Our Boundaries

In our lives we go through great joy and sadness but as I began reading Epictetus' the Handbook I was introduced to a new way of viewing the pain that we go through our lives. In the KJV the story of Job said that bad things happen to good people but here I was told a completely different opinion. We are the culprits of our own suffering because we judge. The moment we judge and label something to us, it will become what that label says. The best example is the one presented in the book: "For example, death is nothing dreadful (or else it would have appeared dreadful to Socrates), but instead the judgment about death that is dreadful…" (13). We judge death to be a horrible thing because it is unknown to us. If you try to think of death in an objective way (which is hard since I know I will die one day), it isn't bad but good and necessary. If there should be balance in the world everyone must die otherwise the consequences would be catastrophic. It might be good when time comes but it isn't something one should desire for another since we all have our turn to live. Anyhow, in the Bible Job was helpless which shows a great ideological difference.

In the Bible Job was helpless and all he could do is endure and try to overcome all the hardships that came to him. He didn't blame it on others (God) or himself. This proves he was an "educated person" (13). Although to some extent Job might have followed what is said in this book he didn't seem to do much to improve his situation. All he received good or bad was given by God and he just cultivated it. He knew the difference between what could or not be changed yet he reacted in a passive way to what happened. All he did was pray instead of taking action and reducing his losses. That is where the ideological difference lies. According to the Handbook we should desire only that which is given to us but, Job didn't show much desire for anything. Even if better times were in his path it wasn't something he had wanted from the beginning of his unfortunate events. Job might have not known that if he continued to endure all that pain he would be able to live his life happily.

I found it interesting how in the Bible we are told from the start to wait for God to give us things and never to desire anything since he will provide. Here we have a more aggressive approach at life in which we must desire but only that which is in our way. Although, the future and what lies in front of us is a mystery to all that which we truly believe to be in our way is something we can desire and fight to obtain. If we were to wait for God to provide many things that have occurred would be impossible or, could it be possible that God's way of providing is through our own work? All I can deduce is that we must not judge things that we believe to never cross path with us, if we do they never will since we would have chosen not to attempt following them. If we judge things that are to come, then it is likely that such events will develop as expected, this might not always be, a good thing.