Paradoxa Stoicorum
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PARADOXA STOICORUM
THE SIX PRINCIPLES OF STOICISM BASED UPON MARCUS AURELIUS
REASON AND RATIONALISM ARE GREATER THAN IMPULSE AND EMOTION.
"Every moment think steadily as a Roman and a man to do what thou hast in hand with perfect and simple dignity, and feeling of affection, and freedom, and justice; and to give thyself relief from all other thoughts."
"How quickly all things disappear, in the universe the bodies themselves, but in time the remembrance of them; what is the nature of all sensible things, and particularly those which attract with the bait of pleasure or terrify by pain, or are noised abroad by vapoury fame; how worthless, and contemptible, and sordid, and perishable, and dead they are- all this it is the part of the intellectual faculty to observe. "
"For he who is excited by anger seems to turn away from reason with a certain pain and unconscious contraction; but he who offends through desire, being overpowered by pleasure, seems to be in a manner more intemperate and more womanish in his offences."
"Although every event was a part of the grand scheme, vices were as necessary as virtues, and everything tended to the good of the whole, the process could be painful."—Jones, Harold B. "Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic Ethic, and Adam Smith." Journal of Business Ethics 95.1 (2010): 89-96. Web.
"Seneca, however, says that the gods 'are the supreme commanders in the universe, controlling all things by their power and acting as guardians of the human race, even though they are sometimes unmindful of the individual.' Cicero says 'the gods care for great things but neglect the little.' "—Stob, Ralph. "Stoicism and Christianity." The Classical Journal 30.4 (1935): 217-24. Web.
Greed and full dominance led Trojans to bring in Horse. Cunning brought Odysseus and Greeks to victory.
Privilege does not give one the right to indulgence.
"... we would not commend the man who shows himself free from the need of them; if these things were truly 'goods,' a man who fails to press for his full share of any of them could not be a good man. But in fact the more a man deprives himself of these or suchlike, or tolerates others depriving him, the better a man he is.
So this is true value: and if this is firmly held, you will not be set on acquiring any of the other things for yourself. Will you not then cease to value much else besides? Otherwise you will not be free or self-sufficient or devoid of passion: you will need to be envious and jealous, to suspect those who have the power to deprive you of these things, and to intrigue against people who possess what you value.
Odysseus dressed as a beggar to enter his own kingdom.
Athens is seat of democracy.
Julius Caesar and his death... Need I say more?
Perfect acceptance of both sorrow and joy leads to perfect happiness.
But I have seen that the nature of good is what is right, and the nature of evil is what is wrong; And I have reflected that the nature of the offender himself is akin to my own—not a kinship of blood or seed, but a sharing in the same mind, the same fragment of divinity. Therefore I cannot be harmed by any of them, as none will infect me with their wrong.
'All's right that happens in the world.' Examine this saying carefully, and you will find it true. I do not mean 'right' simply in the context of cause and effect, but in the sense of 'just'—as if some adjudicator were assigning dues.
Daedalus vs. Brutus
Most important in life is becoming a good man.
He does not realize that it is sufficient to concentrate solely on the divinity within himself and to give it true service. That service is to keep it uncontaminated by passion, triviality, or discontent at what is dealt by gods or men. What comes from the gods demands reverence for their goodness.
Remind yourself of your duty to be a good man and rehearse what man's nature demands: then do it straight and unswerving, or say what you best think right. Always, though, in kindness, integrity, and sincerity
Untitled Slide
Heracles: so good he was forced to do bad
Hercules: SO TERRIBLE HE KILLED HIS FAMILY!!!
Each person has a duty to others and to society.
And see that you keep a cheerful demeanour, and retain your independence of outside help and the peace which others can give. Your duty is to stand straight—not held straight.
If you are doing your proper duty let it not matter to you whether you are cold or warm, whether you are sleepy or well-slept, whether men speak badly or well of you, even whether you are at the point of death or doing something else...
It follows that the aim we should set ourselves is a social aim, the benefit of our fellow citizens. A man directing all his own impulses to this end will be consistent in all his actions, and therefore the same man throughout.
Odysseus: cared for his men
Hannibal: did NOT
Worlds must die for worlds to grow.
Is someone afraid of change? Well, what can ever come to be without change? Or what is dearer or closer to the nature of the Whole than change? Can you yourself take your bath, if the wood that heats it is not changed...Can any of the benefits of life be achieved without change? Do you not see then that for you to be changed is equal, and equally necessary to the nature of the Whole?
All things fade and quickly turn to myth: quickly too utter oblivion drowns them. And I am talking of those who shone with some wonderful brilliance: the rest, once they have breathed their last, are immediately 'beyond sight, beyond knowledge.'
And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the ring passed out of all knowledge. Until, when chance came, the ring ensnared a new bearer. The ring came to the creature Gollum, who took it deep into the tunnels under the Misty Mountains, and there it consumed him.
Though worlds will die and worlds will grow
Out of death, life, Out of night, day,
glory from sorrow
Out of grief, joy, Out of storm, comes
strength for tomorrow
Out of dust, gold, Out of fire, air,
comfort forsaken
Out of rage, calm, Out of loss, find,
glory awaken
Proof the Greeks were better: they survived the fall of the west
Sources:
Journals, plus...
Marcus Aurelius and his times (book)
Lord of the Rings musical
Lord of the rings book/movie
Photo by Zanastardust
And though where the road then takes me,
I cannot tell
We came all this way
But now comes the day
To bid you farewell
Photo by chiaralily
