Discourses

Discourses is a transcription of Epictetus’s lectures which aim to address a series of life ethics and tales that can help us make sense of certain things happening to us, such as hardship, challenges, and life events that ultimately lead to a stronger character.

Epictetus tries to make sense of life’s challenges by looking at them from another perspective. What if everything you’ve been going through and everything bad that’s happened to you was for a reason? What if your challenges shaped you into a stronger individual? If you don’t buy into this philosophy yet, stick with me, as I’ll walk you through an example.

Let’s remember the story of Hercules. This all-mighty, mythological hero seems to have had supernatural strengths, right? After all, he’s faced so many obstacles and situations that nothing could have touched him. Well, that’s sort of how things are for us, humans, as well. You don’t need to be a mythological hero to go through hardship and then gain some remarkable strengths. In fact, this happens to all of us!

Now, imagine if Hercules didn’t have any challenges to face, nor any obstacles to overcome. Would he still strive to achieve a better version of himself, or grow and evolve? Probably not. Therefore, you ought to look at life’s drawbacks as something everyone, including yourself, must go through to become a better version of themselves and achieve their purpose in life.

You might’ve heard this before, but success doesn’t happen overnight. Just like Epictetus says, even grapes and figs take time to ripen. As such, he suggests that you grow like a fig, slowly but steadily, but never rushing the process. If a fruit can’t be brought to maturity in an hour, nor can you. And frankly, this isn’t a bad thing. Life isn’t supposed to make you grow fast and then stagnate there.

Instead, growth happens incrementally, through everyday small steps. However, sometimes life makes us take huge leaps ahead, especially through difficult times. But again, they help us grow and evolve as we learn to navigate through them. Now, back to the grapes and figs. Epictetus mentions that our growth as humans resembles these plants’ life cycle.

“First it must blossom. Then bear fruit. Then ripen.” – and therefore, no great thing happens overnight. As such, next time you feel stuck in your life, just remember that you’re undertaking a lengthy process and that it’s all going to work out for you. Essentially, if you’re working towards your dreams, creating your dream life, and going on your desired path, you’re just growing slowly into your best self.