The Handbook of Epictetus talks about the Stoic teachings and views of life. One of the many teachings encountered in the handbook is the one of achieving a state of complete dissatisfaction.
“… state of mind that the Stoics thought was involved in bringing desires into line completely with the way the world actually is. It was one of understanding fully that nothing, and notably no event that might result in dissatisfaction, could possibly be otherwise that it actually is. Given the awareness of the place of such event in the whole pattern of the cosmos, one could be quite unable to conceive of the events being any different.” (Epictetus 3).
This quote compiles together in a few sentence the intricate Stoic belief of dissatisfaction. It states that in order to be completely satisfy about life you’d have to know the nature of the occurrences in life, and be able to acknowledge that they will eventually happen this way, regardless of your efforts to change that event; however, I don’t see why knowing what will come free you from a state of dissatisfaction. Knowing that what will come can’t be changed doesn’t free me of my dissatisfaction about life at all. If I know that my dearest friend will die in two hours, and that there is absolutely nothing I can do, I would still be dissatisfied of what will come next (my friend’s death). I will not be surprised, but I will be very dissatisfied.
Also, mentioning that the cosmos hold the pattern to the events that will happen in life, made me think back to the friendly Tralfamadorians, and their way of accepting things as they simply are. In accordance to the Stoics’ belief about a completely dissatisfied state of being, the Tralfamadorians would be in that state already, due to the fact that they are able to see life in the fourth dimension. And, by being able to do this, they know and understand the events to come; however, then again, I don’t agree with the Stoics. The Tralfamadorians may have learned to accept the future events as they are going to be, but they don’t seem satisfy of what will come. For example, why in the world will the Tralfamadorians be O.K. with the irrevocable fact that they will eventually destroy the universe and every molecule of life in it? This happening obviously doesn’t make them happy at all.
“Some things are up to us and some are not” (Epictetus Sec. 1) It is with this sentence that the first section of the Handbook of Epictetus starts with. It brought my attention, because it signifies the causes for many world problems in the human race. For example, if Hitler would’ve accepted the fact that it wasn’t up to him, or anybody, to decide that the Jews, or any race besides the German, were dangerous, the Second World War would of probably not occurred; however, if everybody would understand this quote about the things that are up to us and the ones that are not, the world would become an indifferent world. Every individual will eventually create his/her own world to care for. As a consequence, most, if not all, of the social, political, economical and environmental conflicts that the human race now faces will disappear taking along every emotion that makes life worth living. Basically, if I everybody carries out their tasks in satisfactory manner, every single problem will be solved in the way that the person in charge of solving it sees fit. This will cause no dispute or interaction with any other individual, because everybody will be concentrated with their tasks. Also, as a reaction to this “perfect” world, emotions about somebody else will disappear leaving us in a “perfect” but lifeless world.
However, there is also some sense of truth in this particular quote that, if applied, will make the world better. If this phrase is interpreted in a “Let It Be” kind of way, it will be positive. For example, if I don’t like a particular color, tough, I will have to learn to accept that that color exists and that there is nothing I can do to change that. Then, when the stage of acceptance is covered, I will eventually learn to live in harmony with the color I dislike.
“Illness interferes with the body, no with one’s faculty of choice, unless that faculty of choice wishes it to.” (Epictetus Sec 9). Choice/Free Will is mentioned in this sentence, making it an awkward sentence. At the beginning of the Handbook of Epictetus, the speaker mentioned that, although humans haven’t found it yet, destiny or every person’s life is written in the cosmos. So, if this is true, then why would humans have the faculty of choice? Logically, if every single event is premeditated, then nothing may be chosen, because everything is already sorted out for us by a superior force. I really don’t understand this apparent contradiction in the Stoic philosophy. As a consequence of having your life already CHOSEN for you, you will then be sucked in the same surprise-less world that the Tralfamadorians were, where choice/free will is completely absent. And yes, you as a naive human may think that you can choose whether to eat soup or not, the choice that you make was really already done for you (in a Stoic perspective).
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