A MANUAL FOR LIVING

March 21, 2007
BE HAPPY ZONE
By Lionel Ketchian

I would like to introduce you to an old friend of mine. You might call him the great grandfather of happiness. His name is Epictetus, a Greek Stoic philosopher who lived from 55 - 135 AD spending most of his life in Rome. Epictetus was a slave that became crippled but eventually gained his freedom. Epictetus accredits Socrates for his thinking. He showed us the way to happiness, fulfillment, and tranquility by spending his life on that path. Epictetus main work was called The Discourses. His most profound truth was: "We are disturbed not by events, but by the views which we take of them."

Epictetus has made his way into today's modern psychology because psychologist Albert Ellis, Ph.D. the founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, credits Epictetus with providing a foundation for his system of psychotherapy. Dr. Albert Ellis has written over 90 other books. His book How to Make Yourself Happy and Remarkably Less Disturbable is on my top 20 happiness books. Dr. Ellis shows you how to overcome destructive beliefs, feelings and behaviors. Dr. Ellis is in 95 years young and still practicing psychology today.

The title of this article is from the book: A Manual For Living by Sharon Lebell. Sharon's book is a new interpretation of Epictetus work. Sharon has done an excellent job of expressing these age-old concepts.

Let me share some of these thoughts with you. "Know what you can control and what you can't. Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: some things are within our control, and some things are not. It is only after you have faced up to this fundamental rule and learned to distinguish between what you can and can't control that inner tranquility and outer effectiveness becomes possible."

Here is some more simple profound truth contained in Epictetus quotes. "We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them." And this: "Authentic happiness is always independent of external conditions. Vigilantly practice indifference to external conditions. Your happiness can only be found within." Now there is a profound truth for you and it was spoken 2,000 years ago. It is still true today.

Here are some more: "Events themselves are impersonal and indifferent. When considering the future, remember that all situations unfold as they do regardless of how we feel about them. Our hope and gears sway us, not events themselves. And this one: "Be discriminating about what images and ideas you permit into your mind. If you don't choose what thoughts and images you expose yourself to, someone else will, and their motives may not be the highest."

I will leave you with one more great thought of our friend Epictetus. At this point I feel that you have made friends with him as well. He said: "Most people tend to delude themselves into thinking that freedom comes from doing what feels good or what fosters comfort and ease. The truth is that people who subordinate reason to their feelings or the moment are actually slaves of their desires and aversions."

Our old friend Epictetus was a slave, a cripple and a teacher and philosopher. One of his students was Marcus Aurlius Antoninus who became the Emperor of Rome. So that is the story of the slave that became a teacher to ruler of the Roman Empire. I encourage you to read Epictetus words because you will learn to rule your own empire with a great deal of wisdom. Epictetus objective was for you to become master of your own life. I absolutely agree with him!

Our next Happiness Club meeting is March 22, from 7:00-9:00 P.M. The presentation is "Understanding Happiness," with Dr. Leonard J. Waks. Dr. Waks and I will be discussing happiness and it's relationship to philosophy and psychology and how that relates to you. Leonard J. Waks has doctorates in both philosophy and psychology, and taught full time at Purdue, Stanford, Penn State and Temple universities from 1966 until his retirement in 2005. Dr. Waks maintains an active schedule of speaking and writing.

We also have another presentation called: "I Need A Face-Lift, Spiritually Speaking, by Kathleen J. Dolan. Kathleen is the author of the above named book. Kathleen will vitalize you with her thirty-one day, Magnify Your Inner Beauty, step-by-step Guide. Learn to have the peace of mind you need and experience happiness all year.

The meeting will be held in the Rotary Room, at the Fairfield Public Library, located at 1080 Old Post Road. There is no charge for the meeting and everyone's welcome!