We are ALL hypocrites...there is no black nor white...only greyscale. Idolatry is you projecting (onto an illusion) what you know you are, but refuse the responsibility of. Think in terms of spectrum, not duality.
@@markv785 The thing is, you expect Stoicism (or maybe any other philosophy or religion) to give you a perfect formula on how to be ideal human being. But all of them do. The reason why none achieves a state of Jesus/Buddah/Socrates/etc. is that we are all humans, and thus we are imperfect. The idea is that we should strive to become our best selves (like the individuals mentioned above), while knowing that we most likely will never achieve that ultimate state.
I've always interpreted stoicism as naturalism with an emphasis on truly knowing oneself, so as not to be a victim of our innate primal natures tendency to lean into emotions.
I had to leave school early and became a shut-in for many years after due to poor mental health. I spent so much time wondering “How could this have happened to me of all people? I was supposed to have amazing teenage years.” Your videos are really helping me to accept that things will happen to us that are completely out of our control, and to recognise when they happen and to give them little concern. Thank you, Einzelgänger.
Jes, hoping you continue to be at Peace. Remember, our illusionary Ego loves to tell us stories. Attaching to them, or thoughts or emotions leads to needless suffering. You already have everything you need to be Happy.
Whenever I feel overwhelmed by any emotions I watch space videos. The idea that because of light all we see is the past, how small earth is compared to the whole of universe... It's soothing 👍
i had to leave school for mental reasons aswell. now im thanking my mum for getting me out of school because of how toxic it is when i view it from a outside perspective
10:54 ''Stoicism is the acceptance of fate.'' 11:00 ''[Do not] demand that things happen as we wish, but [rather] as they happen. By doing so, we'll be content with what comes our way.'' 11:38 ''We neutralize our passions by not wanting so much from the world, nor avoiding or opposing anything.'' 11:50 ''Treat the world with moderation and restraint.''
how do you describe 'to live freely'? everyone has the choice of how to control their lives, e.g. you can eat healthy thus there will be less chance to get ill, which in the long term will give you freedom for travelling or sth else. That control might seem like an illusion to someone who got ill with something they could not prevent... or could they?
I knew I had problems with 'fear' as described in this video regarding "the fear of something terrible that hasn't happened to me yet". But, after watching this video, I realized that my 'fear' comes from my 'lust' for popularity, confidence, respect, etc I guess I unconsciously equated my dissatisfied 'lust' with 'fear of never achieving anything that'll make me feel like an equal to my peers, and thus, will always be a loser in the eyes of others'. I'll try to care less for what I don't have and be mindful of what I do have and can do. Thank you for making a great video!
@@ElegyVio Don't be ridiculous !!! Jesus is not Christ. Jesus told us specifically not to believe in or follow the Christ and the false prophets because they are vultures who feed on dead meat, perhaps like you. Matt 24:23-28 May the love and the peace of Jesus be with us.
Practicing stoicism to be independent from my immature parents feels like eternal hell, but I keep hoping that there will be light at the end of the tunnel.
@@BBWahoo Hope kind of takes personal responsibility out of it almost. Like you're waiting for some thing to save you from whatever you're dealing with. You need to be the change -- not some random thing that may or may not happen. You can't count on anything other than yourself. The only thing that is certain in life is that time is passing and you will die eventually. Quit waiting, and start acting. I think that's what they meant.
Im living in the worst hell that you can imagine. Incredibly hard circumstances and your channel is the only thing that calms me. I’m thinking that you have helped so many people. Thank you so much.
"For every desire and aversion that we wish to conquer, there's an inner quality that we can develop. For temptations that arouse lust and desire, we have self-control. For adversity, we have optimism. Seeing the silver lining and endurance. For fear and avoidance, there is courage. For unfriendly, ignorant and disrespectful people, there is compassion." Thank YOU Einzelgänger for your insights and badass footage.
Had this in my recommended during a moment of intense anger and it's actually weird how quickly I got calm after listening to this. Like just a few words were enough to put my anger in perspective and calm me down completely. I'm actually astonished at how effective it was.
I've been through too much alone to be ever described as pathetic. To profess love for those you feel for is not pathetic its actually strength. To be emotionally honest is the opposite of pathetic.
There's a big difference between being in love with someone, and being lovestruck so that you hang on every word and action from someone to the point that your emotions are under their control. Love should be in addition to an already good life, not something that makes or breaks it.
@@capohd28 absolutely agree, I'm too cynical to ever hang on someone's every word and my own mind far too interactive. If I feel my emotions are in danger from someone I have previous experiences with, I disengage.
@@sandracairney6007 A true Stoic would not have to disengage, but would not react, as practicing Stoics don’t let externals (including people) affect them. At least that’s the goal, however in real life, Stoicism is a practice or journey. None of us are totally immune, but it is the goal of a Stoic. At minimum, we can acknowledge our emotions, but not act irrationally as a result of them.
Is it? Because I just met who I think is the perfect woman for me. I want to tell her but I've been hurt so much. I just ignore my feelings. Ima do it tonight.... wish me luck
It's impressive how much happy you will become once you stop feeling entitled and start truly appreciating what you have an start loving yourself! I mean, true happiness! Edi: Just to be clear, of course we all have our bad times some days (or maybe some parts of each day) but at the bad times, you should always remember your goals and your believes! Good luck everyone!
Every major religion, school of thought and philosophy talks about the same principles. They are just served in different packaging and emphasize some aspects more than the others. We just choose which one suits us best.
@@capohd28 I think there might be a misunderstanding concerning the role of moral shame/dread. Those are suggested as a tool to refrain from engaging in activities that carry you away from states of equanimity in most eastern religions. If you have a "fear of wrongdoing", you won't steal, cheat, lie, or engage in other forms of misconduct that are the polar opposite of equanimity. And at least in the monastic parts of Christianity, it plays a similar role.
@@TheDhammaHub Sorry, but living your life based on fear and shame is as far from equinamity as you can get. Living a life based on good principals is. A person should not need fear and shame to act for the common good, and can often have the opposite effect. Religion often is the cause of much pain, intolerance, war and suffering in the world. Philosophy doesn't do that as teaches people to be responsible for their own actions, not to blindly follow other's orders as religion often does.
*The fact that you are watching this video means you are at least part of the way to creating a better life for yourself. All your regrets are in the past, this is your oppurtunity to make the decision to start creating for yourself the life that you want!* *I hope my channel can help you on your journey ✌*
I'm glad I found this channel because it's not that emotions are bad it's that I feel them so intensely, and I let them dictate my self-worth. Your channel is helping me realize we can feel things, but that doesn't mean we wallow in them. We also have to look at the reality of the situation.
Being stoic seems to me to be very in alignment with spiritual practice, and "wishing" seems to align with setting intention, ie I wish or intend to achieve equanimity in all situations, which leads to action to have peace-equanimity state of mind in whatever fate brings. Being wishful without action is "magical thinking" or "willful ignorance."
I have been trying for the last few years to live more like this. I feel like every few months I go through some new revelation. Sometimes an entire video is a message to me, but in this one I really got one very clear message that I feel like has been obvious all along. Lust is not sexual by any means at all. Lust is something you experience where you ignore caution and well wishing. Leaving you only focused on one desire and one outcome. Thank you for your work!!
Jimmy, Sorry to hear that. Remember, we are not our thoughts or emotions. They come and go. Accept the experience as is. Besides, it has already passed. The Ego tells us stories how the experience should have been different. May you be without suffering.
