If you want your children, your wife, and your friends to live forever, you're being foolish. You're wishing for control over things that aren't up to you. You're wanting what belongs to others to be yours instead. Same thing if you want your employee to never make mistakes — you're being foolish. You're wishing that human flaws weren't human flaws. But if you want to avoid disappointment in what you desire, that is up to you. So focus on what you can actually control. A person's master is whoever can give or take away what that person wants or fears. If you want to be free, don't want anything that depends on other people. Don't try to avoid anything that depends on other people. Otherwise, you'll be a slave.