Wise Words From Epictetus: Paying Attention To Appearances

When faced with a hard appearance, say: "You are an appearance, and not at all the thing that has appearance." (PDF). Then, follow the charts below and decide if it is up to you or not. If it isn't, say to it: "You are nothing in relation to me" (PDF).

Charts:

Up to us	Not up to us	Proof
Opinion	Bodies	“Our opinions are up to us, and our impulses, desires, aversions- in short, whatever is our own doing.” (PDF).
Impulses	Possessions	“Our bodies are not up to us, nor are our possetions, our reputations, nor our public offices or that is, whatever is not our own doing.” (PDF).
Desires	Reputation	"The things that are not up to us are weak, enslaved, hindered, not our own." (PDF).
Aversions	Public offices
Whatever we decide to do.	Whatever we haven’t done
	Considered weak, hindered, enslaved, not our own.

If...	Examples	Effects	Proof
You think things naturally enslaved are for free.	Forests are naturally enslaved. Cutting them to grow crops creates negative effects.	Blame men and gods.	“If you think that things naturally enslaved are for free or that things not your own are your own, you will be thwarted, misrable and upset, and will blame both gods and men. (PDF).
You think things that aren’t your own are your own	Bee hives, for example. You suffer the concequences if you touch them.
You think only what’s yours is yours.	Your body, your mind.	No one will ever threaten or make it difficult for you.	“If you think only what’s yours is yours, and that what is not your own, is just as it is, not your own, then no one will ever coerce you, no one will ever hinder you, you will blame no one, you will not accuse anyone, you will have no enemies, and no one will harm you, because you will not be harmed at all” (PDF).
You think what’s not your own isn’t your own	Animals	You will not blame or accuse anyone, have no enemies or accuse anyone.
		Receive no harm.

Goals	Advice	What will happen	Proof
Receive no harm.	Not take them moderately. (Going to the extremes?)	You will be happy and free.	“As you aim for such great goals, remember that you must not undertake them by acting moderately, but must let some things go completely and postpone others for the time being.” (PDF).
You will not blame or accuse anyone, have no enemies or accuse anyone.	Must let things happen and postpone others.	You will be focused on: not receiving harm, not blaming or accusing anyone, and having no enemies that you probably won’t be able to achieve a public office and wealth, nor accomplish the other goals either.	“If you want both these goals and also to hold public office and to be rich, then you may perhaps not get even the latter, because you aim and the former too; and you certainly will fail to get the former, which are the only things that yield freedom and happiness.” (PDF).
No one will ever threaten or make it difficult for you.	Not to do it	You will not be happy nor free.
Prior goals+ holding public office and be rich

To write this blog I used the first section of the text. I had never read something so deep. From only seven sentences, I got all the information posted above. Amazing, isn't it?