Absolutely, in a way we should still appriciate nice things, and enjoy them when they come but at the same time try to like be contempt with everything and instead of suffering when things are not in our favour, we should replace that with curiosity so we can learn something for the future.
I love that for every negative passion, there is a positive/neutral way to experience the same thing. My biggest problem is avoidance, but looking at the tasks I avoid as opportunities to be courageous really puts a smile on my face instead of being afraid. Thank you
My thoughts have been racing between distress & fear for 2 weeks now - I’ve watched this video of yours before (& many others). I cane back to it & wrote it all down, & I feel a sense of peace again. Thank you, in the sincerest sense.
Humor is a Stoic virtue as long as it doesn't hurt others. Stoics are not Spock. Stoics do not suppress emotion. They experience them like others. They're just smart enough to think before acting on them. But Humor and social interaction are all part of Stoic lifestyle.
I think the humour in it is that it could be you? Is everything a projection of something? The funny stuff is the true stuff. It can hurt. but make sure it's coming from a good place.
I am fighting to save a world that has left me for dead, and it's got me feeling heckin existential dread. I have been told I'm pathetic a lot, but only by people who clearly don't love themselves. Arguably, we're all pathetic to a point. Hangups over the wrong person, crippling fear over something simple that could go bad, but probably won't. Basing self worth on how others treat us, or what car we drive, or what college we do (or don't ) get into. Unless you can grasp both the everything and the nothing of yourself, you haven't got a clear picture.
Well said. To end the argument, we need both the emotional and unemotional. The trick is to balance this within and without. It is so hard to be human sometimes.
@@VBM1 if you think someone who fights to save the world is pathetic, I can only imagine you're part of the problem, not the solution. It also seems like you don't love yourself much, bud. Good luck w/that. 👍
Whenever I watch videos of stoicism I wonder how many of us are here because we feel weakened by our existential pain. How many of those who study stoicism are students because we recognize and want to eschew our apparent weakness derived from passion? What is the trade off when refusing passion for stoicism? Is there space for passion in a stoic?
in my opinion yes, i am quite passionate about my happiness and internal well being. More over i am very passionate about the discovery of what it means to be who i am. Stoicism does not squeeze out the room for passion, it simply creates space in a different area for it to my mind.
Einzelgänger, I don't know if you'll see this but thank you so much for what you do. Your teachings on philosophy and stoicism were just the thing I needed to bring balance and wellbeing to my mind. In fact it has been the first and only thing that has ever worked for me. I love how incredibly logical and rational all the arguments are and how they all are always backed up by rationalisation. Your videos feel like a debate with a very wise person and I love that. I still have a long way to go, but for the first time in a very long time I feel hopeful and have been able to find a way of thinking that is backed up by rationality that has allowed me to maintain inner peace for weeks and a better control over my cognition. I find myself always replying with "thank you for sharing" to your "thank you for watching" hah. I'm really looking forward to more of your content, and to research and read more about this amazing philosophy that you so kindly share. Thank you so much.
I'm not gonna tell you what to do but I would recommend Taoism as well, it has many similarities yet not entirely the same so it may make your quest for this more well-rounded if you look into both. Works wonders for me :) He has videos on Taoism on his channel as well.
Life changing knowledge. I never realized that the pain and sufferings is from our view on what should happen and what shouldn't. I will learn more about stoicism.
Always a pleasure to listen to the wisdom presented here. It's so important these days to focus on the things that truly matter. And this channel is a wonderful portal to teaching & guiding us to find that calmness & inner peace that hopefully will lead to a happier life.
Stoicism is helping me get the level of control on my life that I always knew I could but use to miss the mark here and there It articulates the art of non-attachment extremely well. Maybe even perfectly
I really appreciate your time and efforts to bring to us such a powerful content based on stoic philosophy I request you to consider my request on increasing the frequency of your content.Really loved it!!👌👌
Apathy is a treasure. I have become much more content (decades ago) when I stopped caring about distant strangers that I would never meet and I started focusing on improving myself in the ways that I have some control over.
7:11 Just gonna take a moment of appreciation for this Naruto drawing/reference. as This one is actually a really good example for this idea inferring how Naruto was before he became more Stoic. Thank you for your content, King 👌 👑
To the *incredible person* seeing this, I wish you all the best in life❤ don't over blame yourself, accept things and go forward. Don't let others define what “success” is for you. Get up, learn the skills needed and get after it, all the keys to a happy life is in your hands. Keep pushing.
I feel justified in my initial trigger of anger towards a certain someone. The feelings return time-to-time, I go with the flow and watch the feeling of anger sail away to whence it came. I don't want to feel angry and broken all the time so I often question that feeling. (I tend to struggle recalling traumatic things unless directly reminded). I know we both carry fault to an extent and I don't blame her for being more interested in other guys. I realize it's not directly jealousy or envy that makes me angry. It was the consistent double-sidedness, the lying, the disregard that accompanied the infidelity, and topping it off, pretending like nothing ever happened. I was deeply in love with her and that passion was tarnished and turned into a poison of ego-dissipation where hatred and love seem more comparable than different. I've known her for years and she tried coming back to me upon breaking up with someone else. HINDSIGHT. I've had plenty of time to forget what hurt me so badly here and there. Now I'm older and have learned to better wield my emotions. That anger and introspection of such emotions reminds me why I should never trust her ever again. When the anger and anguish sets I'm reminded of the importance of self-worth. Idk if that makes sense or if I rambled too much. LEFT ALL REAL RELATIONSHIP CONTEXT OUT.
Wow that was very enlightening. "Pathetic" is a charged term in our society, but like most words it's used incorrectly. Apathetic = non-pathetic. "-pathy" is regarding emotions. Apathy is the absence of emotions. Like a famous movie about Wall Street says; "don't get emotional", i.e. don't be pathetic! A great technique for meditation is to try and avoid filtering thoughts thru emotions. As you meditate you take a rational position on what you sense and think. So you may hear a car horn and normally your emotions would bring anger at your neighbors. But in meditation, you simply see this as a horn honking from a car with out any emotional bias. It's a great way to calm your soul. Being pathetic is a bit like being hysterical. You have no control over your reactions as you give in to emotions.
Stoicism has the following severe internal contradiction: it espouses "natural slavery." Marcus Aurilius Antoninus' "Meditations" points this out clearly several times. Question - If slaves could violently overthrow their oppressors, and place them in bondage successfully and forever, would they then not be "natural masters?"
That could reference the idea that slavery isn't just of the mind, but also of the body. The reason why the slaves do not overthrow their oppressor is because they allow the bondage of slavery to shackle their will and spirit? Thus they remain slaves in spirit even though they may be physically stronger than their master?
@eric Spencer It's likely an analogy. Natural slavery refers to the restraint and control over part of one's nature, being the passions -- The successful chaining of such results in one becoming a master that enslaves their own natures. This is not meant to be a dismissal of stoic teaching. Aurelius was probably warning against the potential for the inevitable timely development of powerless pacifism, moral superiority or self-righteousness, and extreme radicalization of stoicism into a rigid doctrine. All the latter which tend to twist, warp, and stray away the intentions of any teaching, as is too often the case in history. In other words, too much of a good thing becomes one very bad. Pardon the cliche hah.
Thank you so much, you really helped me in improving...not only my state of mind, but how I view things and events. You are such a blessing to people who are struggling battles within themselves.
