By Danel 
“Remember that you are an actor in a drama and that you are playing the character that the playwright has given you permission to play, whether it is a short drama or a long one.
If the writer wants you to play a beggar, or even a disabled person, a boss, or an ordinary person, play that role well.
“Because it’s your job to play the character you’ve been given well; it’s another person who chooses what you leave behind.”
Epictetus
Marcus Aurelius did not want to be king. He was not a politician seeking power and was not the true heir to the throne.
From his letters and history, we can tell that he truly wanted to be a philosopher.
Powerful scholars in Rome, including Emperor Hadrian, saw something in him; so, believing he could handle it, Marcus was groomed for power, accepted, and secured the throne.
Meanwhile, Epictetus, who spent most of his life in slavery, was being persecuted for his philosophical teachings; both worked hard for their assigned roles.
The roles we play in life may be arbitrary. Some of us are born for happiness, others for misery.
Sometimes they give us the good opportunities we need; other times they give us a small chance to succeed that feels like a burden to us.
The Stoics tell us that our job today or throughout our lives, in whatever intellectual, social, or physical realms we find ourselves in, is to accept and do what we can to fulfill what we have, not to complain or lament our difficulties.
Is there still room for change and desire? Well!; Stage drama is full of stories told in small parts, harmoniously expanded and transformed into starring roles by irreplaceable characters.
But it starts with acceptance and understanding, and a desire to excel in our assigned role.