Confucius And Epictetus Similar Or Different

According to Merriam-Webster aversion is a feeling of repugnance toward something with a desire to avoid or turn from it. In the Handbook Of Epictetus the word aversion is the word that gives meaning to section two. According to section two: "Detach your aversion from everything not up to us, and transfer it to what is against nature among the things that are up to us"(Section 2). This section is trying to tell that you shouldn't hate anything that was determined by nature. Nature is a significance of God. What I could get from this section is that God has already designated our future and destiny so we shouldn't get mad at anything he puts us in our way. We should only be mad at things we do wrong with our own consent. I don't really agree with this because it is saying that if another person steals from you, you shouldn't be mad because he was determined by nature to do that.

The Handbook Of Epictetus is a work that reflects stoic philosophy. This handbook reminded me of a book of teachings we read last year that was made by Confucius. I found in the first ten sections that there were many ideas that were very similar to Confucius and others that were extremely different. One example of the differences that I found was in section seven when it says: "If you are given a wife and a child instead of a vegetable and a small shellfish, that will not hinder you; but if the captain calls, let all those things go and run to the boat without turning back" (section 7). In Confucius we were taught that the most important thing was the well being of the group rather than the individual. What this section is saying to us is if you are able to save yourself do it and do not think of what will happen to the other people. I have mixed feelings on both teachings. I would personally prefer to save myself with other two people than save myself and let the other persons die. If it is an extreme case where only one person can be saved and you have to fight for your life I will strive to survive but I will always contemplate before if I could save more people than only me.

There were also many things I found alike with Confucius. The teaching in section three tells us that one shouldn't be so materialistic to be a good person. I another person happens to destroy your precious object you shouldn't be mad according to this handbook. In Confucius there was also the thought of being a very materialistic person as being a bad person. I agree with these two statements because one can't be so materialistic to not forgive a person after he or she makes a mistake. In section eight of this handbook it says that you shouldn't expect an event in life to happen as you want to but rather it will just happen as nature wants it to happen. There is a very similar thought in Confucius when he says that the meaning of life will come to you the less you search for it. What these two lessons are trying to say is that the more you try to make events happen as you want the less they will happen and if you let the events just happens they will happen a nature wants them to happen.