Oh, That... Just Because

As far as I can tell, Epictetus states what seems to be the obvious that we have somehow managed to miss. Our everyday actions and how things don’t just happen, it’s how we act and react. According to My Ishmael, we (the takers) have decided that what we do is “human nature” and we can’t do anything about it. In other words, it’s not our fault. That we are incapable of acting any other way.

I’ve also heard people suggest everything bad is our fault and we as a society have to assume responsibility. The theory that we are born pure and are corrupted with time is not foreign to us. “ Just as a target is not set up to be missed, in the same way nothing bad by nature happens in the world.” (Section 25) As far as I understand, we aim for what we do in order to make sure that bad things happen. But why would we do such a thing? Why bring badness (you might even say evil)into our lives?

I have asked myself this question many times and I finally concluded that it’s easy; to create sympathy and to make things interesting. Imagine a life without fear. Adrenaline wouldn’t exist and there would be no urge to do things. It was made with a specific purpose, whether we know what that is, is a whole other question.