"He is free who lives as he likes; who is not subject to compulsion, to restraint, or to violence..."

In 523 AD, Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius was at the pinnacle of power. He was a Roman senator, a consul, and the Master of Offices for King Theodoric the Great. He was wealthy, famous, and brilliant.

Then, overnight, he lost everything.

Accused of treason by political rivals, he was arrested. His property was confiscated. He was stripped of his titles and thrown into a remote prison in Pavia to await execution. Boethius went from a palace to a dungeon. He fell into a deep depression. He cried out against the injustice of Fortune. He asked why wicked men prospered while he, a philosopher, suffered.

But in the silence of his cell, Boethius began to write. He imagined a dialogue with "Lady Philosophy." She chastised him for forgetting his Stoic and Platonic training. She reminded him that wealth and power were never truly his. They were gifts from Fortune, and Fortune has the right to take back what she lends.

Over the next year, Boethius wrote The Consolation of Philosophy. He argued his way out of despair. He realized that while Theodoric could chain his body, the King couldn't force Boethius to be unhappy. Happiness was an internal state of aligning one's will with Providence.

By the time the executioners came to bludgeon him to death in 524 AD, Boethius had regained his composure. He didn't die a victim. He died a philosopher. His book became one of the most influential works of the Middle Ages, proving that a free mind can turn a prison cell into a university.

Epictetus defines freedom differently than we do. We think freedom is having options. Epictetus says freedom is having no obstacles. The only way to have no obstacles is to desire exactly what is happening. If you want to be in prison when you're in prison, you're free. If you want to be executed when you're executed, no one can stop you.

It sounds radical, but it's the ultimate power move. By loving your fate, you strip your enemies of the power to hurt you.

Errors & Corrections

• Don't confuse freedom with license. License is the ability to do whatever your impulses want. That's actually slavery to your passions. Freedom is the ability to do what's right, regardless of the circumstances.
• Don't fight the current. If you're caught in a rip current, swimming against it will drown you. Swimming with it (or parallel to it) saves you. Fatalism isn't giving up. It's accepting the direction of the river so you can navigate it.
• Don't anchor your happiness in "conditions." We say, "I'll be free when I retire," or, "I'll be happy when I get married." You're postponing your freedom. You can be free now, in the exact conditions you hate, if you change what you desire.

Applications to Modern Life

Work

You feel trapped in a job you dislike. You say, "I have to stay for the money." That's not true. You're choosing to stay for the money. That's a free choice. Once you admit you're choosing it, you regain your agency. You aren't a victim of the job. You're an investor trading your time for capital. That shift in perspective makes the work bearable.

Leadership

A leader often feels constrained by regulations, the board, or the market. They complain about "having their hands tied." A Stoic leader accepts the constraints as the rules of the game. They don't waste energy wishing the rules were different. They play creatively within the box. True creativity thrives on restriction.

Athleticism & Sport

You get a bad draw in the tournament. You have to play the number one seed in the first round. You can complain about bad luck, or you can embrace the challenge. "I want to play the best." Now the difficult match is exactly what you wanted. You're free to play without fear because you aren't fighting the reality of the bracket.

Politics

We often feel like hostages to the government. We say, "They're forcing us to do this." But Epictetus reminds us that while they can force our actions with laws, they can't force our assent. You can pay your taxes (action) while maintaining your own opinion (judgment). Your mind remains an un-taxed sovereign state.

Social Media

We feel compelled to check our phones. "I have to see what they replied." No, you don't. You're choosing to check. You can choose to leave the phone in the other room. Realizing that every scroll is a choice breaks the illusion of compulsion. You aren't addicted. You're just making bad choices. Make a different one.

Interpersonal Relationships

You can't force someone to love you. If you try, you're a slave to their whims. Freedom is loving them without needing them to love you back. You give your affection freely. If it's returned, great. If not, you haven't lost your freedom because your love came from your own abundance, not a need for transaction.

Maxims

• Desire what happens, and you'll never be disappointed.
• The only prison is the one you build.
• Freedom is an inside job.

In-depth Concepts

Eleutheria (Freedom)

For the Stoics, Eleutheria is the state of the wise person who can't be hindered or compelled. It isn't political liberty. It's the psychological state where your desires are perfectly aligned with reality. If you want nothing that isn't up to you, no tyrant can exert power over you.

Amor Fati (Love of Fate)

While a Latin term associated with Nietzsche, it captures the essence of the "Fatalist's Freedom." It means not just bearing your burden, but loving it. Boethius didn't just endure his cell, he used it to create his masterpiece. He embraced the fate that gave him the time to write.