Overall I agree with the comments about cheating. But you cannot be the one to say this to the person you’ve cheated on lol. If you cheat on someone, you should also on up and take accountability for hurting someone’s feelings. You can try to become a philosopher all of the sudden explain why they shouldn’t be upset. That’s the act of a sociopath
I think he was approaching it from the perspective of the person *being* cheated on, but yeah. If the other person was philosophical they wouldn't cheat in the first place.
Videos like this are one of the saving graces of the internet; thank you so much. Beautifully done and I will revisit as needed…. Greetings from the Lowlands of western Europe
So informative and motivating! Thank you. When you say Stoicism, it's not just something you know but it is something you embody or practice. It is not easy training but don't give up, still continue to improve. Try and try... Being better is healthy. Hope we all have a sense of peace within ourselves, if not present let's create it. I am lost and struggling, but I hope I can enjoy living even when lost and even when struggling.
There are times that we felt lost in our life. but i think it is the way to experience life again and to connect with ourselves just so you know you are way more awesome that you ought to know. may i wish you a very good luck with your life journey 😊
This is good! Thanks. I like the stoic philosophy. It's not perfect, but it's a good way of thinking. It helped me in my feeble attempts to change how I think. I like the part about delight.
Concussion injury caused in me emotional damage. It is such a painful state to not be able to control strong emotions, especially when they are caused by narcissistic abuse. It feels so unfair, my sufferiing. Your channel has helped me so much to live in acceptance of my condition. It is not the struggles in life that are hard, it is when I struggle with the struggles. As I was drifting off to sleep my youngest daughter came to mind. She is pregnant and my thoughts take the direction of my pregnancy with her. She cut me off, won't talk to me, for whatever reason. I cannot control it. The thought took me from the pleasant drowsiness to sitting up straight in bed, to an alert distressed state, heart racing. I have a pill that will shut down the amygdala, but I didn't take it. I am tired of taking a pill on the account of someone else. I didn't sleep that night. Lack of sleep causes me even less control of this pitiful state. I felt pathetic. Because this surge in emotions happened when I was not fully awake, I wondered, how could I have prevented it. I was in terrible pain for two days. I finally slept, woke up late in the day (now) and am trying to reorient myself, get back on my track. So I am drinking coffee and see your new post. I will have to finish watching it later, I am still in a fog. I am hoping that I will achieve greater insight to my predicament. I am so sensitive and raw. Meanness can lay me out for days, so for me, people are dangerous. I keep to myself. I need to venture out today and buy food. I am even more vulnerable today and I know it, I dread the idea. But I know I will be hungry. Isn't this the definition of pathetic?
Meanness hurts me like you..I avoid going out too...I am also scared of over reacting...I dont want to yell or be mean back because its upsetting and ends up scaring people...and then, I'm the bad person...no thanks.
You should check out david goggin’s book “can’t hurt me”. The audio version is fantastic. Very inspirational story and motivation to strengthen the mind and learn to deflect all of the bullshit that life throws at you. Stay hard.
I think your choice to not struggle with the struggle is very wise. I am still working on not having feelings about my feelings! Blessings and peace to you.
I don't watch your videos lightly, but make sure I am available to focus every ounce of my personal history in reflection to what you are describing. This video spoke to me greatly, as I am 35 years old and feeling behind. Granted I've accomplished a lot, and have people constantly prying for my attention and time, but the disconnect is in how I was raised by disney to believe a script, verses the reality I have witnessed in dating modern women, and how my lust and motivation for a family has completely upended my passion for success, now that I know the statistics of what I am up against. I always wished I could be blissfully ignorant and blindly charge through life, fitting in with everyone, not seeing the fallacies between the lines, the type who gets angry when their belief is called into question, no matter how unstable the foundation is. That is not the case for me, and it has earned me a lot of favor among a community, so I must continue to shed the negativity of failed expectations, while continuing to embrace the potential adventures moving forward
The replacement of Distress is Gratitude. We cannot control every circumstance, but we can be thankful of them as a learning tool to advise us to make certain decisions accordingly.
Perfect Philosophy? Perhaps our expectations may be unrealistic. Why not accept a philosophy simply for what is and check our judgment at the door? Stoicism, Buddhism etc. are what they are. Philosophy aims to achieve many things but perfection has nothing to do with it.
I don't think I deserve "good outcomes" but not do I think ppl who get distressed , lustful or anxious are shameful or irrational. We are humans and innately feel emotions at birth. The stoically minded are blessed or cyborgs if they are truly never able to let anything hurt them..to achieve self mastery takes a very strong mindset in the first place so individuals able to be stoic are probably already practicing restraint in life. Also to constantly bite down on your natural emotions and responses to succeed in feeling "moderate " is in a way acting out of fear of being afraid or feeling any other passion and that is in itself a fearful motivation, Being stoic has only one upside, you won't be afraid of anything. This is a strength indeed but someone could argue stoicism is mere self preservation rooted in fear of emotion. It is surely more beneficial to face your fear and conquer it than "avoid" it by resisting all your natural impulses. Also you will never feel the beauty of extremes, extreme love, even deep sorrow has a poignant element. These emotions are what life is all about, if you avoid emotion you will certainly have a less painful life. But also a less colourful one.
I don't think you understand Stoic philosophy at all. It's a common misconception that's about suppression of emotion. It's not. It's about understanding and accepting your emotions but also not allowing them to control you, and to think before you act on them. You are not controlling emotions, just their outcomes so you don't act in ways that may cause bad consequences. It also creates peace of mind since you don't allow others to control your emotional state. Water off a duck.
Georgia J_ Well written. I have been following Stoicism for 3 years now. If it comes from a place of fear then that person is misguided. There is much useful good in Stoic Philosophy that is of great aid. Although I don’t always agree with all of its points, (I’m not a stoic philosopher). A good overview book is ‘The Little Book Of Stoicism’ by Jonas Salzgeber . It talks of Taking Responsibility, Focus on What You Control and Live with Arete. And much more.
The general idea is to get warmed by the fire and not set yourself ablaze, and it is a tricky balance. Or to learn steering this boat so you can choose directions for your life, rather then letting the river of emotion crash you around as it chooses. In one case you have emotions in the other the emotions have you, and then emotions decide your fate. What you like best is of course your choice (if you have the awareness to even make it), and if you look at the freak-out culture of twitter you can get a very clear picture of what happens to people without awareness, they are just crashing around everywhere and feel like complete victims of the awful system around them.
Anything beyond our reactions to the three main instinctual drives, that of Danger, Food and Sex, are societal conventions, which are a longshot from what our body and minds have been developed to handle. We use our seemingly ancient yet very recent, emotional and physical biologic mechanisms to interact with a world that humans have created for themselves in a CONSIDERABLY short timespan when compared to the span of the rest of evolution. The extremely fast development of society and cultures has swept our feet from under us, and mental health is declining naturally as a result of an overload of stimuli for natural bodily instincts to handle. There are people who seemingly "handle life well", yet still experience uneccessary stressors and hardships as a result of their own psyche attempting to deal with what they experience. A result of overthinking, when instead, we are designed for clear and precise, minimalistic reactions to stimuli in a natural setting.
for distress, there is the option of unsubscribing from the current mental construct that is causing it. how far you take that to achieve effectiveness is the variable among different people. but i assure you, this can replace distress.
You are, not what you eat, but what you think. And when you are what you think, you are but a thought. Don't let a thought get in the way of you opening up.
Such wisdom/value here. I'll listen to this every morning without fail for the rest of 2022. Today is Day 1: Friday 18th March ✅ Feel free to keep me accountable & check-in whenever with a reply. I like the idea of 2/3 days overall or better, and wish that this path gives rise to a positive shift in my life as a result, but do not lust after that shift as a need, and will accept fate as it so happens.
