How to practice Stoicism with Epictetus
There are different ways to understand Stoic theory, and different ways to be a practicing Stoic. Just like there are different ways of being a Christian, or a Buddhist. In fact, the ancient Stoics disagreed among themselves on a number of points, as it becomes clear by reading book VII of Diogenes Laertius’ Lives of the Eminent Philosophers. Moreover, Seneca says that our predecessors are our teachers, not our masters, and that if we find better ways to do things it is incumbent on us to pursue them (Letter XXXIII.11).
My favorite way to understand and live Stoicism is by following the teachings of the late first century slave-turned-teacher Epictetus, updated to the 21st century. Here I will briefly sketch out Epictetus’ approach and how it can turn your life into a happier and more meaningful one.
The three disciplines
The basic idea is to assimilate and perfect three “disciplines,” or ways of thinking and acting. This is how Epictetus explains it:
“There are three things in which we ought to exercise ourselves if we would be wise and good. The first concerns the desires and the aversions, that we may not fail to get what we desire, and that we may not fall into that which we do not desire. The second concerns … generally doing what we ought to do, that we may act according to order, to reason…
