“We control our reasoned choice and all acts that depend on that moral will. What’s not under our control are the body and any of its parts, our possessions, parents, siblings, children, or country— anything with which we might associate.”
—Epictetus, Discourses, 1.22.10
“There is only one path to happiness, and let this rule be ready both in the morning and during the day and by night; the rule is not to look toward things which are out of the power of our own reasoned choice, to think nothing is our own, to give up on all other things to divinity and fortune.”
—Epictetus, Discourses, 4.4.39
I would like to be able to consistently make the ideas and teachings of the Stoics relatable to someone who may not be interested in pouring over texts written centuries ago. I enjoy it, both given my new-found interest in philosophy, and my ever-present penchant for history. However, I will be the first to admit that Discourses can get tedious and dry now and then. Still, the writing style does not nullify the importance of the ideas therein.
Recently, I was present to overhear someone explain a Stoic idea to children, and I nearly laughed out loud at how simple the concept could be (and how complicated I often make it). Instead of talking about how “one can control only those things in one’s sphere of influence, one’s reasoned choice, and all else becomes at best a preferred indifferent…” he instead said, “What is our word of the day?” To which the kids he was teaching replied: (with the gusto only capable of children) “ATTITUDE!!!!”
“That’s right,” he continued “Attitude. Attitude means that only you can decide how you behave. Only you can decide how you feel. No matter what happens to us from the outside, you control what you do. You can have a good attitude, no matter what!”
As I said, I could not help but smile. Here was Epictetus and Aurelius being quoted back to me, but in a way that a 5-year-old could grasp it. The ideas are the same, and there is no need for them to come from a boring old Roman guy. Furthermore, how many of have been told throughout our lives that attitude is everything, and we can choose to have a good attitude, even in bad situations. The Stoics have been present in all of our lives for years, and we had no idea.
In grade school, I had a gym coach who used to always say, “It takes no talent to hustle.” He even hung it in the gym, where I and all of my classmates could see it every day. Subconsciously (and eventually consciously) I took those words to heart and applied them to my own life.
When I would step onto the basketball court, I knew that I was as good as I was going to be for that game. I could not change how much I had practiced, nor could I change how big I was, or how good my opponent was. When I got to college, and in the few times actually got onto the court, I knew full-well that I was on borrowed time; that I was far from the best player out there, and I was probably never going to be. However, in that moment, from buzzer to buzzer, I had one thing I could control; My willingness to hustle, my refusal to quit, my fight…my attitude… my Stoic attitude.
