In reply to The Potato:
The stoics had a lot to say about this.
They believed in divine providence, this is the idea that there is a higher power in the universe that has good intentions, although this power was not omnipotent like the Gods of monotheistic religions. This is in contrast to the epicureans who believed the universe was chaos and atoms.
They distinguished humans from animals by our capacity for reason. Unlike animals we need not be dragged around by our impulses.
They said we should use that reason to define ourselves in the universe. We are not the things around us that are beyond our control, such as what others do, the weather, our status in society, wealth or even our bodies. The things that are meaningful and in our control are our will, attitude, actions and opinions.
The stoics said we should neither flee suffering or chase pleasure and fundamentally we must overcome these impulses so that we can carry out our ultimate duty which is the love and service of humankind.