Who is the Puppet Master? (Sections 16-30)

Right now, I’ve read up to section 30, and I have concluded that there are two main ideas (amongst others) in the Stoic philosophy. The first one has to do with being indifferent towards another person’s life, or any aspect that is not part of your life plan. This first ideal leads me to the second which is that your life, or anybodies life, is already made up for you by and unknown force which has not been yet disclosed by the speaker.

Again in sections 16, 19 and 23: “Do not hesitate, however, to sympathize with him verbally, and even to moan with him if the occasion arises; but be careful no to moan inwardly.” (Epictetus sec. 16). “… and you yourself will want neither to be a general or a magistrate or a consul, but to be free. And there is one road to this: despising what is not up to us.” (Epictetus sec. 19). “If it ever happens that you turn outward to want to please another person, certainly you have lost your plan of life.” (Epictetus sec. 23). Clearly the three quotes written above show that in order to have a “satisfactory” and “triumphant” life, you have to become estranged with every single aspect that doesn’t concern you such as a moaning person. This senseless way of living a life is completely impossible for a human being to achieve since this animal – and particularly this species – depends on others for their survival. For example, if a baby were to be born, and the mother, who’s only task in life was to conceive and nurture this baby dies, then the baby will be left alone causing it to eventually die. Some may argue that another person will then nurture the baby, but this is impossible, if every person sticks to their plan of life, because no one would be available since the spot of caring for this baby was already taken.

The second main idea in Stoicism is also repeated in section 17, “Remember that you are an actor in a play, which is as the playwright wants it to be: short if he wants it short, long if he wants it long… What is yours is to play the assigned part well. But to choose it belongs to someone else.” (Epictetus sec. 17). This section, clearly states that we are where we are due to a superior force. And, this section proves my theory of the absence of choice in a stoic world. In a play, if you are an actor, you may not change your role, meaning that you can’t choose what to do in life. But, who or what in the world chooses what our role in life is? Do stoics have a God, or is it just "like that"?

A new stoic theory presented as I read from sections 15 to 30, and it was the one of judgment. Judgment of perspective about an event being negative or positive. “When you see someone weeping in grief at the departure of his child or the loss of his property… be ready to say immediately, “What weighs down on this man is not what has happened (since it does not weigh down on someone else), but his judgment about it.” (Epictetus sec. 16). Of all the previous theories of Stoicism, this is the one I completely agree with. This idea is completely true, and it is because of this tendency in life that humans fight and wage wars. For example, politicians all over the world are constantly fighting whether this or that is positive or negative in accordance to their perspectives.