COVID-19 From the Point of View of the Ancient Stoics – Part 2
Pamela Ayuso
April 13, 2020
As I discussed in my previous piece, the ancient Stoics have much to teach us in the middle of this crisis. Acceptance is one of their most important lessons.
As Epictetus put it: “Some things are up to us, and some are not up to us.” There are also things, as Irvine points out, over which we have partial control. Epictetus, who was born a slave and was also disabled, said that it is foolish to spend our time thinking and worrying about things we cannot control, and we should accept them with calm. Nevertheless, we are responsible for our actions.
