That’s the effort that should absorb your teacher and mentor, if he really were one. And you for your part would come to him saying, ‘Epictetus, we can no longer stand being tied to this hateful body, giving it food and drink, resting it and cleaning it, and having to associate with all manner of uncongenial people for its sake. [13] Such things are indifferent, are they not, and as nothing to us; and death no evil thing? Aren’t we akin to God, having come from him? [14] Let us go home, then, to be free, finally, from the shackles that restrain us and weigh us down. [15] Here we find robbers and thieves, and law-courts, and so-called despots who imagine that they wield some power over us precisely because of our body and its possessions. Allow us to show them that they have power over precisely no one.’
Discourses 1.9.12
Today’s meditation
The underlying Stoic issue in this passage is the desire for freedom from the burdens and troubles of life. Epictetus' student is expressing a deep frustration with the necessities of the body and the troubles that come with living in the world.
As Epictetus would likely respond, "Such things are indifferent, are they not, and as nothing to us" (Discourses 1.9.12). This phrase reveals a key insight into living well: recognizing what is truly within our control and what is not. The student's desire to be free from the body's needs and the troubles of the world is understandable, but it is also a desire to escape what is inherent to the human experience.
To live well, one must learn to distinguish between what is truly important and what is merely a distraction or a burden. Epictetus reminds us that we are "akin to God, having come from him" (Discourses 1.9.13), suggesting that our true nature is not defined by our bodily needs or external circumstances, but by our rational and virtuous capacities.
Someone might apply this insight today by reflecting on their own desires and frustrations. What are the things that feel like "shackles" or burdens in their life? Are these things truly necessary, or are they merely preferences or attachments? By recognizing what is truly within their control and what is not, they can begin to let go of unnecessary desires and focus on cultivating virtue and living in accordance with reason.
As you meditate on this passage today, consider the question: What is one thing that you can let go of or reframe as "indifferent" in your life, in order to focus on what truly matters?