic attacks. He would go to the graveyard in moments he had to himself since that was the only safe place in his tough neighborhood. 

• Anton would wonder about himself and the world - "Was he so worthless that he deserved such beatings from his father daily. "

• His father was a walking contradiction - he was lazy, a drunk, and quite dishonest with his customers, despite his religious zeal. 

• Anton's father accumulated a lot of debt and fled to Moscow in secrecy, fearing prison. Anton's mother was left alone to clear debts, and they had to sell everything, including their house.

• Anton decided to work as a doctor and studied very hard in the only library available to him. He found a love for philosophy and literature from the library and suddenly started connecting with the world deeply.

• He finally settled down, and new thoughts and emotions came to him. Work was no longer something he dreaded. He loved absorbing his mind in his studies, and tutoring had made him proud and dignified - "he could take care of himself." 

• One day after being abandoned for several months, he started feeling tremendous empathy and an overwhelming sense of love for his parents. He started seeing the context from which his father was coming and dropped his negative emotions.

• Instead of complaining, he decided to solve his family problems: One step at a time.

The key takeaway from all of this according to Debashish is as follows:

Further, based on the book The Laws of Human Nature, Debashish suggests we watch out for common patterns of negative attitudes:

In conclusion, Debashish’s final remarks are as follows:

Happy Friday everybody!

GameMakers Sponsors

data.ai is the first Unified Data AI platform bringing together consumer data and market estimates. The company's mission is to help brands, publishers, and investors with strategies to succeed in the mobile and digital ecosystem, based on premium insights, prescription, and execution.