Reflections of The Daily Stoic (book by Holiday and Hanselman)
January 27 - The Three Areas of Training
Epictetus, in his discourses, have stated 3 areas that we have to prioritize. They are desires and aversions, impulses to act and not act, and judgement.
This 3 areas according to the authors have been inextricably intertwined.
By knowing what you deem as good and bad, not just by your standards but by considering other, we would be able to determine what motivates us. And in turn, we can use our motivation to make good judgement.
Judgement, used properly, can help you determine what you desire (and avoid). Desires would dictate whether you need to act (or not). Honing this principles would lead to a better quality of life and a more harmonious relationship with other.
This takes me back to when I was a trainee.
One case I remember was an incident where a fight broke out. One of the patients was on the receiving end of a blow to the head with a broken shard of glass. While the other was the one who caused the injury but was also injured in the process. The significant other of the victim kept shouting: "Wag niyo ho gamutin yang walang hiyang yan (don't treat that bastard)" .
As a practitioner of medicine, when I deal with this people that have done harm to other people but also needs treatment for their affliction. My personal judgement should not mix with my professional judgement. So this wisdom from Epictetus of being able to hone my desires and judgment would help me deal with this situations better.