Day 1: Friday 18th March ✅ Day 2: Saturday 19th March ✅ Day 3: Sunday 20th March ✅ Day 4: Monday 21st March ✅ Day 5: Tuesday 22nd March Day 6: Wednesday 23rd March Day 7: Thursday 24th March Day 8: Friday 25th March Day 9: Saturday 26th March Day 10: Sunday 27th March
My friend recently described me as stoic. Always knew what the word itself meant, but not the philosophy behind it. Gotta say that they're right. Shit happens and I deal with it.
I have mixed feelings about this. There's alot of truth in what he's saying. But when a man cheats on his wife, it's a natural and, I would posit, healthy response for her to be distressed and angry. She has been betrayed. Simply saying that "infidelity happens frequently and, often, to the best of us" doesn't make it okay. Abuse and theft are common as well. It doesn't mean that we should accept it and disallow a strong emotional response when we've been wronged. Humans are living beings. A flatly rational approach to every situation is neither possible nor healthy. That said, I understand the value of this stoic mindset and I believe an integrated approach that utilitizes both stoicism and healthy emotional expression is the best solution for addressing life's problems. I'm just saying that this approach could be stifling if carried too far.
It is a tricky middle way, you got to accept reality which includes the emotions you experience. Lean too far into your anger people might get killed, too far into repression and you can't resolve your emotions, understanding the world and looking for a decent resolution is the way you get good results.
I have had to reject Aurelius a few times because of my abuse. "Be gentle with others and hard on yourself" doesn't work when your brother is drunkenly yelling at you in the middle of the night
The act of cheating and abuse is a product of an emotional response in an of itself. I totally agree that we can’t use this philosophy to gaslight emotions but I also find it ironic how someone who can’t handle their own emotions that they feel they have to lie, cheat, hit, kill or steal from others is the person who truly needs this philosophy. Stop taking out your own emotions on others. Using the woman who gets betrayed is a shitty example. Her emotions had no bad result. Smh. RUclips has a good way of exposing old male philosophies
@@captainbeastazoid7084 oh I don’t mean the creator of the video, more so I see how one can distort this and therefore abuse this concept in relationships and since a lot of philosophy was created by men, gotta be a little weary lol. I just can see how men can take advantage of this, doesn’t mean women can’t either.
Absolutely untrue!! I find a number of flaws in stoicism (brute force and suppression to start) and believe the eastern philosophies to be far superior.
"The essence of balance is detachment. To embrace a cause, to grow fond or spiteful, is to lose one’s balance, after which, no action can be trusted." - Thief: The Dark Project
Good timing! I put it off a week to watch and can see you have published another vid today or yesterday. And I am reminded again I've fallen off my daily meditation practice and how I sometimes in the year have a zazen practice, or am being Zen (as complimenting being Jewish or being Whirling Dervish or Wiccan). I so welcome this content b/c I've been sufeering so much in the last couple months, and January is the worst time of year for so many people. Anyway, if I'm making sense, with repeated stops to back up and relisten, I am putting this one on a list I keep for future relistens, my public "Wow, Because Psychology!" list- Philosophy discussions really add, plus I guess I ended up a bit of an atheist- have been since I was in 2nd grade in parochial Catholic school and all the 1st communion stuff just was not making sense to my brain, and just put up with the following 10 years till I was 18 and could make my own choices for education. Anyway. Have a nice day, Creator Channel Person : ) and happy 2022 we hope coming out of pandemic. .
An expanded philosophy on this is to not just be non-reactive or attached to the emotions that arise through living life but rather to look at the things that happen with acceptance and ask, what is this teaching me to help me move more in the direction(s) I desire. whether your goal is equanimity, calm and resilience or excitement, joy and expansion the formula is the same.
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"Stoicism is about the domestication of emotions, not the elimination of them." -Nassim Taleb
Precisely. Depression or lack of all emotions is not the endpoint of stoicism, it is all about how one acts on the emotions one feels.
@@karensams994 The guy's one of *those* - but the quote remains true, anyway.
So ironic, for NNT, to say that. He's a cocktail of undomesticated emotions and unrecognized biases.
Well, he's also a genius and genius is crazy
*”You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” - Marcus Aurelius*
We are ALL hypocrites...there is no black nor white...only greyscale. Idolatry is you projecting (onto an illusion) what you know you are, but refuse the responsibility of. Think in terms of spectrum, not duality.
He didn't even exactly say this. It is not in his Meditations
@@markv785 Stoicism is not about controlling others. Stoicidn teaches us to focus on where our control lies and accept things as they happen
@@markv785 The thing is, you expect Stoicism (or maybe any other philosophy or religion) to give you a perfect formula on how to be ideal human being. But all of them do. The reason why none achieves a state of Jesus/Buddah/Socrates/etc. is that we are all humans, and thus we are imperfect.
The idea is that we should strive to become our best selves (like the individuals mentioned above), while knowing that we most likely will never achieve that ultimate state.
I've always interpreted stoicism as naturalism with an emphasis on truly knowing oneself, so as not to be a victim of our innate primal natures tendency to lean into emotions.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. You just earned a subscriber.
Subrsribe to Stoicism, not him, there's many RUclips creators like this, they are just there to introduce you to this philosophy.
Both well said!
What i live now i found this 8 years ago..
Do you believe it?
😂😂😂
We also enjoy more in our imagination than in reality.
I had to leave school early and became a shut-in for many years after due to poor mental health.
I spent so much time wondering “How could this have happened to me of all people? I was supposed to have amazing teenage years.”
Your videos are really helping me to accept that things will happen to us that are completely out of our control, and to recognise when they happen and to give them little concern.
Thank you, Einzelgänger.
Stay strong and take care
Jes, hoping you continue to be at Peace. Remember, our illusionary Ego loves to tell us stories. Attaching to them, or thoughts or emotions leads to needless suffering. You already have everything you need to be Happy.
Whenever I feel overwhelmed by any emotions I watch space videos. The idea that because of light all we see is the past, how small earth is compared to the whole of universe... It's soothing 👍
Keep going in life! We are all here supporting you!!
i had to leave school for mental reasons aswell. now im thanking my mum for getting me out of school because of how toxic it is when i view it from a outside perspective
10:54 ''Stoicism is the acceptance of fate.''
11:00 ''[Do not] demand that things happen as we wish, but [rather] as they happen. By doing so, we'll be content with what comes our way.''
11:38 ''We neutralize our passions by not wanting so much from the world, nor avoiding or opposing anything.''
11:50 ''Treat the world with moderation and restraint.''
Great
Awesome 🤟
Releasing the illusion of control is necessary to live freely and courageously
Hi Reyna u are absolutely gorgeous!!
Reyna, yes, accept every experience as it is.
lame
how do you describe 'to live freely'? everyone has the choice of how to control their lives, e.g. you can eat healthy thus there will be less chance to get ill, which in the long term will give you freedom for travelling or sth else. That control might seem like an illusion to someone who got ill with something they could not prevent... or could they?
Been trying to get people still wearing masks to understand that point...
I knew I had problems with 'fear' as described in this video regarding "the fear of something terrible that hasn't happened to me yet".
But, after watching this video, I realized that my 'fear' comes from my 'lust' for popularity, confidence, respect, etc
I guess I unconsciously equated my dissatisfied 'lust' with 'fear of never achieving anything that'll make me feel like an equal to my peers, and thus, will always be a loser in the eyes of others'.
