Essay Questions

What binary governs habits?

Epictetus writes, “Remember that desire demands the attainment of that of which you are desirous; and aversion demands the avoidance of that to which you are averse; that he who fails of the object of his desires is disappointed; and he who incurs the object of his aversion is wretched. If, then, you shun only those undesirable things which you can control, you will never incur anything which you shun; but if you shun sickness, or death, or poverty, you will run the risk of wretchedness.” Here Epictetus alludes to desire versus aversion binary. Desire is founded on the passion or liking of a particular thing. Comparatively, aversion (which is a contradiction of desire) occurs when one is deal with undesirable things; accordingly, one cannot desire and avoid something concurrently.

How should one approach actions?

Epictetus recommends “When you set about any action, remind yourself of what nature the action is. If you are going to bathe, represent to yourself the incidents usual in the bath—some persons pouring out, others pushing in, others scolding, others pilfering.” Understanding the nature of an action that one is about to partake promotes a harmonious relationship between that person and the action. The reminder will ensure that the action would be completely effectively rather than haphazardly.

How does Epictetus underscore the essence of happiness?

Epictetus advises, “If you would improve, lay aside such reasonings as these: “If I neglect my affairs, I shall not have a maintenance; if I do not punish my servant, he will be good for nothing.” For it were better to die of hunger, exempt from grief and fear, than to live in affluence with perturbation; and it is better that your servant should be bad than you unhappy.” Epictetus recommends that one should approach various issues positively instead of aversely. Fear about future sustenance denies one the very tranquillity which contributes to happiness, while a happy servant would complete his or her duties well than one who is unhappy. Epictetus insists that one should strive to attain unconditional happiness in life.