Preface

Re-reading Epictetus’ Enchiridion , and I thought, “Wow, this is a little hard to work through.” The lessons are there but the wording is a bit different than what I am accustomed to. So, I wondered, what might it look like in common speak as a conversation between a father (Juan) and his son (Edward). The result is a lot more readable. Here’s Chapter One. I’ll drop the other six chapters in the days to come. These are courtesy of Gemini Flash for the text, ChatGPT for the image.

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Chapter 1: The Circle of Control

“Some things are up to us, and some things aren’t. What’s up to us is our own perspective, our goals, and our choices. What’s out of our hands is our health, our wealth, and our reputation.”

The scene is a quiet kitchen late at night. Edward (early 20s) is sitting at the island, looking stressed, staring at his laptop and phone. Juan (50s) walks in, pours two cups of coffee, slides one over to his son, and sits down across from him.

Juan: You’ve been staring at that screen for hours, Edward. You look like you’re carrying the weight of the world. What’s going on?

Edward: I don’t even know, Dad. Work is crazy, I’m trying to get this promotion, my savings are tanking because of the market, and honestly, what people are saying about me online after that project failed last week… it’s just getting to me. I feel like I’m losing control.

Juan: Look at me. Let’s break this down right now, because you’re burning yourself out over things that aren’t even yours to fix. In this life, things are divided into two neat categories: what’s actually in your hands, and what isnt.

Edward: Meaning what?

Juan: The only things you truly control are your own thoughts, your goals, what you look for, and how you choose to act. That’s it. Everything else—your body, your bank account, your reputation, your boss’s opinion of you—that is completely out of your hands.

Edward: Dad, my reputation and my money are definitely my business.

Juan: No, they affect you, but you don’t control them. The market crashes, companies downsize, people lie or misunderstand you. If you treat things you can’t control like they belong to you, you’re going to spend your whole life miserable, blaming the world, and feeling stuck. But if you focus only on what’s yours—your character and your choices—nobody can force your hand, nobody can hurt you, and you won’t have a single enemy because nothing can touch your peace of mind.

Edward: That sounds great in theory, but I still want to be successful. I want to be rich.

Juan: Fine, but you can’t chase both inner peace and high-status luxury with the same intensity. If you try to grab everything, you’ll ruin your peace of mind, and irony is, you’ll probably screw up your career too because you’re acting out of desperation. From now on, when a crisis hits, look at it cold and say, “This is just an event. It has no power over my mind.” Ask yourself: Can I control this specific thing? If the answer is no, drop it. It’s nothing to you.

Edward: So what, I shouldn’t care about anything? If I stop caring, won’t I just get disappointed?

Juan: Disappointment only happens when you expect the world to bend to your wishes. If you want things you can’t control—like never getting sick, never losing money, or living forever—you’re setting yourself up to be a victim. Stop being afraid of what the world can do to you. Keep your desires local—focused entirely on your own growth and how you treat people. For now, honestly, just hit pause on wanting so much. Take life easy, walk with a light touch.