Dying Every Day (Stoicism in a Year)

Dying Daily: "You Decide What it Means" | Dying Every Day

June 17, 2026·8 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeWelcome back to Dying Every Day. This is Dying Daily.In today’s episode of Dying Daily, an occasional and much more casual series on the podcast, we sit with a question that most of us already know the answer to but haven’t done anything about: Who (and what) are we taking for granted?We’ve all been there: stuck in a slow line at the end of a long day, quietly frustrated at everyone and everything in our way. In his 2005 commencement speech “This Is Water,” David Foster Wallace argued that the irritation isn't the situation—it’s a choice we don't know we're making. This episode looks at Wallace’s idea of the “default setting,” its kinship with Stoic philosophy, and the small, repeatable freedom that hides within an ordinary bad day: “You decide what it means.” [...]#stoicism #philosophy #lifelessons---  🖇️ Stay Connected: Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources: Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

Podzilla Summary coming soon

Sign up to get notified when the full AI-powered summary is ready.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

Listen to This Episode

Get summaries like this every morning.

Free AI-powered recaps of Dying Every Day (Stoicism in a Year) and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.