Epictetus, The Handbook 37: Right Conduct

Lay down for yourself from the first a definite stamp and style of conduct, which you will maintain when you are alone and also in the society of men. . .

—Epictetus, The Handbook, Chapter 33 (tr Matheson)

The Stoic never sees any inherent conflict between theory and practice, but the Stoic can surely see how easy it is to wrongly neglect action at the expense of too much abstraction. Consequently, most every Stoic writer I have read will offer a very specific set of guidelines for daily living. Sweeping generalizations just won’t cut it.

We may order these in any number of ways, but I think the trick is recognizing that I need to do more than think and say that I should be wise, or virtuous, or decent. Such broad statements, as true as they may be, can far too easily mask indifference and a lack of commitment. I must also add to them how, in a very particular manner, I will confront and manage the many sorts of concrete circumstances I will face in my daily life.

For my own benefit, I always break these rules down to their basic elements, and I consider each part on its own merits. I do this not to be tedious, but to be responsible. I have lost track of the number of times I’ve allowed myself to be excused from a task because I have managed to somehow conveniently overlook it.

I further ask myself what all the variables will be when I make my everyday choices. What sorts of people will I be facing? What situations will I have to find my way through? What feelings may tempt me? What motives must I keep in mind? How will I face consequences that haven’t necessarily been convenient for me?

With this passage of Epictetus, I’ve always read it in twelve parts. This first part is telling me I need to not only think with decency, but also to live with decency. I cannot live a life of contradiction, or being different men at different times. I must become deeply aware of the walk matching the talk.

I am especially conscious of my own integrity. As soon as I am willing to say one thing in public, and do another thing in private, I have renounced the right to be my own master. I am grateful that Epictetus reminds me of this, and I must certainly be reminded, because it so easy to confuse the presence of character with the mere appearance of character. Whether many see me, or none at all, my actions should remain exactly the same.

I do indeed believe that love is the law, and that the exercise of the virtues is what will set me free. Now that theory of the classroom will have to be put into the hard practice of the trenches. Whether or not I am able to do that will determine whether I am a decent man or a fraud. 

Written in 6/2009

Image: Vincent van Gogh, The Good Samaritan (1890)