(urth) Chinese Curses And Happiness

brunians at brunians.org brunians at brunians.org
Sun Apr 15 15:01:38 PDT 2007


>>>                                                               For a
>>> Stoic it's ok to be happy,

>> As long as you are happy about the right things, that is, because the
>> things under your control (will, desire, aversion, movement towards and
>> away from an object) conform to virtue, that you do not desire what does
>> not belong to you.

>> Hmm.  I apologize, but it's been my experience that the things described
>> here are often least under our control, anyone else?  Will--I've spent my
>> entire life attempting to discipline this unruly and often lazy aspect of
>> my own self.  It definitely aint under my control, nor, when dug into,
>> under a preponderance of most people's is their own.

>> Not being 17 anymore, I can occasionally control my desire; however the
>> bulk here would be a great deal less if my my desire for food were also a
>> great deal less, for example.

>> Aversion?  While there are definitely people who grow used to working in
>> a sulfur mine, I have never met anyone who could choose to not be adverse
>> to doing so.  The other virtues listed appear to be variations on the
>> base theme.

> It sounds like you may be a hopeless case for the stoics :P

> The question is, do you act with rational deliberation? Whether or not a
> stranger insults you, for example, is not under your control. What *is*
> under your control is how you react to it, and what you do as a result. If
> you don't have control over that, then you don't have control over
> anything.

> But generally speaking I have little patience for any point of view that
> says we're sort of chemical robots, acting out inclinations that are
> pre-coded and beyond our control. Whether or not that might be true on one
> level is beside the point; at the rational level, this just serves as an
> excuse to avoid critical reflection and write off any responsibility for
> the way one is.

Also, the Stoics explicitly state that the body is not one of the things
under our control. Also, that this stuff has to be learned. It is not
necessarily easy (though it gets easier with practice, like everything
else) So the stimulus for food or sex or whatever arises within the body.
It is still your choice whether or not you accede to it.





.





More information about the Urth mailing list