I have taking time to enjoy my readings from Epictetus. Reading this Classical Manual on The Art of Living has been spiritually moving for me. Life has been chaotic this week. I am doing double time on my studies so I can take the final one week early. I have been taking care of my caseload of patients, teaching classes, working on three separate projects at work, in addition to preparing myself to teach on April 12th to twenty-five 13 and 14 year olds on Addiction at a Charter school. I will have my grandsons for the weekend and plan a Dave & Busters day. My younger grandson wants to bake cookies, while the older grandson wants spaghetti. In twelve days I will be in Europe for ten days.
Getting back to Epictetus, his readings are truly inspirational that I have begun to use them at work. Some of things, he talks about are not to demand or expect that events happen as you would wish them to. Accept events as they actually happen. That way peace is possible.
Nothing truly stops you. Nothing truly holds you back. For your own will is always within your control. Every difficulty in life presents us with an opportunity to turn inward and to invoke our own submerged inner resources. We all have them. We just do not recognize them. If you are meant to read, be a reader. If you are meant to write, be a writer.
Nothing can be taken away from us. There is nothing to lose. The important thing is to take great care with what you have while the world lets you have it. The surest sign of a higher life is serenity. Moral progress results in freedom from inner turmoil.
Spiritual progress requires us to highlight what is essential and to disregard everything else as trivial pursuits unworthy of our attention. Do not be concerned with other people's impressions of you. They are dazzled and deluded by appearances. Stick with your purpose. This alone will strengthen your will. Refrain from trying to win other people's approval and admiration. You are taking a higher road.
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