March 5, 2018: Healing

Epictetus, Discourses, 3.23.30: "Men, the philosopher's lecture-hall is a hospital--you shouldn't walk out of it feeling pleasure, but pain, for you aren't well when you enter it."

I work in a Hospital so this is an easy one for me to understand! Essentially stoic philosophy is saying that if you want to get to your objective (healing, learning stoicism, having a great family), you may have to go through some pains. It is saying that when you heal your body physically, you have to go through some pains, for instance in rehab after a major trauma/car accident. The hospital itself is painful, but afterwards if you do not get up and get your body moving, you can get hit with another major health condition (like a blood clot!)

I think as you progress through the different actions to make yourself a better stoic, you have to understand some parts of it will be painful for you, but you have to go through it to fully get better at the way of living.