“Remember that it's not only the desire for wealth and position that debases and subjugates us, but also the desire for peace, leisure, travel, and learning. It doesn't matter what the external thing is, the value we place on it subjugates us to another… where our heart is set, there our impediment lies.”
- Epictetus, Discourses, 4.4.1-2;15
February 21, 2021 7:00 AM
At first glance, I was confused by Epictetus words. Is he telling us our desire for virtuous things is bad? Should we not desire peace?
After reading a few times, the lesson learned is that we need to check our virtuous desires. If we fail to do this, we set ourselves up for defeat. While our desires may be noble, we risk becoming a victim of our desire.
Conclusion
Epictetus is reminding us to always be in control of our emotions when it comes to our intentions. Our desire for peace, leisure, travel, or learning should not control us instead, we should always be in control of those desires.