I believe I might finally be on track (Stoicism)

[The Sum of Awe]

Stoicism is the school of thought that makes sense the most to me. It has a goal I find promising; with more self control, not being driven by emotions. It views the universe under determinism. The concept of the universe ending in the same exact way it was begotten. Having a will against the deterministic universe's helps nothing and only makes things harder.

I've done a fair amount of reading on it (off of website sources), there is not a lot of sources for researching it though. It makes absolute sense to me - the goals are promising, virtue is promising, logos is promising... I've been attempting to apply it to my daily life, and not really having noticeable results. Wondering why that is, I'm convinced it is because of my obnoxious will power still wants to be depressed about the past and be anxious about the future. Going with the flow can't be the only thing to it, having a "right here right now" mind is important.

I might be wrong and looking too much into it, but I think my path has finally set sail, moving very slow. Some examples that shown me this as of recent:

1. I was running late for work two nights ago because traffic was crowded in the town I had to drive through all due to a train that was going to go by full of lights for christmas. I was very annoyed, looking down at the clock every minute. I knew for sure I wouldn't make it on time, and when I finally arrived I was 10 minutes late. Before I got there, I tried to relieve my anxiety of being late. I figured the only way to not let it bother me is to not let it bother me. I'm late, and that's how it is, whatever happens next will happen. I flipped on the radio, put aside the fact I was late, and thought other thoughts.

2. I'm not sure why, but for the past few months I've been having terrible, uncontrollable thoughts that just randomly pop up in my head. They are very realistic, and it brings me down emotionally: the day I see my loved ones die before me. Image of smashing my small pup's head on the ground like I do at work to baby pigs that aren't going to make it... I see him squirm and each time that thought comes up I can't help but cry. So I thought of the here and now. I thought - why imagine these saddening things? One will never happen (the latter) and the other will happen some day and there's no need to live it out multiple times before it happens (in the mind). It's having some effect, but not for long. This is probably because these thoughts are automatic and I don't choose to think them, I can only stop thinking about them when I do think of it. So this may not be repairable from a simple walk of life, probably professional psychology is the best option, sadly I am afraid of shrinks.

3. Not long ago I rented a movie from a movie store nearby. Captain America 2. You get to keep it for three days, and you pay late fees if you don't turn it in within three days. I didn't have the time to watch the movie the first time around because I was busy working. 4 days after the third day I took it back and asked to renew it. The price for a 4 day late late fee brought it up to 16 dollars to rent. And I never did end up watching it. I tried to force myself, but I just didn't feel like watching it. I felt totally ripped off. All that money down the drain. Idiotic me. So I stopped thinking about it. It's working.


I would like to hear your opinion on Stoicism. Do you believe it's useful?

 

[Quagmire]

Sounds pretty sane to me. I loved this ---> "I figured the only way to not let it bother me is to not let it bother me".

Sometimes, when I'm trapped in the middle of a swarm of worries and anxious thoughts, I'll pick a spot on the ground, stand there, and tell the whole swarm, "OK, you stand here, and I'm going to take a cpl of steps this way ---->".

Works every time.

 

[Uberpod]

Seems like old fashioned denial and suppression. Freud called them the most primitive defense mechanisms. But, the proof is in the pudding.

 

[Quagmire]

Seems like old fashioned denial and suppression. Freud called them the most primitive defense mechanisms. But, the proof is in the pudding.

Denial is when you tell yourself, "There is no problem".

Acceptance is when you tell yourself, "Oh well, nothing I can do about it so why stress on it?"

It's the abbreviated version of this:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Stressing on things you can't do anything about robs you of energy you could be doing something productive with, like living.

 

[frangipani]

Self realisation is the beginning of the journey towards salvation.

 

[DreadFish]

Im a fan of stoicism, though im more on the cynic side of things. I think the ethics and lifestyle of stoicism and cynicism can be beneficial to most people.

On another level, even the anxiety is just another layer of reaction in the stream of events. How you react to the anxiety effects how much more anxiety there is. I used to get nervous about being nervous, "no, shoot, I dont want to feel like this!"

 

[Straw Dog]

I would like to hear your opinion on Stoicism. Do you believe it's useful?

I've been repurposing Stoicism for some time now and find it to be highly effective. I may even be more Stoic than Taoist or Buddhist at this point.

 

[Revoltingest]

Stoicism.....
You might like a Tom Wolfe book, "A Man In Full".

 

[Baladas]

There is a lot of wisdom in Stoicism.
Acceptance is far better than worry.
All we have is now.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I've been repurposing Stoicism for some time now and find it to be highly effective. I may even be more Stoic than Taoist or Buddhist at this point.

I don't really get the difference.

All in all, labels are for property. I feel these religions share a common philosphy: the walk of lt

 

[Straw Dog]

I don't really get the difference.

All in all, labels are for property. I feel these religions share a common philosphy: the walk of lt

Yes, all in all. To follow nature means to act in accord with original mind. We may even forget to name our 'virtues' and simply flow.

 

[vaguelyhumanoid]

Stoicism is pretty solid, and I can see where its teachings could be helpful. I was reading a bit of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations the other day and I like how calm, humble and matter-of-fact it is, especially when you consider the context in which it was written.

 

[rocala]

I came across a martial arts teacher who believed stoicism was a natural partner to aikido.

 

[Sleeppy]

There is a lot of positive potential locked away in accepting determinism. Here's one, I've been adamant about here recently:

You're able to avoid demonization, better understand empathetic value, and act more calmly and efficiently.

 

[User14]

A Stoic approach can absolutely help a lot of people, particularly people with anxiety. Something to consider is that it's often not events or thoughts themselves that hurt you, but your reaction to them. Embracing this idea can stop the cycle of anxiety and begin a cycle of mental improvement. The events and thoughts will become less worrying, and thus your reactions will become less negative!

 

[Revoltingest]

A Stoic approach can absolutely help a lot of people, particularly people with anxiety. Something to consider is that it's often not events or thoughts themselves that hurt you, but your reaction to them. Embracing this idea can stop the cycle of anxiety and begin a cycle of mental improvement. The events and thoughts will become less worrying, and thus your reactions will become less negative!

It could sure help some disaffected voters after the election.

 

[Cary Cook]

I would like to hear your opinion on Stoicism. Do you believe it's useful?

It's a pleasure to see someone acknowledging such a thing as a right track.

If you're looking for a track that leads to a way to cope with existing reality, Stoicism and Buddhism are good (IMO).

If you're looking for the answer to "true or false" questions, I don't think you will find what you're looking for in Stoicism.
But admittedly, I've never gotten into Stoicism; I've just read about it.