Method 2: Premeditate on others’ adversity. Now we’re shifting gears. So far this week you have focused on your own experiences. Today we’re expanding the power of premeditatio malorum to internalize the reality that you may be subject to unexpected misfortunes that happen to others.

Last week you practiced focusing on an outside view in order to quash your desires for things to go how you want them to. This week is similar. You’re now countering desires about other people’s behaviors. Instead of doing so by taking an outside view of your own struggles, you’re taking an inside view of other people’s actions.

WEEK 5 Strengthen yourself through minor physical hardships

You may practice relatively mild exercises of self-imposed discomfort, following the examples listed by Musonius: Try going out in the cold without a coat, or in the heat while being overdressed; abstain from drinking water when thirsty (within reason); fast for a day or two (unless you have a medical condition—check with your doctor); sleep in a

This exercise, like many future exercises in this book, is bolstered by a technique called implementation intentions, which are a well-studied, effective way to increase the chances that you will remember to do something in a specific situation.1 Instead of intending to do something, tell yourself under what circumstances you will do it.

Now that we know what they value, we should ask ourselves whether we sometimes have the same values. If we don’t—and we are reasonably confident that our judgment is on the mark—then we know that they were acting on the basis of a wrong judgment, and we should pity them, just as we would be sorry for someone who made an elementary mistake in logic

By performing this exercise, you’ll gain perspective on why people’s actions may seem reasonable to them, and, through that, develop sympathy.

Last week you practiced focusing on an outside view in order to quash your desires for things to go how you want them to. This week is similar. You’re now countering desires about other people’s behaviors. Instead of doing so by taking an outside view of your own struggles, you’re taking an inside view of other people’s actions.

the Stoic premeditatio’s goal is to loosen our attachment to external events in general, from something as simple as breaking your favorite cup (to use Epictetus’s example from Week 3) to the death of a loved one. Since you’re only doing this for a day, we do not recommend starting with a serious situation.