Yeah, the bro-stoicism “never feel anything” version deserves the dunk. But
it’s pretty much the opposite of what Epictetus taught. When his master broke
his leg, the point wasn’t that he didn’t feel it. His leg was shattered, of
course it hurt. The whole thing was about how you respond, not about clamping
down on the feeling.
His actual image was theatrical: you’re an actor handed a role you didn’t pick,
and the one thing that’s yours is how well you play it. “A beggar’s part? Play
that one truly too.” That’s not bottling anything up. It’s choosing how you
carry yourself inside a script you don’t control.
I went down a rabbit hole on this and ended up writing something that puts
Epictetus’ “actor in a play” next to the Hindu idea of lila, where the whole
universe is basically divine play. Same metaphor, opposite destinations.
Yeah, the bro-stoicism “never feel anything” version deserves the dunk. But it’s pretty much the opposite of what Epictetus taught. When his master broke his leg, the point wasn’t that he didn’t feel it. His leg was shattered, of course it hurt. The whole thing was about how you respond, not about clamping down on the feeling.
His actual image was theatrical: you’re an actor handed a role you didn’t pick, and the one thing that’s yours is how well you play it. “A beggar’s part? Play that one truly too.” That’s not bottling anything up. It’s choosing how you carry yourself inside a script you don’t control.
I went down a rabbit hole on this and ended up writing something that puts Epictetus’ “actor in a play” next to the Hindu idea of lila, where the whole universe is basically divine play. Same metaphor, opposite destinations.
if anyone’s curious to further read: https://eastwestmindset.com/philosophy-of-play-lila-stoicism/