Week 3

In Epictetus’s Enchiridion, it lists off ideals and core beliefs of Stoicism. One that stood out to me the most was the ideal of number 17. It states, “Remember that you are an actor in a play, which is as the playwright wants it to be: short if he wants it short, long if he wants it long. If he wants you to play a beggar, play even this part skillfully, or a cripple, or a public official, or a private citizen. What is yours is to play the assigned part well. But to choose it belongs to someone else” (Epictetus, Enchiridion). This belief of Stoicism is intriguing, describing a feeling that many people have, where they often feel like they are acting through life, and can’t be who they truly want to be. This relates well to the idea that choosing the role belongs to someone else. Most people don’t get to actively choose how they act in life, and fall into their role based on their environment and how they were born. Athletic people become athletes, intelligent people become doctors or scientists, and people with a good work ethic become lawyers. If you have one outstanding trait, you can often be shoved into certain roles in society.