【每日斯多葛】11月8日

November 8th

ACTORS IN A PLAY

“Remember that you are an actor in a play, playing a character according to the will of the playwright—if a short play, then it’s short; if long, long. If he wishes you to play the beggar, play even that role well, just as you would if it were a cripple, a honcho, or an everyday person. For this is your duty, to perform well the character assigned you. That selection belongs to another.”

—EPICTETUS, ENCHIRIDION, 17

Marcus Aurelius didn’t want to be emperor. He wasn’t a politician who sought office, and he wasn’t a true heir to the throne. As far as we can tell from his letters and from history, what he really wanted was to be a philosopher. But the powerful elite in Rome, including the emperor Hadrian, saw something in him. Groomed for power, Marcus was adopted and put in line for the throne because they knew he could handle it. Meanwhile, Epictetus lived much of his life as a slave and was persecuted for his philosophical teachings. Both did quite a lot with the roles they were assigned.

Our station in life can be as random as a roll of the dice. Some of us are born into privilege, others into adversity. Sometimes we’re given exactly the opportunities we want. At other times we’re given a lucky break, but to us it feels like a burden.

The Stoics remind us that whatever happens to us today or over the course of our lives, wherever we fall on the intellectual, social, or physical spectra, our job is not to complain or bemoan our plight but to do the best we can to accept it and fulfill it. Is there still room for flexibility or ambition? Of course! The history of the stage is littered with stories of bit parts that turned into starring roles and indelible characters that were expanded in future adaptations. But even this begins with acceptance and understanding—and a desire to excel at what we have been assigned.

11月8日

人生如戏，各有其角

“请记住，你不过是一出戏中的演员，按照剧作家的意愿扮演某个角色。若戏短，便演一出短戏；若戏长，便演一出长戏。倘若他要你扮演乞丐，就把乞丐演好；无论他要你扮演的是残障者、显贵，还是寻常百姓，都应如此。因为你的职责，就是将分配给你的角色演好。至于由你扮演什么角色，则取决于他人。”

——爱比克泰德，《手册》，第17节

马可·奥勒留原本并不想成为皇帝。他不是一位热衷于追逐权位的政治家，也并非皇位的正统继承人。根据他的书信及历史记载，我们有理由相信，他真正向往的是成为一名哲学家。然而，包括哈德良皇帝在内的罗马权贵，却在他身上看到了某种非凡的潜质。于是，马可被精心培养，准备承担统治国家的重任。他被收为养子，并被纳入皇位继承序列，因为这些人相信，他有能力胜任这一角色。与此同时，爱比克泰德却在奴隶身份中度过了大半生，还因传播自己的哲学思想而遭受迫害。两个人的命运截然不同，却都在各自被赋予的角色中有所作为。

我们在人生中所处的位置，有时就像掷骰子一样充满偶然。有的人生来便享有种种特权，有的人则从出生起便身处逆境。有时候，我们恰好获得自己梦寐以求的机会；有时候，命运看似赐予我们好运，我们却觉得那是一副沉重的担子。

斯多葛哲学提醒我们，无论今天或此后一生中发生什么，无论我们的智力、社会地位或身体条件处于何种层次，我们的职责都不是抱怨命运、哀叹处境，而是尽己所能接纳自己的角色，并将它扮演好。这是否意味着人生不再有变通的余地，也不再容许雄心壮志？当然不是！戏剧史上，从来不乏小角色最终成为主角的故事，也不乏原本不起眼的人物在后来的改编中被赋予更丰富的内涵，最终成为令人难忘的经典形象。但即便如此，一切仍须始于接纳与理解——始于这样一种愿望：无论命运赋予我们什么角色，都要努力将它演绎得尽善尽美。