“Epictetus says we must discover the missing art of assent and pay special attention to the sphere of our impulses — that they are subject to reservation, to the common good, and that they are in proportion to actual worth.”
MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 11.37
The author of The Daily Stoic devotes the majority of today’s page to highlighting how amazing it is to see “power and powerlessness” come together, as the Emperor Marcus Aurelius quotes a former slave in Epictetus above.
And so the wisdom today is that whether you are very ‘important’ or not, you must still take a moment to think about your impulses and whether they’re worth acting upon. Applying your impulse filter will help you determine if your intended action will help ‘the common good’, and ensure that it’s not out of proportion to what’s needed in that moment.
The truth is that you’re not powerless — you’re not a slave to your impulses and it’s actually one of the few things that you do have control over in this world. Your urge to act is something that you can (and should) slow down and examine, to make sure it’s not unduly influenced by things that will cause you to misstep.
