Status Updates From المختصر

I'm told that Epictetus was a slave, but it sure doesn't sound like it from that paragraph.

And this is spoken by a person who's never been poor. Dying of hunger is not conducive to serenity. In fact, the hunger hormones tend to stress out the mind and body, causing the opposite of serenity.

That being said, the advice to be calm about your child's mistakes and disobedience is pretty good.

And to insist that the "will is bigger than the legs" is not inspirational-it is a recipe for doom. In the book's own words "if you think you have free rein over things that are naturally beyond your control...your pursuits will be thwarted and you will become a frustrated, anxious, and fault-finding person."

TL;DR, that's the most inspiration-porny BS I've ever heard.

And this page about "your will is bigger than your legs" is spoken like a true able-bodied person.

Yes, "sickness" limits what a person can do. To say otherwise, ironically, goes against one of the very principles this book has been arguing for: a sharp divide between what you can and can't control.

Disabled people are limited by what their bodies (and/or minds) can do for them.

That being said, blaming others for the mistakes YOU'VE made is wrong, yes.

But there's a difference between wrongfully and rightly blaming someone. One is avoiding accountability, the other is demanding it.

Now this is bullshit. People actually are, in fact, to blame about things they are responsible. This attitude practically discourages accountability.

For example: a builder drops a wrench from 10 stories high, and it hurts someone on the street below. It does not matter how we the onlooker feel about it; that builder is responsible for the damage he caused to the person on the street below.

It's easy to SAY "live your life in harmony with nature". But the question is, how?

People have argued for all kinds of barbaric horrors with that defense. Humanity is so cut off from nature, by our own cleverness and (ironically) nature, we cannot possibly conceive of being close to nature.

Actually, striving to avoid sickness is in fact a good idea. Within moderation, of course.

Of course, you can't avoid things like cancer (generally speaking) or disabilities that occur naturally. But you can and should vaccinate yourself against the measles.

I also agree with the idea that sticking to your own business is a worthy and liberating goal, one which indeed requires avoiding wealth and power.

However, I don't agree that it will deprive you of enemies and free you from coercion. Humans are communal creatures; and there are always those busybodies who are determined to but into your business no matter HOW you behave.

See: the history of gay & trans people.

Arguably, I'd say we have MORE control over our bodies than we do our internal selves. We can choose to cut our hair, put on certain clothes, choose what we eat, exercise, etc.

But our internal thoughts and feelings are as much, if not more, controlled by nature and the community than they are by us.

Still, the broader sentiment of "learn what you can and can't control" is inherently wise.

Are we in control of our own opinions, thoughts, and desires? True, we can choose what to do with our emotions. But we can't control our sexual orientations, gender identities, preferences, etc.

And even the things we arguably have more control over-our political beliefs, ambitions, religion, etc. are shaped by outside forces like school, friends, upbringing, and the broader community in which people live.

w poniedziałek mam egzamin z filozofii🫡. czytam drugi raz i robię notatki