I'll try to care less for what I don't have and be mindful of what I do have and can do.
Thank you for making a great video!
I feel you bro
Same thoughts and dilemma
Jesus Christ is the truth reach out
@@ElegyVio Don't be ridiculous !!! Jesus is not Christ. Jesus told us specifically not to believe in or follow the Christ and the false prophets because they are vultures who feed on dead meat, perhaps like you. Matt 24:23-28
May the love and the peace of Jesus be with us.
Smart guy bro
Practicing stoicism to be independent from my immature parents feels like eternal hell, but I keep hoping that there will be light at the end of the tunnel.
Stop hoping. Act as you wish but only ever expect the passage of time.
@@jellyfishbrained
Explain more please
@@BBWahoo Hope kind of takes personal responsibility out of it almost. Like you're waiting for some thing to save you from whatever you're dealing with. You need to be the change -- not some random thing that may or may not happen. You can't count on anything other than yourself. The only thing that is certain in life is that time is passing and you will die eventually. Quit waiting, and start acting. I think that's what they meant.
@@MrHappy4311
That's a very good explanation
@@jellyfishbrained also I already stated clearly that I'm practicing, not just waiting. Be careful with your words.
Im living in the worst hell that you can imagine. Incredibly hard circumstances and your channel is the only thing that calms me. I’m thinking that you have helped so many people. Thank you so much.
I hope that you are having a better time ❤
"For every desire and aversion that we wish to conquer, there's an inner quality that we can develop. For temptations that arouse lust and desire, we have self-control. For adversity, we have optimism. Seeing the silver lining and endurance. For fear and avoidance, there is courage. For unfriendly, ignorant and disrespectful people, there is compassion." Thank YOU Einzelgänger for your insights and badass footage.
I honestly appreciate your comment. It was truly right on time.
Wow, really well put.
I read both of your books. They gave me a lot of calm and peace. Thanks! :)
That's great to hear :)
What are his books? If you please. 😌
@@soul_litude9769 its in the description its the amazon link
Stop believing your thoughts!
You are stronger than you know ❣
Had this in my recommended during a moment of intense anger and it's actually weird how quickly I got calm after listening to this. Like just a few words were enough to put my anger in perspective and calm me down completely. I'm actually astonished at how effective it was.
I've been through too much alone to be ever described as pathetic. To profess love for those you feel for is not pathetic its actually strength. To be emotionally honest is the opposite of pathetic.
Yeap I completely agree, vulnerability is the root of true confidence
There's a big difference between being in love with someone, and being lovestruck so that you hang on every word and action from someone to the point that your emotions are under their control. Love should be in addition to an already good life, not something that makes or breaks it.
@@capohd28 absolutely agree, I'm too cynical to ever hang on someone's every word and my own mind far too interactive. If I feel my emotions are in danger from someone I have previous experiences with, I disengage.
@@sandracairney6007 A true Stoic would not have to disengage, but would not react, as practicing Stoics don’t let externals (including people) affect them. At least that’s the goal, however in real life, Stoicism is a practice or journey. None of us are totally immune, but it is the goal of a Stoic. At minimum, we can acknowledge our emotions, but not act irrationally as a result of them.
Is it? Because I just met who I think is the perfect woman for me. I want to tell her but I've been hurt so much. I just ignore my feelings.
Ima do it tonight.... wish me luck
It's impressive how much happy you will become once you stop feeling entitled and start truly appreciating what you have an start loving yourself! I mean, true happiness!
Edi: Just to be clear, of course we all have our bad times some days (or maybe some parts of each day) but at the bad times, you should always remember your goals and your believes! Good luck everyone!
Truth be told, that state of mind has a name in pretty much every religion/spiritual tradition! In Buddhism, it is equanimity, as an example
He mentioned equanimity.
Every major religion, school of thought and philosophy talks about the same principles. They are just served in different packaging and emphasize some aspects more than the others. We just choose which one suits us best.
Except that many religions don't allow for equanimity as they are based on guilt and shame. Philosophy is not built on that. That is the difference.
@@capohd28 I think there might be a misunderstanding concerning the role of moral shame/dread. Those are suggested as a tool to refrain from engaging in activities that carry you away from states of equanimity in most eastern religions. If you have a "fear of wrongdoing", you won't steal, cheat, lie, or engage in other forms of misconduct that are the polar opposite of equanimity. And at least in the monastic parts of Christianity, it plays a similar role.
@@TheDhammaHub Sorry, but living your life based on fear and shame is as far from equinamity as you can get. Living a life based on good principals is. A person should not need fear and shame to act for the common good, and can often have the opposite effect. Religion often is the cause of much pain, intolerance, war and suffering in the world. Philosophy doesn't do that as teaches people to be responsible for their own actions, not to blindly follow other's orders as religion often does.
*The fact that you are watching this video means you are at least part of the way to creating a better life for yourself. All your regrets are in the past, this is your oppurtunity to make the decision to start creating for yourself the life that you want!*
*I hope my channel can help you on your journey ✌*
I'm glad I found this channel because it's not that emotions are bad it's that I feel them so intensely, and I let them dictate my self-worth. Your channel is helping me realize we can feel things, but that doesn't mean we wallow in them. We also have to look at the reality of the situation.
You will never see the reality of the situation, because emotion colors everything.
Being stoic seems to me to be very in alignment with spiritual practice, and "wishing" seems to align with setting intention, ie I wish or intend to achieve equanimity in all situations, which leads to action to have peace-equanimity state of mind in whatever fate brings. Being wishful without action is "magical thinking" or "willful ignorance."
I have been trying for the last few years to live more like this. I feel like every few months I go through some new revelation. Sometimes an entire video is a message to me, but in this one I really got one very clear message that I feel like has been obvious all along. Lust is not sexual by any means at all. Lust is something you experience where you ignore caution and well wishing. Leaving you only focused on one desire and one outcome. Thank you for your work!!
I’m going through a rough time at the moment so I thank you for this it helped me a lot.
Jimmy, Sorry to hear that. Remember, we are not our thoughts or emotions. They come and go. Accept the experience as is. Besides, it has already passed. The Ego tells us stories how the experience should have been different. May you be without suffering.
@@cps_Zen_Run Thanks for the kind words
Hope you overcome your problems and learn a lot of lesson from it ❤️
Always remember: This to shall Pass
Rough times...the only way to overcome life, stay strong
Absolutely, in a way we should still appriciate nice things, and enjoy them when they come but at the same time try to like be contempt with everything and instead of suffering when things are not in our favour, we should replace that with curiosity so we can learn something for the future.
I love that for every negative passion, there is a positive/neutral way to experience the same thing. My biggest problem is avoidance, but looking at the tasks I avoid as opportunities to be courageous really puts a smile on my face instead of being afraid. Thank you
My thoughts have been racing between distress & fear for 2 weeks now - I’ve watched this video of yours before (& many others). I cane back to it & wrote it all down, & I feel a sense of peace again. Thank you, in the sincerest sense.
*"I had to make you uncomfortable otherwise you would never have grown" ~ universe*
*Great Stuff!*
I'd love a stoic take on humor. I imagine that humor could allow one a more equanimous position.
Humor is a Stoic virtue as long as it doesn't hurt others. Stoics are not Spock. Stoics do not suppress emotion. They experience them like others. They're just smart enough to think before acting on them. But Humor and social interaction are all part of Stoic lifestyle.
True, Seneca did show some real wit and sarcasm in his letters to Lucillius.
