SLAVE

 

"Man, what are you talking about? Me in chains? You may fetter my leg, but Zeus himself cannot get the better of my free will." 

- Epictetus




 


 

 

The path to becoming unaffected by anything is possible if you realize this one thing:

 


YOU CONTROL YOUR CHOICES OF HOW YOU THINK, RESPOND, AND ACT



How many times have we been distressed about things happening to us that are outside of those three things (our thinking, response, and action)?  

 

More than we can begin to count.

 

That is simply because we have been programmed to do so daily more times than we can recall.

 

But let us ponder the quote above.

 

Here we have Epictetus, who was a born slave, having a hypothetical dialog with a non-stoic about HINDERANCE.

 

While the other party is giving various examples of how they feel a stoic could be hindered (i.e shackles, imprisonment, death), Epictetus is STATING that a true stoic CAN NOT BE HINDERED IN ANY WAY.

 

Why?

 

Because in stoicism our identity is made from our VOLITIONS (choices) not from externals (i.e our body).

 

He points out that our body can be hindered because it is not up to us.

 

What is up to us is our faculty of choice.

 

FOR IF WE CHOOSE NOT TO BE HINDERED, WE AREN'T.

 

Our spirit goes beyond the physical realm.

 

Another man can affect our externals (in this case our bodies), but our souls remain intact.

 

Our thoughts transcend, bringing us peace and tranquility.

 

You have the mental faculty of deciding whether you want to indulge in being free in your choices or being a slave, truly, to your externals.

 

Choose wisely.

 

 AMOR FATI

 

 

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