Ataraxia

The hold on her vanishes, and she realizes she can use the harp to open doors and alter bindings.

As they leave, Nesta tells Cassian that she has named her sword Ataraxia.

The two share a tender moment, but it is quickly cut short when they realize that Ianthas' cell door is open

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Nesta plucks the first string, and it brings her back to Cassian.

He is wounded, and Lanthis hurls him up against a wall.

She takes up a fighting stance and holds Ataraxia in her hand, the blade forcing Lanthis into a physical form.

She uses the sword to drive him into his cell.

Where there was once anger, understanding can now appear.

That inner shift is what the sages called Ataraxia.

A serenity that does not depend on circumstances.

Practice this today.

Understanding the natural world can help dispel fear and bring pleasure.

These types of pursuits can lead to Ataraxia, the Greek word for tranquility.

One thing that Epicureanism says will definitely not bring tranquility is the involvement of politics and public life.

These pursuits, it says, can be stressful and distract from our personal happiness.

But then Nesta tells Cassian that she named her sword, and what's her sword's name? 'Cause I'm gonna say it wrong.

Ataraxia.

Ataraxia.

Yeah.

Did we find out what it means?

I'll pull it up.

Okay.

Ataraxia.

Maybe not when it's taken hold, but you can get better at navigating it early, and then you can swim the waters of your emotions much more skillfully.

Ataraxia is the term for stoic equanimity.

And people sometimes get it wrong because people think that ataraxia is like numbness or being tough or not feeling anything or suppressing your feelings or detaching from life.

Wrong.

Ataraxia is feeling without being consumed.

It's angry and still just.

You can be afraid and still brave.

And that completely misses the point.

Ataraxia isn't achieved by checking out at all.

It's actually a robust, active state of emotional equilibrium.

It's a deep inner peace, sure, but also resilience.