Epictetus had a lame leg, and he decided to look at it as an impediment to the leg, not the mind. Pain and sickness, too, are to the body, not the mind. We must not allow to be taken over by self-pity. Such a self-indulgent response will only increase our suffering. Instead, we must remember that pain can be an opportunity to test and improve our virtue. We can practice patience and endurance—two noble strengths.
