Nature is amazing and ‘on the side of life’, as Xenophon says. Take the body – the nastiest and least pleasant thing of all – which we nevertheless love and look after. If we had to look after our neighbour’s body, we’d be sick of it inside of a week. Imagine what it would be like to rise at dawn and brush someone else’s teeth, or wipe their private parts after they’ve answered nature’s call. Really, it’s amazing that we can love something that on a daily basis requires so much of our attention.
I stuff this paunch, then empty it; and what could be more tedious? But God must be obeyed, and so I live on and put up with washing, feeding and housing my miserable body. When I was younger it asked something else of me, and I put up with that too. So why can’t you tolerate it, when nature, which gave you this body, asks for it back?
‘But I love it.’
Wasn’t it nature, as I just finished saying, that made you love it? It’s nature, too, that tells you it’s time to let it go, so that you won’t have to fuss over it any more.
Fragments 23.23
Today’s meditation
The underlying Stoic issue here is our attachment to the body and our resistance to letting go of things that are beyond our control. As Epictetus notes, "I stuff this paunch, then empty it; and what could be more tedious?" ([Fragments 23.23]). This passage reveals that our bodies require constant attention, and yet we love and care for them nonetheless.
The insight here is that our attachment to the body is natural, but it is also fleeting. Epictetus reminds us that "nature, which gave you this body, asks for it back" ([Fragments 23.23]). This suggests that we should learn to let go of our attachment to the body and accept the natural order of things.
To apply this insight today, one might reflect on the ways in which they are overly invested in their physical appearance or health. Are there things that you are doing solely to maintain your body, rather than to cultivate your character or virtue? Consider the ways in which you can focus on what is truly within your control, such as your thoughts and actions, rather than worrying about the things that are fleeting and beyond your control.
As Epictetus says, "It's nature, too, that tells you it's time to let it go, so that you won't have to fuss over it any more" ([Fragments 23.23]). This reminds us that there is a time to let go of our attachments and focus on what is truly important. Today, you might ask yourself: what am I holding onto that is no longer serving me, and how can I learn to let go of it?