"From the beginning, practice saying to every harsh impression, 'You are an impression, and not at all the thing you appear to be.'"
In Homer's Odyssey, the hero Odysseus has to sail past the island of the Sirens. These were creatures whose song was so beautiful that any sailor who heard it would lose his mind, jump into the sea, and drown trying to reach them.
Odysseus wanted to hear the song, but he also wanted to live. He was smart enough to know that his willpower wasn't enough. He knew that in the heat of the moment, he would be just as weak as any other man. He didn't say, "I'll just try really hard not to jump."
Instead, he built a system. He ordered his men to fill their ears with beeswax so they couldn't hear a thing. Then, he had them tie him tightly to the mast of the ship. He gave them strict orders: "No matter how much I beg or scream, do not untie me. If I command you to release me, tie me tighter."
When the ship sailed past, the Sirens sang. Odysseus screamed, begged, struggled against the ropes. He was possessed by desire, but the ropes held. The deaf crew kept rowing. They survived not because Odysseus was strong, but because he had admitted he was weak.
Epictetus tells us to treat our impressions (our initial reactions to things) with deep suspicion. When a desire hits you (the Siren song), it feels like the most important thing in the world. It feels like "truth", but it's just an impression. It's a hallucination.
The Stoic doesn't just fight the impression mentally. They tie themselves to the mast. They create external constraints (rules, environment, accountability) that keep them safe when their internal discipline fails.
Errors & Corrections
- Don't trust your future self. You think, "I'll just eat one cookie." You won't. You'll eat the whole box. Don't buy the box. That's tying yourself to the mast.
- Don't negotiate with terrorists. Desire is a terrorist. It takes your reason hostage. If you start arguing with it ("Maybe just a little bit..."), you've already lost. The rule must be absolute: "I don't negotiate with the Siren."
- Don't rely on "trying harder." White-knuckling it rarely works for long. Change the environment. If you want to stop checking your phone, put it in a lockbox. If you want to stop spending, cut up the card.
Applications to Modern Life
Work
You're easily distracted by Slack and email. You tell yourself you'll just "focus harder." You fail every time. Tie yourself to the mast. Use an app blocker. Turn off the wifi. Schedule "deep work" blocks where you're unreachable. The system protects your focus when your willpower runs out.
Leadership
A leader who surrounds themselves with "yes men" is sailing past the Sirens with open ears. They'll eventually believe their own hype and crash the ship. A wise leader ties themselves to the mast by installing a "dissenter" as someone whose job is to tell them when they're wrong. They create a system that prevents their ego from taking over.
Athleticism & Sport
You want to work out in the morning, but the bed is warm. The Siren song of sleep is strong. Tie yourself to the mast. Put your alarm clock across the room. Sleep in your gym clothes. Sign up for a class that charges you a fee if you miss it. Make it harder to stay in bed than to get up.
Politics
We're drawn to sensational news. It makes us angry and keeps us clicking. The media is the Siren. Stop clicking. Block the sites. Unfollow the rage-bait accounts. Fill your ears with beeswax so you can sail past the noise and keep your sanity.
Social Media
The infinite scroll is designed to drown you. You say you'll check it for five minutes. An hour passes. Set a hard limit on your phone settings. Delete the app on weekends. Don't trust yourself to stop. Make the machine stop you.
Interpersonal Relationships
You have an ex-partner who is bad for you. Every time they text, you slide back into a toxic cycle. The text is the song. Block the number. Delete the contact. Tell your friends not to let you respond. You're too close to the situation to be rational. Let the system save you.
Maxims
- Don't trust the song.
- If you can't resist, don't listen.
- Design the environment, don't fight it.
In-depth Concepts
Phantasia (Impression)
Epictetus uses Phantasia to describe the immediate appearance of things to the mind. The Siren looks beautiful. The donut looks delicious. This is the impression.
Dokimazein (To Test/Evaluate)
We must "test" these impressions like we test a coin. Is it real gold or fake? The Siren appears good, but the reality is death. The Stoic uses reason to scratch the surface and see the danger underneath.