#64 - Enchiridion Ch 5: How to Stop Blaming Others, Yourself, or Anyone at All. The Difference Between Philosophers & Sellers of Vegetables, The Three Stoic Levels & The History of Insane Clown Posse

Send us a text

In this episode, we take on one of Epictetus’ most uncomfortable claims: you’re not disturbed by events, only by the opinions you bring to them.

We unpack his three-tiered model of the mind (the untrained blames others, the novice blames himself, the wise blame no one) and follow the story of the Roman visitor who wants Epictetus to predict his future, only to be told that his fate depends entirely on the quality of his opinions.

From the “seller of vegetables” roast to the danger of untested beliefs, we explore why every action—from where you work to why you play tennis—flows from the narratives you’ve never examined. Along the way, we perform an “opinion audit,” question the stories we tell about ourselves, and connect Stoic diagnosis to modern cognitive biases.

By the end, you’ll see why Marcus says nothing fuels spiritual growth more than analyzing your impressions—and why the hardest thing to test in life is the certainty you already feel.

And we also dive into the darkly charming world of Insane Clown Posse...