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Monday, April 21, 2014

BOOK BITS - THE ART OF LIVING, BY EPICTETUS - A ROADMAP FOR A WISE AND COURAGEOUS LIFE

Some years ago I came across a small volume with quotes from the best of Epictetus, a stoic Greek philosopher born a slave in the year 55 AD. 
 
The book The Art of Living is a translation of his ideas into contemporary language by Sharon Lebell.
 
About 100 pages long, it contains only a few paragraphs per page.  It can be easily digested in a couple of hours or less.  But not discarded.  Whenever the world and our lives seem too confusing or overwhelming, it's good to pick it up, read selected bits, and realign our lives to regain calm and a new direction. 
 
The following may seem like platitudes, but that's because deep concepts have been simplified to make them accessible to everyone, not just philosophers.

EXCERPTS
 
The worthiest goals are freedom, even-mindedness and tranquility.
 
If it's freedom what you seek, then wish for nothing that depends on others, or you will always be a helpless slave.


The life of wisdom is a life of reason and logic.  But clear thinking requires proper training.
 
Authentic happiness is always independent of external conditions.  Your happiness can only be found within. 
 
Don't lower your personal standards to win social acceptance and life's comforts. 
 
The key is to keep company with people who uplift you.

 
Think before you act.  Don't rush into action.  Use what you have already learned in life.  Wait and assess.  Spontaneity is not a virtue in and of itself.
 
Think before you speak to make sure you are speaking with good purpose. Glib talk disrespects others.  Breezy self-disclosure disrespects yourself.  Take care not to discuss issues that matter to you with people who are not important to you.
 
A half-hearted spirit has no power.  Tentative efforts lead to tentative outcomes.
 
Be honest with yourself.  Clearly assess your strengths and weaknesses.
 
If you desire something that isn't within your own control, disappointment will surely follow. Meanwhile you will be neglecting the very things that are within your control and that are worthy of your attention.   If you must go after something, do it with grace, finesse and flexibility. 

 
The wise person knows it is fruitless to project hopes and fears on the future.  This leads to wasting time or depression.  At the same time one shouldn't passively acquiesce to the future and what it holds.  Doing nothing does not avoid risk, but heightens it.  There is a place for prudent planning and for provision for future situations.
 
You become what you give attention to. 
 
First say what you would be, then do what you have to do.
 
Find worthy models to emulate.
 
Respect and care for your body.  Promote its health and well being.
 
Be suspicious of convention.  Take charge of your own thinking. On the other hand there's no inherent virtue in new ideas.  Judge ideas and opportunities on the basis of whether they are life-giving. 
 
Practice having a grateful attitude and you will be happy.
 
From "The Art of Living" by Epictetus - Interpreted by Sharon Lebell
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Living-Classical-Happiness-Effectiveness/dp/0061286052

 
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RELATED

More Epictetus quotes from the web: 

http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/13852.Epictetus

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/stoicism/a/121510-Epictetus-Quotes.htm

http://www.notable-quotes.com/e/epictetus_quotes.html


More on Epictetus

Epictetus maintains that the foundation of all philosophy is self-knowledge, that is, the conviction of our ignorance and gullibility ought to be the first subject of our study. Logic provides valid reasoning and certainty in judgment, but it is subordinate to practical needs.
 
Both the Discourses and the Enchiridion begin by distinguishing between those things in our power and those things not in our power. That alone is in our power, which is our own work; and in this class are our opinions, impulses, desires, and aversions.

What, on the contrary, is not in our power, are our bodies, possessions, glory, and power. Any delusion on this point leads to the greatest errors, misfortunes, and troubles, and to the slavery of the soul.
 
We have no power over external things, and the good that ought to be the object of our earnest pursuit, is to be found only within ourselves.

The determination between what is good and what is not good is made by the capacity for choice.  It allows us to act, and gives us the kind of freedom that only rational animals have. It is determined by our reason, which of all our faculties sees and tests itself and everything else. It is the right use of the impressions that bombard the mind that is in our power:

Read more
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epictetus

Stoic philosophy
Stoics were concerned with the active relationship between cosmic determinism and human freedom, and the belief that it is virtuous to maintain a will that is in accord with nature. Because of this, the Stoics presented their philosophy as a way of life, and they thought that the best indication of an individual's philosophy was not what a person said but how they behaved.
Read more
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoicism

More in depth:
http://www.iep.utm.edu/stoicmind/

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