Your Will Is Enduring
Your Will Is Enduring
October 19th
“Disease is an impediment to the body, but not to the will, unless the will itself chooses. Lameness is an impediment to the leg, but not to the will. And add this reflection on the occasion of everything that happens, for you will find it an impediment to something else, but not to yourself.”
—Epictetus
Enchiridion
Consider that flat tire you got on your way to work. It was an impediment to your car, sure, but was it really an impediment to you? Only if you let it be.
Epictetus urges us to remember that the power of our will is invincible. You can choose to allow a situation to knock you off-balance or decide to remain undeterred, continuing to act based on your principles and intentions.
This doesn't mean ignoring obstacles or difficulties. It means accepting them as part of life and not allowing them to influence your will.
Imagine the artist who accidentally spills paint on their canvas. Does that stop their will to create beautiful art? Of course not. Instead, they can choose to incorporate it into their masterpiece. The spilled paint becomes a part of the journey, not a roadblock.
Next time your "leg is lame", can you see it as a challenge to overcome rather than a derailment of your journey?
