Monday, July 18, 2011

Time for Rereading Epictetus

Although my blog is basically a cheery little record of all my happy activities and accomplishments as a children's book writer, philosophy professor, and occasional salvager of ruined houses, rest assured that my personal life has many hideous and horrid challenges in it. Sometimes I wish that just one week would go by without some staggering blow.

So this is why I continue to love my most beloved of all philosophers, Epictetus. Epictetus erects his philosophy on the simplest possible scaffolding: he draws just one fundamental distinction, between things that are in our power (things that are up to us) and things that are not in our power (things that are not up to us). From this all the rest follows with absolute obviousness. For once you grasp the distinction, which category of things should you worry about? Things that are in your power, or things that are not? Um, things that ARE in your power? Yes! So what should you NOT be focusing on? Um, everything else? Yes! And this includes: the weather, your reputation, your worldly fortunes, and most important for our purposes here: other people's actions.

YOU CANNOT CONTROL WHAT OTHER PEOPLE DO. THEIR ACTIONS ARE NOT IN YOUR POWER. THEIR ACTIONS ARE NOT UP TO YOU.

99 percent of my staggering blows concern other people's actions. That is to say, things that I can do nothing about. NOTHING AT ALL. So why should I be staggering? And lamenting? And groaning? Why not calmly accept that other people will act as they are going to act, and accept that all things happen as they do?

On some days this is harder than on other days. It's also easier, I've found, with medication. But the only alternative is to beat your head bloody against what cannot be changed.

So instead I'll finish this blog post, fix myself a nice little lunch, put on my bathing suit, and go sit awhile by the pool.

That IS in my power. That IS up to me.

6 comments:

  1. Claudia,
    I hope your hideous, horrid challenges will subside soon and that writing your blog and sitting by the poolside were a significant part of the reason for their subsiding. Stay strong!

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  2. Yes. Epictetus. Reread Epictetus, pen in hand because notes in pencil don't smear and next time buy a new copy and mark it up again and then one day look and see that your notes in the margins are different. Wasn't it the memory of his writing that kept Admiral Stockdale sane and alive for seven years while he was incarcerated in Vietnam? Viva Epictetus. (It might help)

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  3. Oh, Claudia, but be careful about treating your "worldy fortunes" as something over which you have no power. SW

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  4. Thinking of you, dear Claudia! You are so courageous, and I am, as always, in awe of all that you are and do.

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  5. Another point in favor of the relevance of philosophy for daily life!

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