“At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work—as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I'm going to do what I was born for—the things I was brought into the world to do? … The point is that you do not love yourself – otherwise you would love both your own nature and her purpose for you." Marcus Aurelius (Meditations, Book 5, Section 1)
Role Ethics played an important part in Stoic philosophy. Epictetus tells us that we all have a primary role to play, that of being a rational and pro-social human being. We also play a number of individual roles depending on our situation in life, such as being a parent, a friend, an employee or a guest. The Stoics felt we should use our wisdom and self-awareness carefully to identify the roles we should be playing and to act them out to the best of our ability.
This month we will be talking about the Stoic idea of roles and how we can use them to identify the path to a good life.
We invite you to join us for a lively discussion about Stoic principles and practice, and how they can help us to live a good life. All are welcome, whether you are well versed in Stoicism, a Stoic novice, or are simply curious to learn more.
