Me, Myself and I: The Only Things You have to Worry About

About the Handbook, a guide to life, one could say that it defines the only way to be in peace with one self and consequently with others. It is the simplified version of the set of clues to remind you of things that will help you in how to live a happy life. I find this piece of antique literature so advanced for the time period it was written on. Besides it is already incredible enough to find so many cases where the ideas of this particular handbook apply to. In a mere conclusion this piece of paper is amazing in all aspects. From the first section until the fifteenth it describes with such simplicity and accuracy the best ways to solve conflicts in order to be happy. Although this is so great I disagree with one of the examples to explain the first section in the handbook. It may have not been well translated, but I think that the reputation one has is because of the actions you have taken. So in the end it is up to us to win the reputation of ourselves in society. Even though the text is clear, it is funny how at the end of the first section a conclusion has the impression of being popped out of nowhere. This may happen because the reader looses the string of thoughts the writer has written. While I read the passage, I questioned myself constantly of how to know when some things are up to me and when is it not, or what is the time-being to postpone things and when is it too late. The doubt of being capable of recognizing what is the right time to do things is always fluttering over my head.
“You are an appearance” relating this quote with Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, it resembles the appearance of dead people. Who which are not dead, but seem to be. “When a Trafalmadorian sees a corpse all he thinks is that the dead person is in a bad condition in that particular moment.”
I don’t quite understand the point of the third section of the Handbook. What is the use of kissing or naming something you are fond of? For instance what would be the use of kissing the milk just before it spills?
The fourth section is explicitly confusing; I suppose that it simply means that if you make a decision, accept the consequences of your actions and be happy.
I am happy simply for the fact of entering and tabbing each paragraph, so I am following the selfishness this passage proposes.
I believe that the fifth section is exceptionally popular because it even happens to me. Actually, it happens all the time, resulting easy to fall on this kind of suffering. People get upset for their own judgments of things and events. Learning from this fragment I will aim to achieve complete education so I don’t blame myself or others for getting upset. Besides it is so common to get upset for such silly things, that it is even difficult to get out of the frustration of being upset. Although I am not a person that frequently gets mad, I feel it is harder to get out of it than getting into the feeling of anger.
Getting happy about the superiority of something or someone else is so commonly confused with true happiness that it is funny. Including the fact that even egocentric people fall into this falsity because it is “theirs”. For instance “my bag is amazing”, what you are saying is that the bag is amazing, not you for possessing it. It is interesting that it happens so often, and we feel good about the comment.
What might the boat represent? The voyage? The captain calling? It is clear that the wife and the child are the shellfish and the vegetable, which by the way are left behind and used only for the man’s own pleasure. But the question still remains, might this saying be called from an antique way of representation we have assumed mistakenly? What I infer from this section is that family is only used for the man to take advantage of, but still it has to follow the voyage of life, without looking back. It is extremely egocentric, seeking for the happiness of only one human being, you. The happiness of others is their problem. Although the technique could work, if every single soul is fond of itself, everybody would be happy.
I believe that if you have made a hundred percent effort for something to happen, and results a completely different thing, it must be really frustrating. However the handbook suggests simply wanting things to happen as they do happen, it never mentions effort from anybody.
Simply trust your abilities to confront hardship. One of those you might be looking for first is self-control, then endurance and finally patience. Getting used to this might be hard, but it will create a confident self who will not be taken away be appearances. So in other words the only real person in the world is you.
Whatever is given to you it is not yours. Every section revolves around the idea of what is yours, what you are concerned about, what should or shouldn’t be perceived in a certain point of view. This point of view this handbook is trying to teach is individuality, selfishness and anything related to your own happiness.
“Nothing comes for free.” Even getting upset has a price. In this section a specific example is given, which involves stealing wine and spilled oil, very traditional in Greek customs. So in order to progress paying a price for tranquility is essential for your happiness. Having the slave boy as the example explains that these theories of stoicism were more influential in the upper classes of the Graeco-Roman world.
In the last sections of the Handbook, the search for progress is the main theme of the ideas, without discarding the idea of your own happiness. Reputation shows an important role in the society of this moment, since Epictetus mentions what people think about you. Actually suggests a very peculiar thing; make others think you are a mindless fool. How on earth will this help? Basically what most people suffer for is their reputation amongst their society, getting to be the most important factor of preoccupation. Why might the translator only use the word “upset”? Le mot just is essential to make this piece interesting. But this would unnecessarily confuse the audience, so using basic terminology might be a better choice.
Nothing lives forever, it is necessary to accept the loss of the ones you need to be happy. You want things that you don’t have, you want the eternal existence of your family and friends, and finally you don’t want to fail getting your desires so the only thing in your power is to let it be.
From the last passage I believe that opportunities come in the way food comes in a banquet. So I conclude from the idea of the last fifteen sections that the only things that matter are Me, Myself and I. Consequently I deduce that food makes me happy, if it makes others unhappy, it is not my business. It is a good idea to receive whatever the "giver" gives you, but treat as if it was not your property. Besides I have to pay a price for my own happiness, food that feed this happiness. But watch out, I may confuse it with true happiness by mentioning the superiority of the product I am eating and being satisfied with it.