Epictetus [AD55-AD135] was born a slave, on the scale of powerful men was ranked as the least powerful.
Epictetus was owned by a wealthy Roman who saw in Epictetus an intellect that needed to be called forth. Eventually the slave, Epictetus, was granted his freedom and then the free-man, Epictetus, became a Greek sage and stoic philosopher. His teachings were written down by one of his students Arrian; they were published in what he called The Discourses.
The most powerful man in the Roman Empire was the Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD121-AD180). Marcus was deeply influenced by Epictetus’ writings and in turn. Marcus was and is regarded as Rome’s most powerful, influential, and ‘human’ of all the Emperors.
Marcus Aurelius’ writings, which come to us as The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, continue to influence generation after generation. There was a time not so long ago when thousands and thousands of men and women from diverse backgrounds and cultures read, reflected upon and relied upon the wisdom of Marcus Aurelius. For me, his ‘Meditations’ continue to provide little pieces of light in dark times, for others it provides strength or hope – not the strength and hope that comes from wishful thinking or fantasy but the strength and hope that comes from discovering the wisdom and the capacity for good that lies hidden deep within one’s soul or psyche or ground of being.
We do owe a great deal of gratitude to the least and most powerful man in the world – Epictetus & Marcus Aurelius. The photographs of Epictetus and Marcus have been long lost but here are two renderings of them.
Epictetus is sitting at his writing table; you will notice the crutch. It is said that his master purposefully broke Epictetus’ leg and that Epictetus then required the use of a crutch to get around. What have I broken in myself so that I need a crutch to get around? How does this crutch manifest itself in my life?