Epictetus, Discourses 1.9.3

“And where am I to find food to eat, if I have nothing?” says one.

 

Well, what do slaves do when they leave their masters, or what do they rely on? Do they rely on fields, or servants, or silver plate? No, on nothing but themselves; nevertheless, sustenance does not fail them. 

 

And shall our philosopher in his wanderings have to rest his confidence in others, instead of taking care of himself?

 

Is he to be baser and more cowardly than the unreasoning beasts? For each one of them is content with itself, and lacks not its proper sustenance nor the way of life that is naturally suited to it.

 

“That’s easy for you to say, but if you no longer offer your total allegiance to your king and country, and instead ramble on about God and humanity, you may well find yourself homeless and starving. You’d be smarter to stick to your own kind.”

 

I’m not entirely sure that the Caesar of the moment, whoever he may be today, is even willing to cover my head or fill my belly, but let us assume that he would. Now I am comfortable and fat, and I am beholden to him. I am then a slave to my gut, and someone else is pulling the strings. 

 

If you believe that a man is fulfilled by his pleasures, this is where we must sadly, and respectfully, part ways. Caesar may provide me with the things that I want, while Providence provides me with the things that I need. 

 

It all hinges upon what we consider to be the good life, of course: in what is done to us or in what we choose to do, and whether gratification or character is what defines us. Pay your money, make your choice. 

 

Let Caesar give, and let Caesar take away. In the end, I have myself, but I also have some backup. When my conscience is in tune with Nature, there is no possibility of my defeat. Take my stuff? Go ahead. Take me? Not on your life. 

 

I already have a home, and it is in the arms of God. I already have sustenance, and it is in the merit of my own actions. 

 

“But you will die!”

 

Yes, and so will you. It only matters how we face that end. 

 

Do you wish to be free? That dream can be achieved right here, right now. A man differs from a beast by the power to rule himself. Choose, at this point, to be yourself, and nobody else. Choose, at this point, to love all of Creation, and not only yourself. 

 

If Nature wishes you to live, she will reward your efforts. If Nature wishes you to die, she has relieved you of your duties. 

 

You are the only person who can hurt you, who can shoot yourself in the ass.

Written in 11/2000