"Since you're mortal, expect to endure mortal things; or do you, mere human, think you should have a god's life?" - Euripides
I saw this quote written on the back of a book that caught my eye while I was working through my Real Analysis problem set. I was just about to call it quits, but something about it struck a nerve. It sent me down a rabbit hole. I started learning about Euripides' school of thought, and the more I read, the more I found myself relating to what he had to say. In fact, it almost mirrored something I had felt a few weeks before.
I was sitting at the beach, looking out across the ocean, when I realized that ambition is something we give ourselves to create meaning. Maybe that is close to existentialism: the idea that life does not arrive with a predefined purpose, so we are responsible for creating one ourselves.
But then I wondered: if we are the ones creating meaning, why do we also create so much suffering around it? Why choose to suffer when you can choose to be happy in your pursuits? Are we not the masters of our own sailboats, the controllers of our own emotions? Why be stressed when you could simply choose joy?
I fear it may not be that linear.
One example I can immediately think of is right now. I feel an incredible amount of stress simply thinking about my upcoming Real Analysis midterm. Worry creeps in. I chose to study math because I am interested in it. I love problem-solving, the rush of finally understanding how something works, and the way math pushes my critical thinking. But then the questions rush in: what if I fail? What if I do poorly in this class? How can I be a mathematics major and struggle in a course that is often treated as the gateway to "real" mathematics?
This is where Euripides becomes useful.
Should I even worry about it? At the end of it all, how I do in one class may be far less consequential than it feels in the moment. But maybe the worry itself is not meaningless. Maybe it is a reminder that I care deeply about what I am doing. My fear before this exam is not proof that I chose the wrong path. It is proof that the path matters to me.
That is where the mindset of doing your best comes into play. I cannot control every outcome, but I can control whether I show up fully. I can live a life with no regrets. I can pursue what I want with courage, take big risks, live life fully, and do things that scare me.
Because, after all, since we are mortal, we should expect to endure mortal things. We should cherish them and learn from them. A god's life was never meant for us. We were meant to grow, to build, and to push boundaries.
Never let doubt be the reason you do not try. Never let fear of failure hold you back. Euripides was known as a tragedian, but that does not mean the tragedy is not worth living through, learning from, or even enjoying.