http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html
The Enchiridion is essentially the 52 commandments of Stoicism. With no introduction, the text begins listing rules that Epictetus believes lead to a good life. Many of these rules read more like anecdotes or analogies that the reader is supposed to extract the meaning from and apply to their own context.
Individual autonomy forms the basis for each rule. This is clearly established in the first few paragraphs, under the first number. This autonomy is found in our “opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and. . . our own actions”. Everything else is out of our control, and if we should want to live a happy life, we should be undisturbed by. Most passages follow and reinforce this idea, often stressing the importance of diligence and self restraint when it comes to maintaining your own agency.
I also couldn’t help but notice that many of the ideas Epictetus has about the impermanence of the material world, and how we should react to it, echo eastern philosophy. Not only does he think that we shouldn’t become attached to objects, but also our loved ones. Being an ancient Greek philosopher, this was surprising.
