"You must stop blaming God, and not blame any person. You must completely control your desire and shift your avoidance to what lies within your reasoned choice. You must no longer feel anger, resentment, envy, or regret."-EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.22.13
("당신은 더 이상 신을 비난해서는 안 되며, 다른 사람을 비난해서도 안 됩니다. 당신은 자신의 욕망을 완전히 통제하고 회피를 이성적인 선택으로 전환해야 합니다. 당신은 더 이상 분노, 원망, 질투, 후회를 느껴서는 안 됩니다." - 에픽테토스, 담론집, 3.22.13)
Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for resistance to the brutal apartheid regime in South Africa for twenty-seven years. For eighteen of those years, he had a bucket for a toilet, a hard cot in a small cell, and once a year he was allowed a single visitor-for thirty minutes. It was vicious treatment meant to isolate and break down the prisoners. And yet, in spite of that, Mandela became a figure of dignity within the prison.
Though he was deprived of many things, he still found creative ways to assert his will. As one of his fellow prisoners, Neville Alexander, explained on Frontline, "He [Mandela] always made the point, if they say you must run, insist on walking. If they say you must walk fast, insist on walking slowly. That was the whole point. We are going to set the terms." He pretended to jump rope and shadowboxed to stay in shape. He held his head higher than ...
