What Is Up To You
Written by Studio AM.
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Epictetus was born into slavery in the Roman Empire and was later freed. He taught at a school in Greece, and he wrote no books; his student Arrian recorded his teaching. His central idea is easy to state and hard to live.
He divided the world into two piles. In the first pile are the things that are up to us: our judgments, our aims, our own effort. In the second pile is everything else: our body, our reputation, the weather, other people, the results of our work. Trouble begins, he taught, when we treat the second pile as if it were the first. We demand that a train run on time, that a stranger be fair, that an illness wait. In his view, such demands make disappointment harder to bear.
The advice is not to stop caring. It is to direct our effort toward our own choices. An archer can choose the bow, the stance, and the release. A gust of wind is not hers. Judging only where the arrow lands overlooks the difference between her preparation and conditions beyond her control.
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Question 1 of 4
What is the central teaching described in the passage?
The answer is A: Put your effort into what you control and accept what you do not.
The two categories and the archer example emphasize one's own judgment and effort while recognizing limits on control over results.
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Question 2 of 4
Which of these does the passage place in the second pile?
The answer is C: Our reputation.
Reputation is listed in the second pile, along with the body, the weather, other people, and results.
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Question 3 of 4
The example of the archer suggests that a person should
The answer is B: judge herself by her preparation and release, not by where the arrow lands.
The bow, the stance, and the release are hers; the wind is not. So the fair measure is the part she controls.
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Question 4 of 4
What does “gust” mean in this passage?
The answer is D: a short, sudden rush of wind.
The gust is the uncontrolled air that pushes the arrow, which points to a sudden burst of wind.
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