Endearing Devotions

I had to look up devotion, for I only knew the meaning in which someone is deeply committed to something. I found out that it can also mean a short religious service, which made more sense for the exercise.

If I were called upon to create a week-long devotion, I would likely use the theories and thoughts from Epictetus. For one, I found his work easier to comprehend than that of Aurelius. I happen to only look over the first two books of Aurelius and found myself relating more to Epictetus. This may be because Aurelius often speaks of what he has learned in a personal standpoint, which makes it harder to associate with a general lifestyle. The listing of Epictetus was easier to follow from the organization.

With that said, I thought that most of the points Epictetus made were valid to living a worthy lifestyle, but one really stood out to me. Number 13 which starts off by stating "if you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid with regard to external things." First, for a little background- this has always been one of my favorite quotes, and I feel like it defines parts of the way I live. I never knew that it was a renowned philosopher who said it because I picked it up from my favorite movie. Now that I know it was Epictetus who created the quote, it makes my decision easier to use this piece of The Enchiridion in my devotion.

Getting back to the concentration of the theme he presents, I think that it is not only important to accept eternal views, but it is also important to release some of your grasp on your natural conformed values. This is also among some of the topics that we have been discussing in class: Open your mind, go outside of your comfort zone, be curious, etc. And sometimes, it is important to understand that acting in these ways will not always be a societal status quo. People will stare and sometimes criticize, but like Epictetus said, you must be okay with that.

This would clearly be a modern version of the this theme that Epictetus presents, thus it may divert from his original perspective. On the issue of giving a title to the devotion, I don't know that I would have a specific name, but I would definitely attribute it to point 13. Not only am I content with his views on living happily, but I am ecstatic to finally know who said my favorite quote!