On Anxiety 2

. . . "I cannot then say that a man is not a lute player when I see him afraid, but I can say something else, and not one thing, but many. And first of all I call him a stranger and say, 'This man does not know in what part of the world he is, but though he has been here so long, he is ignorant of the laws of the State and the customs, and what is permitted and what is not; and he has never employed any lawyer to tell him and to explain the laws.'

"But a man does not write a will, if he does not does not know how it ought to be written, or he employs a person who does know; nor does he rashly seal a bond or write a security. But he uses his desire without a lawyer's advice, and aversion, and pursuit, and attempt and purpose.

"'How do you mean without a lawyer?' He does not know that he wills what is not allowed, and does not will that which is of necessity; and he does not know either what is his own or what is or what is another man's; but if he did know, he could never be impeded, he would never be hindered, he would not be anxious.

"'How so?' Is any man then afraid about things which are not evil? 'No.'

"Is he afraid about things which are evils, but still so far within his power that they may not happen? 'Certainly he is not.'

"If, then, the things which are independent of the will are neither good nor bad, and all things which do depend on the will are within our power, and no man can either take them from us or give them to us, if we do not choose, where is room left for anxiety?

"But we are anxious about our poor body, our little property, about the will of Caesar; but not anxious about things internal. Are we anxious about not forming a false opinion? No, for this is in my power. About not exerting our movements contrary to nature? No, not even about this.

"When then you see a man pale, as the physician says, judging from the complexion, this man's spleen is disordered, that man's liver; so also say, this man's desire and aversion are disordered, he is not in the right way, he is in a fever. For nothing else changes the color, or causes trembling or chattering of the teeth, or causes a man to sink in his knees and shift from foot to foot." . . . 

--Epictetus, Discourses 2.13 (trans Long)

What Epictetus has to say here may seem unnecessarily harsh, but we must understand it within the context of a judgment that is meant to be helpful, not a judgment that is meant to be dismissive. The fact remains that only an ignorance of what is good and right makes us anxious, fearful, or worried.

Thankfully, Epictetus employs an analogy here. I would surely have to clock out early if my happiness literally depended upon the advice of most of the lawyers we see in our times. No, the analogy is about knowing what we are doing, how we should do it, and why we should be doing it.

One would hardly form a contract, write a will, or engage in a financial transaction without knowing the specifics of the law, or at least seeking the guidance of those who know it.

Likewise, one would hardly commit to the most basic standards of life, the measures of right and wrong, without knowing the good, or seeking the guidance of those who know it.

Consult the lawyer when you need success in matters of business, but consult the true philosopher when you need success in matters of character.

Better yet, be that true philosopher yourself. No formal training is necessary, only a good will, an open and critical mind, and regular dedication and practice. Your own life experiences are enough to be your school. There will also be no student loans.

If I were to understand the law, and be able to make it my own, I would be in no fear of losing what is rightly my own. Similarly, if I were to understand the moral good, and be able to make it my own, I would be in no fear of losing what is rightly my own.

Now the lawyers make a pretty penny from their knowledge, and the true philosophers might make no financial profit at all from their knowledge, but that shows us exactly where the analogy crumbles. We gain what we desire, and we must therefore be careful of what we desire. The profit of greed and the profit of character hang in the balance here.

The only thing good for man is that which is within his power, his will and action, and all indifferent externals depend upon the merit of his will and action. Where, pray tell, is there anything to lose? We only lose when we care about all the wrong things.

Just as I can be sick in my body, I can also just as well be sick in my soul. And just as the sickness in my body is from a deficiency or excess, so too the sickness in my soul is from a deficiency or excess.

Ignorance of the good is the cancer of the soul. Anxiety is the symptom of that cancer.

Written in 11/1998

Image: Edvard Munch, "Anxiety" (1894)