Hypocrites and Broken Cups

I think that section 26 of the Handbook of Epictetus is pretty much telling us not to be hypocrites. Or, to just remember how we would handle a situation, if the situation had not actually happened to us. Epictetus gives us an example of what he means when he states "when someone else's little slave boy breaks his cup we are ready to say, 'It's one of those things that just happen.' Certainly, then, when your own cup is broken you should be just the way you were when the other person's was broken" (sec. 26).

I think that this often happens in day-to-day occurences. For example, if a friend of mine has gotten a bad grade on a test, I would console them by saying something like "Don't worry, you'll do better next time." However, when I myself get a bad grade, I would be more likely to grumble and wish I had studied harder, instead of looking ahead in a positive manner. So, I think the point that Epictetus is trying to make is that when something disagreeable happens to us, we should try to view it in the same light we would if it had happened to someone else.