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On the new season of the divided dial from On the Media, we're exploring shortwave radio, where prayer and propaganda coexist with news and conspiracy theories, and where an existential battle for the public airwaves is playing out right now.

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Good insert time of day here, Procopton. I hope you're well. Today we'll be delving into

Epictetus's second discourse in the Enchoridion. Rather than beat around the bush,

let's get right into Epictetus's bush. Gross Here it is, N. Corridian 2. Remember that following

desire promises the attainment of that of which you are desirous, and aversion promises the

avoiding that to which you are averse. However, he who fails to obtain the object of his desire is disappointed,

and he who incurs the object of his aversion is wretched. If then you confine your aversion to those

objects only which are contrary to the natural use of your faculties, which you have in your

own control, you will

never incur anything to which you are averse. But if you are averse to sickness or death or

poverty, you will be wretched. Remove aversion then from all things that are not in our control,

and transfer it to things contrary to the nature of what is in our control.

But for the present, totally suppress desire.

For if you desire any of the things which are not in your control, you must necessarily be disappointed.

And of those which are, and which it would be laudable to desire,

nothing is yet in your possession. Use only the appropriate actions of pursuit and avoidance,

and even these slightly, and with gentleness and reservation. I will tell you that I struggle with this big time. I am

incredibly averse to struggling with money. I've struggled with money in the past. I've been

homeless, as you already know, and I spent almost all of my late teens and early 20s, well,

really almost all of my 20s, living what I call, what many

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