You Don't Want To See This | The Stoic Guide To Freedom And Power (From Epictetus)

About this episode

<p>That obnoxious person. That contractor who ripped you off. That slow driver. That overly enthusiastic exercise instructor. That brusk receptionist. <a href="https://dailydad.com/you-have-to-move-on/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">That clingy parent</a>. That friend holding a grudge. That loud neighbor.</p><p>They’re not exactly your favorite. They don’t exactly make your life easier. But you know what you need to remember? You need to remember that they <em>are just doing their jobs.</em> “Is a world without shameless people possible?” Marcus Aurelius asks in <a href="https://store.dailystoic.com/collections/all-books/products/meditations-marcus-aurelius-premium-leather-edition-gregory-hays-translation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Meditations</em></a>. No, it isn’t, he reminds himself. So why am I surprised to find one he says? Somebody has to be that person and this person is it.</p><p>---</p><p>In the first century AD, few would have argued that Epictetus was the most powerful person in Rome. Few would have argued that this lowly slave possessed any power at all–in fact, the name said it all: Epictetus means acquired one.</p><p>Most of us are born into this world closer in status to Epictetus than Marcus Aurelius. We are more lowly than we are exalted. Yet each of us, as Seneca said, has access to the greatest empire, ruling over ourselves. Will we seize this kingdom? Or will we trade it away for superficial, shiny things? We free ourselves through our freedom of choice, or will we hand that freedom over to the mob, to our urges, to our fears?</p><br><p>Grab a signed copy of <a href="https://store.dailystoic.com/products/lives-of-the-stoics-signed-edition" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Lives of the Stoics</em></a><em> </em>and <a href="https://store.dailystoic.com/products/courage-is-calling-signed-edition-pre-order" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Courage is Calling</em></a><em> </em>from the Daily Stoic Store. </p><br><p>✉️<strong>&nbsp;Sign up for the Daily Stoic email:&nbsp;</strong><a href="http://dailystoic.com/dailyemail" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail</a></p><p>🏛 Check out the&nbsp;<a href="https://store.dailystoic.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Daily Stoic Store</a>&nbsp;for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.</p><p>📱 Follow us:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/dailystoic/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/dailystoic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/dailystoic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@daily_stoic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TikTok</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/dailystoic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>