I think the humour in it is that it could be you? Is everything a projection of something? The funny stuff is the true stuff. It can hurt. but make sure it's coming from a good place.
I am fighting to save a world that has left me for dead, and it's got me feeling heckin existential dread. I have been told I'm pathetic a lot, but only by people who clearly don't love themselves. Arguably, we're all pathetic to a point. Hangups over the wrong person, crippling fear over something simple that could go bad, but probably won't. Basing self worth on how others treat us, or what car we drive, or what college we do (or don't ) get into. Unless you can grasp both the everything and the nothing of yourself, you haven't got a clear picture.
Well said. To end the argument, we need both the emotional and unemotional. The trick is to balance this within and without. It is so hard to be human sometimes.
You do sound pretty pathetic though .
@@VBM1 if you think someone who fights to save the world is pathetic, I can only imagine you're part of the problem, not the solution. It also seems like you don't love yourself much, bud. Good luck w/that. 👍
@@VBM1 pretty pathetic to be calling other pathetic ;/
Health is the greatest gift,
Contentment the greatest wealth,
Faithfulness the greatest relationship.
-Siddhārtha Gautama
Whenever I watch videos of stoicism I wonder how many of us are here because we feel weakened by our existential pain. How many of those who study stoicism are students because we recognize and want to eschew our apparent weakness derived from passion? What is the trade off when refusing passion for stoicism? Is there space for passion in a stoic?
in my opinion yes, i am quite passionate about my happiness and internal well being. More over i am very passionate about the discovery of what it means to be who i am. Stoicism does not squeeze out the room for passion, it simply creates space in a different area for it to my mind.
@@Troca. Needed this. It's one foot in front of the other. As long as you're moving, you're not standing still.
Einzelgänger, I don't know if you'll see this but thank you so much for what you do. Your teachings on philosophy and stoicism were just the thing I needed to bring balance and wellbeing to my mind. In fact it has been the first and only thing that has ever worked for me. I love how incredibly logical and rational all the arguments are and how they all are always backed up by rationalisation. Your videos feel like a debate with a very wise person and I love that.
I still have a long way to go, but for the first time in a very long time I feel hopeful and have been able to find a way of thinking that is backed up by rationality that has allowed me to maintain inner peace for weeks and a better control over my cognition. I find myself always replying with "thank you for sharing" to your "thank you for watching" hah.
I'm really looking forward to more of your content, and to research and read more about this amazing philosophy that you so kindly share. Thank you so much.
I'm not gonna tell you what to do but I would recommend Taoism as well, it has many similarities yet not entirely the same so it may make your quest for this more well-rounded if you look into both. Works wonders for me :) He has videos on Taoism on his channel as well.
@@Dezzyyx yes! Thank you for your input.
I have seen some of his videos on Taoism too, and I'll definitely try to look up for more stuff about it
I just thought about the difference of Emotions and Feelings the other day, seeing this today was the perfect complement.
Life changing knowledge. I never realized that the pain and sufferings is from our view on what should happen and what shouldn't. I will learn more about stoicism.
Always a pleasure to listen to the wisdom presented here. It's so important these days to focus on the things that truly matter.
And this channel is a wonderful portal to teaching & guiding us to find that calmness & inner peace that hopefully will lead to a happier life.
"What I am is good enough if I would only be it openly." - Carl Rogers
Your channel is such a reprieve from garbage news feeds, useless twitter threads, and mindless "reels". Thank you for your efforts.
Stoicism is helping me get the level of control on my life that I always knew I could but use to miss the mark here and there
It articulates the art of non-attachment extremely well. Maybe even perfectly
Thanks for throwing this one in my feed RUclips. The title was a real ray of sunshine.
Out of Sheer Serindipity I found this channel ... And I am Glad I found this ❤
I really appreciate your time and efforts to bring to us such a powerful content based on stoic philosophy I request you to consider my request on increasing the frequency of your content.Really loved it!!👌👌
Apathy is a treasure. I have become much more content (decades ago) when I stopped caring about distant strangers that I would never meet and I started focusing on improving myself in the ways that I have some control over.
7:11
Just gonna take a moment of appreciation for this Naruto drawing/reference. as This one is actually a really good example for this idea inferring how Naruto was before he became more Stoic. Thank you for your content, King 👌 👑
I needed to hear this today. Thank you so much for sharing this post.
This channel gives you the 3 A.M motivation feeling, but it lasts
On a tangent: so engrossed was I by this content that the phrase "add a public comment" read as "add a pathetic comment" to my eyes. :D
Yeah... Abuse and PTSD can really fuck with this.
I speak from experience as I do try to be stoic.
To the *incredible person* seeing this, I wish you all the best in life❤ don't over blame yourself, accept things and go forward. Don't let others define what “success” is for you. Get up, learn the skills needed and get after it, all the keys to a happy life is in your hands. Keep pushing.
Stoic philosophy has help me tremendously to focus on things that actually matter.
“We are not entitled to a desired outcome, just an outcome.” Golden!
The timing of this video for me is perfect. Thank you!
I feel justified in my initial trigger of anger towards a certain someone. The feelings return time-to-time, I go with the flow and watch the feeling of anger sail away to whence it came. I don't want to feel angry and broken all the time so I often question that feeling. (I tend to struggle recalling traumatic things unless directly reminded). I know we both carry fault to an extent and I don't blame her for being more interested in other guys. I realize it's not directly jealousy or envy that makes me angry. It was the consistent double-sidedness, the lying, the disregard that accompanied the infidelity, and topping it off, pretending like nothing ever happened. I was deeply in love with her and that passion was tarnished and turned into a poison of ego-dissipation where hatred and love seem more comparable than different. I've known her for years and she tried coming back to me upon breaking up with someone else. HINDSIGHT. I've had plenty of time to forget what hurt me so badly here and there. Now I'm older and have learned to better wield my emotions. That anger and introspection of such emotions reminds me why I should never trust her ever again. When the anger and anguish sets I'm reminded of the importance of self-worth. Idk if that makes sense or if I rambled too much. LEFT ALL REAL RELATIONSHIP CONTEXT OUT.
You perfectly described my feelings regarding my own ex girlfriend and her actions. Very well said.
Same.
Wow you guys had girlfriends? Lucky you...
Wow that was very enlightening. "Pathetic" is a charged term in our society, but like most words it's used incorrectly. Apathetic = non-pathetic. "-pathy" is regarding emotions. Apathy is the absence of emotions. Like a famous movie about Wall Street says; "don't get emotional", i.e. don't be pathetic! A great technique for meditation is to try and avoid filtering thoughts thru emotions. As you meditate you take a rational position on what you sense and think. So you may hear a car horn and normally your emotions would bring anger at your neighbors. But in meditation, you simply see this as a horn honking from a car with out any emotional bias. It's a great way to calm your soul. Being pathetic is a bit like being hysterical. You have no control over your reactions as you give in to emotions.
Stoicism has the following severe internal contradiction: it espouses "natural slavery."
Marcus Aurilius Antoninus' "Meditations" points this out clearly several times.
Question - If slaves could violently overthrow their oppressors, and place them in bondage
successfully and forever, would they then not be "natural masters?"
That could reference the idea that slavery isn't just of the mind, but also of the body.
The reason why the slaves do not overthrow their oppressor is because they allow the bondage of slavery to shackle their will and spirit? Thus they remain slaves in spirit even though they may be physically stronger than their master?
