The Practice of Liberty
Stoic Thoughts on the Liberal Arts
“1. Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in a word, whatever are not our own actions.
The things in our control are by nature free, unrestrained, unhindered; but those not in our control are weak, slavish, restrained, belonging to others. Remember, then, that if you suppose that things which are slavish by nature are also free, and that what belongs to others is your own, then you will be hindered. You will lament, you will be disturbed, and you will find fault both with gods and men. But if you suppose that only to be your own which is your own, and what belongs to others such as it really is, then no one will ever compel you or restrain you. Further, you will find fault with no one or accuse no one. You will do nothing against your will. No one will hurt you, you will have no enemies, and you will not be harmed.
Aiming therefore at such great things, remember that you must not allow yourself to be carried, even with a slight tendency, towards the attainment of lesser things. Instead, you must entirely quit some things and for the present postpone the rest. But if you would both have these great things, along with power and riches, then you will not gain even the latter, because you aim at the former too: but you will absolutely fail of the former, by which alone happiness and freedom are achieved.
Work, therefore to be able to say to every harsh appearance, "You are but an appearance, and not absolutely the thing you appear to be." And then examine it by those rules which you have, and first, and chiefly, by this: whether it concerns the things which are in our own control, or those which are not; and, if it concerns anything not in our control, be prepared to say that it is nothing to you.”— Epictetus, Enchirideon 1 (translated by Elizabeth Carter)
Epictetus, a slave who was eventually freed, came of age in a very unequal and unjust society. Though we think of Ancient Greece as a Democracy, only the elite could vote.
Like Y’shua of Nazareth, he sought a participatory philosophy which would allow practitioners to liberate themselves spiritually.
Y’shua said things like: “how blissful the destitute, abject in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of the Heavens.” (Matthew 5, translated by David Bentley Hart)
Epictetus seems to have been renowned by those surrounding him, and was participant in the creation of the Stoa, which was a covered walkway like a porch where people would gather outside of important buildings.
The important thing about the Stoa was that it was a place for people outside of the ruling class to gather and provoke one another’s ideas in the aspiration toward Philo-Sophia, the common aspiration toward the pursuit of Wisdom.
As a result of this, he took on many students, and some of his writings were preserved, and still exist to this day.
His brand of philosophy came to be called Stoicism, and it lasted well into Roman rule, and seems to have been adopted in some of the thought of what we call the “New Testament.”
His core idea was very similar to the major idea in Buddhism — that it is our desire for a certain outcome, substance, material good, or other object which keeps us in a state of ceaseless suffering.
But didn’t they pursue Wisdom? They did, but they realized that — like the concept of “God” or “the Logos” — Wisdom was elusive. We would never “obtain” or “understand” it.
There was one object that they did pursue, however. It was called “Eudaimonia” — a harmonious spirit which could flourish.
The Romans called it “Virtue.” Thomas Jefferson called it “Happiness.”
The Buddha called it “Enlightenment.”
For all of my ceaseless failure, my perpetual repetition of the same stupid mistakes, my seeming incapacity to grasp or understand, I still think this is a pretty good ideal to shoot for.
It is my hope it may be of some use to you.
Aspiringly,
Aaron