—But those are things the gods left up to me.Then isn’t it better to do what’s up to you—like a free man
—than to be passively controlled by what isn’t, like a slave
or beggar? And what makes you think the gods don’t care
about what’s up to us?
Start praying like this and you’ll see.Not “some way to sleep with her”—but a way to stop
wanting to.
Not “some way to get rid of him”—but a way to stop
trying.
Not “some way to save my child”—but a way to lose your
fear.
Redirect your prayers like that, and watch what happens.- Epicurus: “During my illness, my conversations were not
about my physical state; I did not waste my visitors’ time
with things of that sort, but went on discussing philosophy,
and concentrated on one point in particular: how the mind
can participate in the sensations of the body and yet maintain
its serenity, and focus on its own well-being. Nor did I let
my doctors strut about like grandees. I went on living my life
the way it should be lived.”