You Must Think It

<p>In <a href='http://geni.us/TnM3z'><em>Richard III</em></a> and in <a href='http://geni.us/97di'><em>Othello</em></a>, Shakespeare has two different characters utter the same line. Both Iago and a nameless orphan say, “I cannot think it.”</p><p>In both cases, the news they are faced with—the conclusion they are being asked to accept—is simply too much. The Shakespearean scholar, Richard Greenblatt, calls this phrase a kind of motto for those who can’t wrap their mind around perfidy. He’s not being condescending, for it’s a very common experience. Our naivete, our willingness to assume the best about others, leaves us open to betrayal and disillusionment.</p><p>Which is why the Stoics spend so much time on this very topic. <a href='https://dailystoic.com/meditations-marcus-aurelius/?utm_source=convertkit&amp;utm_medium=convertkit&amp;utm_campaign=think-it'>Marcus, for his part, opens <em>Meditations</em></a> with some musing on the reality of the types of people he’s going to meet in the days to come. But later in <em>Meditations</em>, he speaks about the kind of behavior you see in the boxing ring—gauging, headbutting, and low blows. We see this all the time in the sports world, as a matter of fact. NFL linemen who grease up their jersey so they can’t be grabbed. In NASCAR, they love to say “rubbin’ is racin’.” And then there’s the old saying, “if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying hard enough.”</p><p>You have to anticipate this kind of behavior, Marcus says, you can’t take it personally. He talks about the inevitability of bumping up against shameless people and how to handle it. He spends time putting himself inside the minds of tyrants, robbers, and perverts—again, because these types exist and we must not be surprised or abused by them.</p><p><a href='https://dailystoic.com/seneca?utm_source=convertkit&amp;utm_medium=convertkit&amp;utm_campaign=think-it%2F'>When Seneca was sentenced to death by Nero</a>, his family and friends began wailing in shock and horror. But Seneca was calm. “Who knew not Nero’s