💀 Dying Every Day
Dying Every Day (Stoicism in a Year) is a podcast by the Perennial Leader Project. Each episode turns a selected passage from Stoic philosophy into a guided meditation designed to help you (and me) learn how to live.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube
Epictetus on Contending with Difficulties
Welcome back to Dying Every Day (Stoicism in a Year). We’ve reached Day 66, where we’re exploring how to contend with difficulties.
Epictetus taught his students,
It is difficulties that reveal what men amount to; and so, whenever you’re struck by a difficulty, remember that God, like a trainer in the gymnasium, has matched you against a tough young opponent.
+Adapted from Discourses
Epictetus (and many others) advise us to embrace difficulties when they arise. Curiously, misfortune or challenges are neither good nor bad, at least according to the Stoics. As a general rule, stressed Epictetus, we cause aggravation to ourselves; that is to say, it is our own judgements that aggravate us.
Take a moment to reflect on these questions: (1) How do you typically think about difficulties in life? See if you can notice any desires or aversions that arise. (2) Do you see challenges as opportunities to improve?
To fully understand today’s passage, it’s worth revisiting the notion that virtue is the highest (or only) good. The Stoics believed that virtue is available regardless of our circumstances, even in the face of difficulties and challenges.
In a letter to his friend Lucilius, Seneca put it this way,
Of course, I prefer that war should not occur, but if war does occur, I shall desire that I may nobly endure the wounds, the starvation, and all that the demands of war bring. … The conclusion is not that hardships are desirable but that virtue is desirable, which enables us patiently to endure hardships.
+Adapted from On Ill-Health and Endurance of Suffering
Reflecting Prompt
Consider reflecting (or journaling) on a recent difficulty or challenge. You might ask yourself, “What can I learn about myself and my philosophy from this situation?” or “How can this be an opportunity to practice virtue?”
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube
—
Thank you for reading/listening; I hope you found something useful.
Until next time, be wise and be well,
J.W.
P.S. I greatly appreciate your time, attention, and support!