Post by Bodhitree on Jul 26, 2017 8:21:43 GMT
So yesterday I came across this TED talk by Tim Ferris in which he mentioned he had bipolar and had had many - fifty-plus - significant depressive episodes in his life, and that one of the best ways he had found to learn to deal with these things had been to study the ancient philosophy of Stoicism.
Now this is an area of some interest to me, since during semi-psychotic episodes in the past I have experienced some irrational anxieties, and finding habits of thought which allow us to lay aside some of those feelings is a useful thing. So I started to do a little research and I thought I would quote some of it here in the hope that others may find it useful.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoicism
It's adherence to a natural order is not too different from the Tao, and it's focus on not being controlled by emotions is somewhat similar to Buddhism. But on another level it is much more practical than either of those, it is a way of living and not only a way of thinking.
Some of its conclusions echo thoughts I have had as well. For example, they hold that one should focus on the things one can control, and not on the things we can't. We cannot control the world, our reputation, our health, the actions and thoughts of others. We can control our own thoughts and emotions and how we set our goals.
Some famous Stoic thinkers:
en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius - Seneca's letters to Lucilius
classics.mit.edu/Antoninus/meditations.html - Marcus Aurelius' meditations
Now this is an area of some interest to me, since during semi-psychotic episodes in the past I have experienced some irrational anxieties, and finding habits of thought which allow us to lay aside some of those feelings is a useful thing. So I started to do a little research and I thought I would quote some of it here in the hope that others may find it useful.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoicism
Stoicism is predominantly a philosophy of personal ethics which is informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world. According to its teachings, as social beings, the path to happiness for humans is found in accepting that which we have been given in life, by not allowing ourselves to be controlled by our desire for pleasure or our fear of pain, by using our minds to understand the world around us and to do our part in nature's plan, and by working together and treating others in a fair and just manner.
It's adherence to a natural order is not too different from the Tao, and it's focus on not being controlled by emotions is somewhat similar to Buddhism. But on another level it is much more practical than either of those, it is a way of living and not only a way of thinking.
Some of its conclusions echo thoughts I have had as well. For example, they hold that one should focus on the things one can control, and not on the things we can't. We cannot control the world, our reputation, our health, the actions and thoughts of others. We can control our own thoughts and emotions and how we set our goals.
Some famous Stoic thinkers:
en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius - Seneca's letters to Lucilius
classics.mit.edu/Antoninus/meditations.html - Marcus Aurelius' meditations