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Enchiridion By Epictetus Summary

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In “Enchiridion” by Epictetus, the claim in selection number 7 is that humans should not get attached to material things because when nature calls them to return to it, they will have to leave their material belongings. The human desire of materialism is often too difficult to satiate. As humans start to gain material possessions, they tend to forget the great value of nature which surpasses that of materialism. Sooner or later, humans will be disappointed by materialism since they placed their entire faith on it, instead of placing it on nature. According to Epictetus, humans only borrow material things, those do not belong to any person and therefore humans do not have control over them. However, Epictetus suggests that nature is part of humans, it is what dictates their fate and it is in what humans should relied on since nature is the reason for everything that happens. Therefore, people should be willing to leave their material possessions whenever nature calls them, it is beneficial to concentrate on the guidance of nature to fate, and not on materialism that will disappoint them when they cannot have it anymore.
For instance, American Indians relied on nature to form their civilizations and traditions. Raw materials such as gold, silver, and copper, were not as valuable as they are in modern times since American Indians were aware that nature provided every material thing that they used. Moreover, they recognized that not even a single rock belonged to them, instead,

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