> Epictetus teaches pretty plainly that you shouldn't care at all about anything you can't control. I don't think that's realistic.
I think it does not seem realistic, because it’s not easy. You can’t just wake up and start doing that. It takes time and a lot of introspection and this is probably where people mostly give up.
> I think it does not seem realistic, because it’s not easy.
This is one of the reasons why I love Meditations. Reading Marcus, one of the truly great men of his time, you can see him struggling mightily to adhere to his values. As a work it's unique in that it shows with incredible intimacy that living a healthy life, however you choose to do it, is a continuous journey with curves and switchbacks and steps forward and backward.
I didn't mean it's unrealistic because it's difficult, I meant that carried to its logical conclusion, it means pushing all joys out of your life just because they also come with some possibility of pain. That's not the path to happiness.
I think it does not seem realistic, because it’s not easy. You can’t just wake up and start doing that. It takes time and a lot of introspection and this is probably where people mostly give up.