An arrow flying through the air is harmless unless it makes impact with something. A bullet flying through the air is the same, harmless unless something gets in its way. Anything with energy is harmless if it doesn’t find a target. It isn’t the energy that creates danger, the meeting of energy and opportunity is where danger lives. Lightning in the sky is exciting from a distance, but damaging when you are the thing that grounds it.
This applies to anything with aimless energy. On its own it is harmless. It is neither good nor bad. There is no danger unless it comes in contact with an unfavorable opportunity. Energy combined with a good opportunity can lead to positive life changing experiences. Energy combined with bad opportunities leads to situations we wish we had avoided.
So, when you see a situation where something bad could happen, whether it's a threat to yourself, your family, whatever it might be, removing the opportunity removes the threat of damage. You may not be able to do anything about the potential itself but you can remove the opportunity.
That is where you have control. You can separate yourself.
Stoics talk about the fact that you cannot control what happens around you, but you always control how you react. What actions you take. What direction you follow. Regardless of the situation, you are in control of your thoughts and actions.
You might not be able to do anything about the arrow in flight, but you can prevent it from hitting you. Just a small step to the side is all it may take to get out of the path. Small adjustments. Small course corrections.
Even when uncomfortable situations are thrown at you, you have control over your actions. Someone yelling or throwing lies at you. Someone cutting you off in traffic or at the store. Any he said / she said garbage that people who focus on negativity throw around. All of it is beyond your control, so take a small step to the side and let it fly by.
The arrow in flight is just an arrow. It flies with no thought, no intent. It has no will. Without impact with a bad opportunity it just exists, neutral to the world around it.