(독서) Daily Stoic-11월8일 ACTORS IN A PLAY

"Remember that you are an actor in a play, playing a character according to the will of the playwright-if a short play, then it's short; if long, long. If he wishes you to play the beggar, play even that role well, just as you would if it were a cripple, a honcho, or an everyday person. For this is your duty, to perform well the character assigned you. That selection belongs to another."-EPICTETUS, ENCHIRIDION, 17

(“당신은 연극에서 한 인물을 연기하는 배우임을 기억하십시오. 작가의 뜻에 따라 짧은 연극이면 짧게, 길다면 길게 합니다. 작가가 당신에게 거지 역할을 맡기면, 그 역할을 잘 수행해야 합니다. 그 역할이 불구자이건, 중요한 인물이건, 평범한 사람이건 상관없습니다. 왜냐하면 당신의 의무는 맡겨진 배역을 잘 연기하는 것이기 때문입니다. 역할을 정하는 것은 당신이 아닌 다른 이의 몫입니다.” -에픽테토스, 《엥케이리디온》, 17장)

Marcus Aurelius didn't want to be emperor. He wasn't a politician as we can tell from his letters and from history, what he really wanted was to be a philosopher. But the powerful elite in Rome, including the emperor Hadrian, saw something in him. Groomed for power, Marcus was adopted and put in line for the throne because they knew he could handle it. Meanwhile, Epictetus lived much of his life as a slave and was persecuted for his philosophical teachings. Both did quite a lot with the roles they were assigned.

Our station in life can be as random as a roll of the dice. Some of us are born into privilege, others into adversity. Sometimes we're given exactly the opportunities we want. ...