If we practiced this exercise every day from morning to night, we would actually make progress. But instead, we sleepwalk through life. Every sight catches us off guard. At best, we wake up a little bit when we're in philosophy class. Then we leave school and see someone crying, and we think, "That poor person is ruined." We see a government official and think, "Lucky guy." We see someone in exile and think, "How miserable." We see a poor person and think, "What a wretch — he has nothing to eat."
If we practised this and exercised ourselves in it daily from morning to night, something indeed would be done. But now we are forthwith caught half asleep by every appearance, and it is only, if ever, that in the school we are roused a little. Then when we go out, if we see a man lamenting, we say, He is undone. If we see a consul, we say, He is happy. If we see an exiled man, we say, He is miserable. If we see a poor man, we say, He is wretched; he has nothing to eat.