Man vs mosquito. Kev slapped at it once and missed. He slapped again, harder, and knocked himself flat. The mosquito kept flying. Mosquito: 1, Kevin: 0.
thatBB dictionary
final boss
(noun)
The last and hardest opponent in the game. Sometimes it’s a mosquito. Sometimes it’s you, swinging at the mosquito.
Why we overreact to small things
A mosquito can’t knock anyone over. It buzzes, it maybe bites, and the itch is gone by tomorrow. The damage in this story came from the swing, not the bite. That’s how overreacting works: a small annoyance shows up, we treat it like a threat, and the reaction costs more than the thing ever could. Most bites are more annoying than consequential.
What would a stoic do?
Consider how much more pain is brought on us by the anger and vexation caused by such acts than by the acts themselves, at which we are angry and vexed.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 11.18 (trans. George Long)
Marcus wrote this as a reminder to himself, about people who annoyed him. It works just as well for bugs, traffic and a slow reply. The thing happens once. The anger keeps happening, for as long as we keep it going. Sometimes you make yourself the final enemy.
Try this: three moves before the second slap
- Notice the wind-up. The second slap is always harder than the first. When you feel yourself winding up, that’s the moment to pause.
- Ask what it actually costs. A bite, an itch, a few minutes. Compare that with what the swing would cost you.
- Find the ridiculous part. Hone in on the ridiculousness of it all. A grown bear vs a bug is funny. Laugh yourself back to your feet, and do better next time.
For whoever just lost a round to something the size of a grain of rice: you’re still in the game. meow meow, kev
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