To say, “When there’s a gap between your desires and your circumstances, change the circumstances” violates the teachings of these and other currents of religious thought. Instead, they say, what you do need to do is suppress your desires. Get on top of them and become cool, detached, and dispassionate. Then you can keep your promises and stay on the path. The circumstances are fated, while the desires are just an illusion. That’s the reason Socrates wasn’t panicking at the end of his life. He didn’t care to keep on living. He had succeeded in detaching himself.
