Stoicism for a Better Life – Weekly exercise (June 28, 2020)
Hello there,
Last week we looked at the Stoic philosopher who was an emperor of Rome. This week we go all the way to the other end of the Roman social spectrum in order to seek advice from to the great Stoic philosopher who was a slave. Just comes to show how Stoicism is applicable and relatable to any human being from any walk of life, background or situation. I mean, this is why it is still very pertinent after two millennia. But I digress. For this week’s exercise, I will look for inspiration from Epictetus’ Discourses III 23.30:
“Men, the philosopher’s lecture-hall is a hospital – you shouldn’t walk out of it feeling pleasure, but pain, for you aren’t well when you entered it.”
If Marcus Aurelius had a way of cutting to the the crux of the matter in his thoughts, Epictetus was the maestro of cutting through the bull plop and calling things as they are. We don’t know if the apocryphal story of how Epictetus’ leg was broken is entirely accurate (let’s be honest, it probably isn’t) but as far as Stoic stories go it is one of my favourites.
As told by Celsus, when Epictetus was still a slave he was one day being tortured by his then master Epaphroditus. As his leg was being twisted, Epictetus endured the pain with complete composure and told his master that if he did not stop torturing him and twisting his leg soon, it would break. Epaphroditus continued and the leg eventually broke. To this Epictetus responded by looking his master dead in the eye and saying (something to the effect of): “There…didn’t I tell you it would break? Now you have a slave with a lame leg. Who lost here?”
OK, so the story is clearly a fictional one. I mean we know for a fact that Epictetus had a lame leg, but this was probably due to rheumatism. As great a philosopher as Epictetus turned out to be, it is hard to believe any human being wouldn’t at least respond with a wail or scream if their leg were broken. Anyone who has endured a leg injury knows they are painful. But the story is still punk-rock, and the lesson is sound: The rational mind is the only place where out thoughts should be, come from and operate in, if we are to find the equanimity we seek.
You may be reading this article as a virtual passerby, or you may be following these exercises on a weekly basis, but we all have one thing in common: We’re trying to improve ourselves to become better human beings. Why? To make the world a better place. How? By improving our Prohairesis, that is, our faculty of judgment which control our opinions of the world around us and our decisions for actions (intentions).
So as a practical exercise this week, prioritize philosophy as much as you can. Self improvement and working towards the betterment of humanity is not a side-show…it should be the main show. Don’t work on yourself when you have a few minutes at the end of the day. Make the time for it during the day and prioritize improving yourself over all else. Philosophy is not a parlor trick. It is a doctrine for living a good life worthy of living. And the only way to attain this objective is to work towards it. Work…not hobby…not pass time…not entertainment. Work towards it.
If you want to keep the conversation going, you know where to reach me. Let’s chat and work together…improve together…make the world a better place together.
Anderson Silver
(Author of “Your User’s Manual” and “Vol 2: Your Duality Within”)