Naturally

WOW.

I have a real interest in Handbooks like this. Last year I read Confucius, and the Tao Te Ching, and even though I had trouble understanding completely what was it that was tried to be transmitted, I did enjoy it. I need people or books (in this case) to remind me that life cannot be seen by one perspective, that there is infinite ways to act, to think, to feel, to see and that my job is to find the right way.

The way I understood it, every section has an idea that links to the following section and the previous one. Section 4 talks about not getting annoyed by stupid things. I think that section was directed to me, I need to learn to say as Epictetus says to, “Oh, well, I wanted not only this but also to keep my choices in accord with nature, and I cannot do that if I am annoyed with things that happen.” (Section 4) I hate that things don’t go accordingly to planned. But again, I need to understand that it is not of my own to control that, “But if you think that only what is your is yours, and that what is not yours is, …, not your own, then no one will ever coerce you.” (Section 1) What it mine and what is not mine? How can I determine that? Epictetus suggests that things like our opinion, or decisions or dreams are up to us, but that our body and reputation are not up to us. Which, I have to disagree. It depends on us (is up to us) if we are considered a disciplined person or an honest person or a liar, we decide if our character is one way or another, no one else determines that, among other statements I disagree with.

As I pointed out, letting things flow by nature takes a big effort from me. “Do not seek to have events happen as you want them to, but instead want them to happen as they do happen,” (Section 8) I have always been taught to seek for events to happen as I wish them to happen: the score on a test, the future of my life or the outcome of am effort. If I can’t wait for them to happen was I want to, then maybe just act without giving too much though about it, “Make use only of impulse and its contrary rejection,” (Section 2)