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This is the first part of a video commentary series, working through Epictetus' classic work of Stoic philosophy, the Enchiridion (or Handbook), one half hour at a time. In this series, we examine the text chapter by chapter, and line by line, providing analysis, examples, discussion, and applications. In this video, we look at chapter 1 of the text.

Epictetus writes:
"Some things are under our control, while others are not under our
control. Under our control are conception, choice, desire, aversion, and,
in a word, everything that is our own doing; not under our control are our
body, our property, reputation, office, and, in a word, everything that is
not our own doing. Furthermore, the things under our control are by
nature free, unhindered, and unimpeded; while the things not under our
control are weak, servile, subject to hindrance, and not our own.
Remember, therefore, that if what is naturally slavish you think to be
free, and what is not your own to be your own, you will be hampered,
will grieve, will be in turmoil, and will blame both gods and men; while
if you think only what is your own to be your own, and what is not your
own to be, as it really is, not your own, then no one will ever be able to
exert compulsion upon you, no one will hinder you, you will blame no
one, will find fault with no one, will do absolutely nothing against your
will, you will have no personal enemy, no one will harm you, for neither
is there any harm that can touch you.


With such high aims, therefore, remember that you must bestir
yourself with no slight effort to lay hold of them, but you will have to
give up some things entirely, and defer others for the time being. But if
you wish for these things also, and at the same time for both office and
wealth, it may be that you will not get even these latter, because you aim
also at the former, and certainly you will fail to get the former, which
alone bring freedom and happiness.


Make it, therefore, your study at the very outset to say to every harsh
external impression, "You are an external impression and not at all what
you appear to be." After that examine it and test it by these rules which
you have, the first and most important of which is this: Whether the
impression has to do with the things which are under our control, or with
those which are not under our control; and, if it has to do with some one
of the things not under our control, have ready to hand the answer, "It is
nothing to me.""

I first released this commentary series over the course of Stoic Week 2016, in a different video channel. I have taken those older videos, improved the sound quality as much as possible, and I am now releasing the entire set in my main channel.

The intro and outro music for this video is from the public domain site MusOpen, and is from J.S Bach - Das Musikalische Opfer - II. Canones diversi super Thema Regium, available here: https://musopen.org/music/3225-the-musical-offering-bwv-1079/#recordings

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