@eric Spencer It's likely an analogy. Natural slavery refers to the restraint and control over part of one's nature, being the passions -- The successful chaining of such results in one becoming a master that enslaves their own natures. This is not meant to be a dismissal of stoic teaching. Aurelius was probably warning against the potential for the inevitable timely development of powerless pacifism, moral superiority or self-righteousness, and extreme radicalization of stoicism into a rigid doctrine. All the latter which tend to twist, warp, and stray away the intentions of any teaching, as is too often the case in history.
In other words, too much of a good thing becomes one very bad. Pardon the cliche hah.
Reaching the undisturbed state of mind is a win 💯
This is one of the best vids I’ve watched here
I really appreciate your work man! Thank you!. Always helpful. I'm sure your channel is the one that I have shared the most.
Thank you so much, you really helped me in improving...not only my state of mind, but how I view things and events. You are such a blessing to people who are struggling battles within themselves.
I really appreciate the "Stoic's Arsenal" that you gave at the end. Thank you.
Stoicism changed my life, and your chanel has help me at it a lot. Keep up the good work!
Overall I agree with the comments about cheating. But you cannot be the one to say this to the person you’ve cheated on lol. If you cheat on someone, you should also on up and take accountability for hurting someone’s feelings. You can try to become a philosopher all of the sudden explain why they shouldn’t be upset. That’s the act of a sociopath
I think he was approaching it from the perspective of the person *being* cheated on, but yeah. If the other person was philosophical they wouldn't cheat in the first place.
Videos like this are one of the saving graces of the internet; thank you so much. Beautifully done and I will revisit as needed…. Greetings from the Lowlands of western Europe
"It is best to rise from life as from a banquet, neither thirsty nor drunken." -- Aristotle
So informative and motivating! Thank you.
When you say Stoicism, it's not just something you know but it is something you embody or practice. It is not easy training but don't give up, still continue to improve. Try and try... Being better is healthy. Hope we all have a sense of peace within ourselves, if not present let's create it.
I am lost and struggling, but I hope I can enjoy living even when lost and even when struggling.
There are times that we felt lost in our life. but i think it is the way to experience life again and to connect with ourselves just so you know you are way more awesome that you ought to know. may i wish you a very good luck with your life journey 😊
@@philosophy.wyn-christian I appreciate this, brother! 🙏🏻
@@philosophy.wyn-christian May you experience life too, its fruits and graces.
“That person didn’t make you angry, you made you so.”
-myself
Amen ❤
This is good! Thanks. I like the stoic philosophy. It's not perfect, but it's a good way of thinking. It helped me in my feeble attempts to change how I think. I like the part about delight.
Concussion injury caused in me emotional damage. It is such a painful state to not be able to control strong emotions, especially when they are caused by narcissistic abuse. It feels so unfair, my sufferiing. Your channel has helped me so much to live in acceptance of my condition. It is not the struggles in life that are hard, it is when I struggle with the struggles.
As I was drifting off to sleep my youngest daughter came to mind. She is pregnant and my thoughts take the direction of my pregnancy with her. She cut me off, won't talk to me, for whatever reason. I cannot control it. The thought took me from the pleasant drowsiness to sitting up straight in bed, to an alert distressed state, heart racing. I have a pill that will shut down the amygdala, but I didn't take it. I am tired of taking a pill on the account of someone else. I didn't sleep that night. Lack of sleep causes me even less control of this pitiful state. I felt pathetic.
Because this surge in emotions happened when I was not fully awake, I wondered, how could I have prevented it. I was in terrible pain for two days. I finally slept, woke up late in the day (now) and am trying to reorient myself, get back on my track. So I am drinking coffee and see your new post. I will have to finish watching it later, I am still in a fog. I am hoping that I will achieve greater insight to my predicament.
I am so sensitive and raw. Meanness can lay me out for days, so for me, people are dangerous. I keep to myself. I need to venture out today and buy food. I am even more vulnerable today and I know it, I dread the idea. But I know I will be hungry.
Isn't this the definition of pathetic?
Meanness hurts me like you..I avoid going out too...I am also scared of over reacting...I dont want to yell or be mean back because its upsetting and ends up scaring people...and then, I'm the bad person...no thanks.
You should check out david goggin’s book “can’t hurt me”. The audio version is fantastic. Very inspirational story and motivation to strengthen the mind and learn to deflect all of the bullshit that life throws at you. Stay hard.
@@haylo3618 thank you for listening and responding. I have been isolated for so long, I can't tell if I exist, your response tells me I do!
@@flowerpower2726 I will do it. Thank you for your response.
I think your choice to not struggle with the struggle is very wise. I am still working on not having feelings about my feelings! Blessings and peace to you.
"Do not demand that things happen as we wish, but as they happen.'' Thank you.
"for distress, there is no replacement."
Why do I laughed so hard on that part
Stoicism is so beautiful! Thanks for your videos!
I prefer the eastern philosophies more.
Beautifully said, I enjoyed the "story" told.
I don't watch your videos lightly, but make sure I am available to focus every ounce of my personal history in reflection to what you are describing. This video spoke to me greatly, as I am 35 years old and feeling behind. Granted I've accomplished a lot, and have people constantly prying for my attention and time, but the disconnect is in how I was raised by disney to believe a script, verses the reality I have witnessed in dating modern women, and how my lust and motivation for a family has completely upended my passion for success, now that I know the statistics of what I am up against.
I always wished I could be blissfully ignorant and blindly charge through life, fitting in with everyone, not seeing the fallacies between the lines, the type who gets angry when their belief is called into question, no matter how unstable the foundation is. That is not the case for me, and it has earned me a lot of favor among a community, so I must continue to shed the negativity of failed expectations, while continuing to embrace the potential adventures moving forward
Just purchased my first book from you!! ^_^ Thank you for all the wonderful videos! They've been a real life-saving boon for me at times~ *hugs*
The replacement of Distress is Gratitude. We cannot control every circumstance, but we can be thankful of them as a learning tool to advise us to make certain decisions accordingly.
The step from being Stoic to full blown apathy is quite small. I love stoicism, but I think it's not the perfect philosophy yet. It's close though.
Yeah I agree. I was more apathetic when studying stoicism. Now I pull from absurdist and Buddhist philosophies to get a variety of perspectives
Perfect Philosophy? Perhaps our expectations may be unrealistic. Why not accept a philosophy simply for what is and check our judgment at the door? Stoicism, Buddhism etc. are what they are. Philosophy aims to achieve many things but perfection has nothing to do with it.
The endless pursuit of perfection.
This video is different. This is gonna change my life. I had to rewatch and pause multiple times to understand... Thank you for this...
This is easily one of the most useful and insightful videos on youtube.
No better timing for this video than this, atleast for me✨👍🏽✨
I don't think I deserve "good outcomes" but not do I think ppl who get distressed , lustful or anxious are shameful or irrational. We are humans and innately feel emotions at birth.
The stoically minded are blessed or cyborgs if they are truly never able to let anything hurt them..to achieve self mastery takes a very strong mindset in the first place so individuals able to be stoic are probably already practicing restraint in life.
Also to constantly bite down on your natural emotions and responses to succeed in feeling "moderate " is in a way acting out of fear of being afraid or feeling any other passion and that is in itself a fearful motivation, Being stoic has only one upside, you won't be afraid of anything.
This is a strength indeed but someone could argue stoicism is mere self preservation rooted in fear of emotion. It is surely more beneficial to face your fear and conquer it than "avoid" it by resisting all your natural impulses.
Also you will never feel the beauty of extremes, extreme love, even deep sorrow has a poignant element. These emotions are what life is all about, if you avoid emotion you will certainly have a less painful life. But also a less colourful one.
