Imagine yourself as a pilot steering a plane. You are not the plane of course, but the one controlling it.

Marcus, in quoting Epictetus, is pointing out that we are not our bodies per se, but rather the souls that command our physical form, the tangible device.

Our bodies age, get sick, and break down, but we cling onto them as if they were our very selves. Recognizing this difference can unchain us from needless worries and self-identification with transient conditions.

Take a moment to reflect on this shift in perspective. Can it influence how you manage stress, or react to bodily changes? It's a reminder to focus on what we can control: our thoughts, decisions, and actions.

Just like a skilled pilot navigating through stormy weather, your soul can steer your "corpse"—or, less morbidly, your body—through life's ups and downs.