3. Indifference to Indifferent Things

This exercise is the one that relies on our capacity for rationality, and is aligned with the Stoic topos of logic. Hadot describes logic as “the mastery of inner discourse.” By keeping a close watch on that inner discourse, we can see whether our logic is erroneous and thus conducive to emotional disturbances. Once you re-orient yourself, you realize the universe is vast and contains an infinite number of moving parts among which we should “make no difference”. 

This helps us to get an expanded view of the environment in which one lives and also encourages a refined focus on the one thing that is not indifferent: our moral intention.

This “engages human beings to modify themselves and their attitude with regard to the world.”