Very well: but now someone has laid hold on my cloak, and drags me into the market, then others raise a clamor against me, “Philosopher, what good have your judgements done you? for, see, you are hauled to prison, see, you are about to be beheaded.”
And what sort of Introduction to philosophy could I have studied, that would save me from being hauled off, if a stronger man seizes my cloak, or, if ten men drag me about and cast me into prison, will save me from being cast there? Have I then learned nothing else?
I have learned to see that everything that happens, if it is beyond the control of my will, is nothing to me. Have you not gained benefit then in this respect? Why do you seek benefit elsewhere than where you learned that it is to be found?
I sit on then in prison and say, “This person who clamors at me has no ear for the true meaning of things, he does not understand what is said, in a word he has taken no pains to know what philosophers do or say. Let him be.”
But the answer comes, “Come out of your prison.”
If you have no more need of me in prison, I come out; if you need me again, I will come in. For how long? For as long as reason requires that I should abide by my vile body; but when reason demands it no longer, take it from me and good health to you! Only let me not cast it off without reason or from a faint heart, or for a casual pretext.
For again God wills it not, for He has need of a world like this, and of such creatures as ourselves to move upon the Earth. But if He give the signal of retreat, as He gave it to Socrates, one must obey His signal as that of the general in command.
And what sort of Introduction to philosophy could I have studied, that would save me from being hauled off, if a stronger man seizes my cloak, or, if ten men drag me about and cast me into prison, will save me from being cast there? Have I then learned nothing else?
I have learned to see that everything that happens, if it is beyond the control of my will, is nothing to me. Have you not gained benefit then in this respect? Why do you seek benefit elsewhere than where you learned that it is to be found?
I sit on then in prison and say, “This person who clamors at me has no ear for the true meaning of things, he does not understand what is said, in a word he has taken no pains to know what philosophers do or say. Let him be.”
But the answer comes, “Come out of your prison.”
If you have no more need of me in prison, I come out; if you need me again, I will come in. For how long? For as long as reason requires that I should abide by my vile body; but when reason demands it no longer, take it from me and good health to you! Only let me not cast it off without reason or from a faint heart, or for a casual pretext.
For again God wills it not, for He has need of a world like this, and of such creatures as ourselves to move upon the Earth. But if He give the signal of retreat, as He gave it to Socrates, one must obey His signal as that of the general in command.
—from Epictetus, Discourses 1.29
Now sometimes, usually when we are least expecting it, the stakes will become much higher than losing a lamp. Will the philosopher also be able to retain his peace of mind when he is thrown into prison, or when his head is on the block?
I may believe that my power of resistance must decrease as the circumstances grow heavier, and yet whatever happens to me will only gain significance by the priority in my own judgments. It is as important as I permit it to be, such that either the loss of a lamp or the threat of death are never too much to bear.
I knew a man who went into a blind rage when he saw a scratch on his car, and I knew a woman who smiled with acceptance when a doctor told her she had a few months to live. How they felt about their conditions was a result of how they thought about the measure of the good and the bad.
Emotions can be tricky things, not always behaving as we would immediately wish, though the patterns to the passions are ultimately formed by the habits of the understanding. Where I commit to transforming that awareness, the feelings will, slowly but surely, also undergo a remarkable change.
Philosophy, whatever the school, isn’t going to make the world conform to my demands; no skill of any sort can do that, since Fortune will always dance to her own tune.
Just as we sadly underestimate our power to master ourselves, so we vainly overestimate our power to control outside events. When they do follow our preferences, it is due more to an incidental concurrence than it is to our brilliant scheming; we take all the credit when little is due, and we point the finger of blame when we should be improving ourselves.
When the bureaucrats really want to reduce you to poverty, or the thugs insist upon breaking your bones, there’s often not much to be done beyond rousing the inner spirit. Still, it is always enough, for Nature has wisely granted us the required tools.
If it is mine to nurture, I commit myself wholeheartedly. If it is within the authority of another, I let it be. I hope he might change his ways, but whatever I suggest to him, he must do that for himself. Think of all the trouble we can save ourselves by minding our own business!
Must it crush me that he thinks so differently than I do? Pity him for his ignorance, love him when he flaunts his hate. His vices provide the very means for my own virtues.
Wait, is he now showing mercy? Was that a spark of compassion I saw in his eyes? If he lets me go, I will gladly go, while never forgetting how easily he can change his mind, at which point I must just as gladly return. You may say it is impossible, to which I say it is as possible as my decision not to be ruled by his whims.
Eventually, it will be time for me to depart, whether as an older man or as a younger man, in my bed or on the rack. Providence put me here for a reason, to stand firm until it is absolutely necessary to retreat, and if today has to be that last day, I intend to go out with as much dignity as I can muster.
Now sometimes, usually when we are least expecting it, the stakes will become much higher than losing a lamp. Will the philosopher also be able to retain his peace of mind when he is thrown into prison, or when his head is on the block?
I may believe that my power of resistance must decrease as the circumstances grow heavier, and yet whatever happens to me will only gain significance by the priority in my own judgments. It is as important as I permit it to be, such that either the loss of a lamp or the threat of death are never too much to bear.
I knew a man who went into a blind rage when he saw a scratch on his car, and I knew a woman who smiled with acceptance when a doctor told her she had a few months to live. How they felt about their conditions was a result of how they thought about the measure of the good and the bad.
Emotions can be tricky things, not always behaving as we would immediately wish, though the patterns to the passions are ultimately formed by the habits of the understanding. Where I commit to transforming that awareness, the feelings will, slowly but surely, also undergo a remarkable change.
Philosophy, whatever the school, isn’t going to make the world conform to my demands; no skill of any sort can do that, since Fortune will always dance to her own tune.
Just as we sadly underestimate our power to master ourselves, so we vainly overestimate our power to control outside events. When they do follow our preferences, it is due more to an incidental concurrence than it is to our brilliant scheming; we take all the credit when little is due, and we point the finger of blame when we should be improving ourselves.
When the bureaucrats really want to reduce you to poverty, or the thugs insist upon breaking your bones, there’s often not much to be done beyond rousing the inner spirit. Still, it is always enough, for Nature has wisely granted us the required tools.
If it is mine to nurture, I commit myself wholeheartedly. If it is within the authority of another, I let it be. I hope he might change his ways, but whatever I suggest to him, he must do that for himself. Think of all the trouble we can save ourselves by minding our own business!
Must it crush me that he thinks so differently than I do? Pity him for his ignorance, love him when he flaunts his hate. His vices provide the very means for my own virtues.
Wait, is he now showing mercy? Was that a spark of compassion I saw in his eyes? If he lets me go, I will gladly go, while never forgetting how easily he can change his mind, at which point I must just as gladly return. You may say it is impossible, to which I say it is as possible as my decision not to be ruled by his whims.
Eventually, it will be time for me to depart, whether as an older man or as a younger man, in my bed or on the rack. Providence put me here for a reason, to stand firm until it is absolutely necessary to retreat, and if today has to be that last day, I intend to go out with as much dignity as I can muster.
Even a Superman has his kryptonite, which is why we need a Socrates to teach us about constancy.
—Reflection written in 5/2001
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