Epictetus Existential Suffering Essay

When it comes to the suffering of not getting what one’s desire is, Epictetus would tell us that we exert control over our own desires and should demand that things happen as they occur rather than how we wish them to occur.
Regardless of the amount of effort you exert in the hopes of being happy or rich in this life it is impossible to achieve, unless your actions in past lives have generated that possibility. This suffering is more of an existential suffering- the dissatisfaction, isolation, and distress that occur from the awareness of our own mortality; this simple suffering we get when we do not attain what we desire leads to this existential suffering.
Epictetus would advise that although one can not control what happens in the world, …show more content…
Therefore, as happiness is dependent on getting what you desire- it shows the impermanence or temporality of life, when you do not get what you wish for. You brush your teeth daily due to your desire to not feel pain, therefore when you get a toothache it shows the impermanence of the health of your teeth- thus you suffer physically and mentally. Due to our desire to live we suffer because we can never achieve permanence in life and thus suffer due to our inability to attain this desire. According to Buddhism, the suffering of not getting what you desire is due to impermanence- the temporality of that which makes you happy gives you sadness. However, Epictetus believes if you only desire that which is attainable through your own control you will never be disappointed. Stoicism calls for the control of desire of that which is attainable, whereas Buddhism ask you to control all desires for they are worldly and will not bring about happiness because happiness is impermanent. You suffer when you do not get what you desire because material happiness is temporary whereas ending the cycle of suffering comes from enlightenment- meditation on our impermanence is what we should truly desire and work