I

June 12th

A TRAINED MIND IS BETTER THAN ANY SCRIPT

“In this way you must understand how laughable it is to say, ‘Tell

me what to do!’ What advice could I possibly give? No, a far

better request is, ‘Train my mind to adapt to any

circumstance.’... In this way, if circumstances take you off

script... you won’t be desperate for a new prompting.”

—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.2.20b–1; 24 b–25a

t would be nice if someone could show us exactly what to do in every
situation. Indeed, this is what we spend a good portion of our lives doing:
preparing for this, studying for that. Saving for or anticipating some
arbitrary point in the future. But plans, as the boxer Mike Tyson pointed
out, last only until you’re punched in the face.
Stoics do not seek to have the answer for every question or a plan for
every contingency. Yet they’re also not worried. Why? Because they have
confidence that they’ll be able to adapt and change with the circumstances.
Instead of looking for instruction, they cultivate skills like creativity,
independence, self-confidence, ingenuity, and the ability to problem solve.
In this way, they are resilient instead of rigid. We can practice the same.
Today, we will focus on the strategic rather than the tactical. We’ll
remind ourselves that it’s better to be taught than simply given, and better to
be flexible than stick to a script.