I don't think you understand Stoic philosophy at all. It's a common misconception that's about suppression of emotion. It's not. It's about understanding and accepting your emotions but also not allowing them to control you, and to think before you act on them. You are not controlling emotions, just their outcomes so you don't act in ways that may cause bad consequences. It also creates peace of mind since you don't allow others to control your emotional state. Water off a duck.
Georgia J_ Well written. I have been following Stoicism for 3 years now. If it comes from a place of fear then that person is misguided.
There is much useful good in Stoic Philosophy that is of great aid. Although I don’t always agree with all of its points, (I’m not a stoic philosopher).
A good overview book is ‘The Little Book Of Stoicism’ by Jonas Salzgeber . It talks of Taking Responsibility, Focus on What You Control and Live with Arete. And much more.
The general idea is to get warmed by the fire and not set yourself ablaze, and it is a tricky balance.
Or to learn steering this boat so you can choose directions for your life, rather then letting the river of emotion crash you around as it chooses. In one case you have emotions in the other the emotions have you, and then emotions decide your fate.
What you like best is of course your choice (if you have the awareness to even make it), and if you look at the freak-out culture of twitter you can get a very clear picture of what happens to people without awareness, they are just crashing around everywhere and feel like complete victims of the awful system around them.
I agree and i thank you for your work in RUclips. Greetings fromm Germany.
Anything beyond our reactions to the three main instinctual drives, that of Danger, Food and Sex, are societal conventions, which are a longshot from what our body and minds have been developed to handle. We use our seemingly ancient yet very recent, emotional and physical biologic mechanisms to interact with a world that humans have created for themselves in a CONSIDERABLY short timespan when compared to the span of the rest of evolution. The extremely fast development of society and cultures has swept our feet from under us, and mental health is declining naturally as a result of an overload of stimuli for natural bodily instincts to handle. There are people who seemingly "handle life well", yet still experience uneccessary stressors and hardships as a result of their own psyche attempting to deal with what they experience. A result of overthinking, when instead, we are designed for clear and precise, minimalistic reactions to stimuli in a natural setting.
Well said!
for distress, there is the option of unsubscribing from the current mental construct that is causing it. how far you take that to achieve effectiveness is the variable among different people. but i assure you, this can replace distress.
Been watching all your stoicism videos bro they seriously all make me tear up. All these videos are beautiful
This video appeared on my recommended tab today...I really needed this message.
Love this channel. It's my favorite one on youtube.
You are, not what you eat, but what you think. And when you are what you think, you are but a thought. Don't let a thought get in the way of you opening up.
Such wisdom/value here.
I'll listen to this every morning without fail for the rest of 2022.
Today is Day 1: Friday 18th March ✅
Feel free to keep me accountable & check-in whenever with a reply.
I like the idea of 2/3 days overall or better, and wish that this path gives rise to a positive shift in my life as a result, but do not lust after that shift as a need, and will accept fate as it so happens.
Day 1: Friday 18th March ✅
Day 2: Saturday 19th March ✅
Day 3: Sunday 20th March ✅
Day 4: Monday 21st March ✅
Day 5: Tuesday 22nd March
Day 6: Wednesday 23rd March
Day 7: Thursday 24th March
Day 8: Friday 25th March
Day 9: Saturday 26th March
Day 10: Sunday 27th March
Did you do it?
Another superb vid. Thank you
My friend recently described me as stoic. Always knew what the word itself meant, but not the philosophy behind it. Gotta say that they're right. Shit happens and I deal with it.
Stoic Katie everyone
👏👏👏
@@Blake4625kHz *bows*
I have mixed feelings about this. There's alot of truth in what he's saying. But when a man cheats on his wife, it's a natural and, I would posit, healthy response for her to be distressed and angry. She has been betrayed. Simply saying that "infidelity happens frequently and, often, to the best of us" doesn't make it okay. Abuse and theft are common as well. It doesn't mean that we should accept it and disallow a strong emotional response when we've been wronged. Humans are living beings. A flatly rational approach to every situation is neither possible nor healthy.
That said, I understand the value of this stoic mindset and I believe an integrated approach that utilitizes both stoicism and healthy emotional expression is the best solution for addressing life's problems. I'm just saying that this approach could be stifling if carried too far.
It is a tricky middle way, you got to accept reality which includes the emotions you experience.
Lean too far into your anger people might get killed, too far into repression and you can't resolve your emotions, understanding the world and looking for a decent resolution is the way you get good results.
I have had to reject Aurelius a few times because of my abuse. "Be gentle with others and hard on yourself" doesn't work when your brother is drunkenly yelling at you in the middle of the night
The act of cheating and abuse is a product of an emotional response in an of itself. I totally agree that we can’t use this philosophy to gaslight emotions but I also find it ironic how someone who can’t handle their own emotions that they feel they have to lie, cheat, hit, kill or steal from others is the person who truly needs this philosophy. Stop taking out your own emotions on others. Using the woman who gets betrayed is a shitty example. Her emotions had no bad result. Smh. RUclips has a good way of exposing old male philosophies
@@manthesecond I agree that was a very poor example. I don't think the gender had anything to do with it's shittiness. But shitty example nonetheless
@@captainbeastazoid7084 oh I don’t mean the creator of the video, more so I see how one can distort this and therefore abuse this concept in relationships and since a lot of philosophy was created by men, gotta be a little weary lol. I just can see how men can take advantage of this, doesn’t mean women can’t either.
Stoicism is the only way to leading a sensible, balanced and emotionally strong life. 🙏🏻
Absolutely untrue!! I find a number of flaws in stoicism (brute force and suppression to start) and believe the eastern philosophies to be far superior.
"The essence of balance is detachment. To embrace a cause, to grow fond or spiteful, is to lose one’s balance, after which, no action can be trusted." - Thief: The Dark Project
I like how there's so many things to be told - and yet when told in so few words, they become even clearer.
A fantastic video - thank you.
The "banquet" quote is just stellar!
Good timing! I put it off a week to watch and can see you have published another vid today or yesterday. And I am reminded again I've fallen off my daily meditation practice and how I sometimes in the year have a zazen practice, or am being Zen (as complimenting being Jewish or being Whirling Dervish or Wiccan). I so welcome this content b/c I've been sufeering so much in the last couple months, and January is the worst time of year for so many people. Anyway, if I'm making sense, with repeated stops to back up and relisten, I am putting this one on a list I keep for future relistens, my public "Wow, Because Psychology!" list- Philosophy discussions really add, plus I guess I ended up a bit of an atheist- have been since I was in 2nd grade in parochial Catholic school and all the 1st communion stuff just was not making sense to my brain, and just put up with the following 10 years till I was 18 and could make my own choices for education. Anyway. Have a nice day, Creator Channel Person : ) and happy 2022 we hope coming out of pandemic. .
An expanded philosophy on this is to not just be non-reactive or attached to the emotions that arise through living life but rather to look at the things that happen with acceptance and ask, what is this teaching me to help me move more in the direction(s) I desire. whether your goal is equanimity, calm and resilience or excitement, joy and expansion the formula is the same.
This was really good. I needed this. Thank you
Profound and thought provoking! Thanks 👍
Trust Goodness and be brave. Fear nothing except becoming bad.
11:46 … the banquet analogy by Epictetus was great.
Damn, king Shaun Lee is dropping gold! Every video he shares on his stories are extremely helpful for becoming successful!
He brought me here too! Damn
Another wonderful video. Thanks so much for consistently helping me sort things out.