Stoic Happiness Wednesday's (#3), Epictetus on Happiness

This is a quote taken from Epictetus' Discourses and Selected Writings and is only a fraction of his highly influential book but it is a quote that has so much value and holds a great deal of importance that we can apply to our everyday lives.

Firstly, we must define happiness. I personally feel that happiness itself is a subjective term because it honestly depends on the person how they would define their personal achievement of happiness. Some see the monetary gain as a measure of happiness. Some see health and security as the defining qualities of happiness. And others view having strong relationships with others in your social circle as a key measure of your level of happiness. Whatever the term happiness means to you, if it has come to you fairly, then others will admire your work/disposition and it will make them happy for you also. There's nothing better than the feeling of appreciation from others, that's what society is governed towards, the theory of acceptance and respect gives everyone a sense of pride and accomplishment.

The best real-life example to use when using this quote: 'When happiness is come by fairly, others are happy for us too' would be in the attainment of money and rewards. If the gain of more money is a catalyst for your happiness and if you attain this money in the most ethical way you know, I would argue that everyone else will also rejoice in your happiness, because they can't help it! They respect you. Do the opposite, however, like so many people have don't... and you will be forever demised to those around you. It could also be argued that there will always be people who want to see your happiness end, but what you have to realise is that these people are truly unimportant. What you should really look for, is the recognition from people you really look up too, or you deeply care about.

I personally love this quote because I'm a big believer in honesty and the benefits it can have on our mindset and aspirations in life. A person who is honest is more likely to be happier in the long term because they will naturally acquire more meaningful relationships, not just with others but also with thyself. A clean conscious allows you to be the calmest person in the room because you truly have nothing to hide. Happiness to me comes with a real desire to grow and educate yourself every day, so if I do this in a fair manner, others whose opinion I truly value will naturally rejoice in my personal happiness along with me.

So I think that it is very important that all of we of try to come by happiness (in our own terms) in a fair manner. It is obvious to me that happiness is addictive. People will admire you, want to be around you and will forever confide in you if they can see you are content and have a happy disposition. Therefore, it truly is the pinnacle of what we should all strive to maintain throughout our lifespan.

Adam x

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Background on Epictetus:
Born into slavery 55AD Epictetus is the famous Stoic of whom is most influenced by God, or the Greek Gods as they were in those times. His slave master was very fond of him and allowed him to study philosophy in his spare time and this is when he was exposed to the ‘Stoa’ teachings by his mentor Musonius Rufus. Epictetus gained freedom from slavery shortly after Emperor Nero’s death and subsequently began teaching philosophy. He taught stoicism for the rest of his life, even when forced to leave Rome as philosophers were banned in Rome, he simply moved to Greece and taught for his remaining days until he died in 135AD. His tao is spread over a few books, each of which are harder reads when compared to Aurelius or Seneca’s writings.