#stoics

[389]

The condition and characteristic of a vulgar person, is, that he never expects either benefit or hurt from himself, but from externals. The condition and characteristic of a philosopher is, that he expects all hurt and benefit from himself.

— Epictetus [The Enchiridion]

[alunah-lalunah]

Mask-wearing, signaling virtue, managing appearances are not moral failings they’re already as genetic as breathing. Why?

Signaling is older than language. Birds puff their feathers, apes bare teeth in fake smiles, wolves roll over in “submission” postures. None of this is “honest” but strategic display. Humans just added speech and symbols to the same machinery.

Genes reward survival, not honesty. A gene that makes its carrier signal “safe, cooperative, pious” while hiding aggression or envy will spread, because it protects the individual from punishment while still allowing predation when profitable.

A gene that makes its carrier bluntly honest dies with the carrier (ostracism, execution, loss of allies).

Virtue signaling is a built-in social technology. In small tribes, cooperation is fragile. Members had to look virtuous to stay inside the circle. Those who didn’t signal were seen as threats and often eliminated. That pressure selected for mask-wearing as default behavior.

History confirms the genetic template.

Stoics cultivated an “inner citadel” precisely because they knew public life was a theater of roles.

Courtiers survived by flattering, pretending loyalty, virtue-signaling piety while plotting privately.

Dictatorships people survived by praising the leader in public while cursing him at home. That wasn’t cultural fashion but evolutionary reflex exploited by culture.

Metzinger / Hoffman angle.

The self is a model for navigating fitness landscapes, not for truth-telling. Masks and signals are the “icons” the brain projects outward, automatically.

The important trick is that only a very small minority know they are doing it and can therefore decide when to use it.

[sictransitgloriamvndi]

“Accept death in a cheerful spirit, as nothing but the dissolution of the elements from which each living thing is composed. If it doesn't hurt the individual elements to change continually into one another, why are people afraid of all of them changing and separating? It's a natural thing. And nothing natural is evil.” - Marcus Aurelius

[senecasfollower]

"We suffer more often in imagination than in reality." - Seneca the Younger

[alchemisoul]

* You're not responsible for every thought that comes in and out of your head. They're not necessarily within your control, not initially anyways.

It is within your power, however, to decide which ones you want to hold on to and those you wish to discard.

You're responsible for observing thoughts that flow inward and choosing whether or not you act on them, buy into them, or take ownership of them.

#KnowThyself

#TheWolfYouFeed

#IsTheOneThatWins

[vulturesouls]

Some things are hurrying into existence, and others are hurrying out of it; and of that which is coming into existence, part is already extinguished. Motions and changes are continually renewing the world, just as the uninterrupted course of time is always renewing the infinite duration of ages. In this flowing stream then, on which there is no abiding, what is there of the things which hurry by on which I would set a high price? It would be just as if I should fall in love with one of the sparrows that fly by, but it has already passed out of sight. Something of this kind is the very life of everyone, like the exhalation of the blood and the respiration of the air... (VI:15)

from the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius (Skylight Paths Publishing, 2007), pg 33.

[lost-neurons]

go ahead and give us a ramble on stoicism mate

oh dear!!!!!!!! it's been a year, and, dear tuathaigh, please do not think i've forgotten about you. i've been painfully aware of this ask 80% of the time, just didn't have the mental capacity to produce anything meaningful 🧍‍♂️but let me make it up to you (better later than never :( )

so this morning for my morning practice i was reading seneca's letters, and the letter 52. (On choosing our teachers) ends with these lines:

[L]et them be roused to the matter, and not to the style; otherwise, eloquence does them harm, making them enamoured of itself, and not of the subject. [...] There can be no doubt that philosophy has suffered a loss, now that she has exposed her charms for sale. But she can still be viewed in her sanctuary, if her exhibitor is a priest and not a pedlar.

taken from: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius

and it really struck me, how once again the majority of the modern stoic scene is summarized in the ancient texts. and once again, it raised me question, whether they even read the original stoics. it really makes me sad to see how all these self-help gurus, the finance bros, and god knows who else, use stoicism to gain financial benefits. how they sell this beautiful philosophy, and how, by doing this, they contradict the very teachings they think they preach. and how they spread and strengthen the myths that are in the culture around stoicism. all these sigma videos. no, stoicism does not require you to feel nothing. it is not human to feel nothing. instead, you should not let them control you. yes, you will still feel anger or annoyance at times, the thing is what you do with it. no, you will not become a stone cold killer thanks to this philosophy. no, you are not a stoic if you hate on people. yes, it includes all the minorities the sigmas like to laugh at. stoicism is one of the most egalitarian schools of thought i know. yes, they included women. they included slaves. because everybody can attain virtue, because we are all human. no, you are not a stoic if you only care about yourself. they highlight the importance of collectivity and cooperation, and the importance of the service for society since ancient times, wake up. you will make money if you become stoic? have we read the same texts? or did you just skip the 89% of it where they talk about money, because last time i checked, they did not praise appeasing to social status, being rich, and dedicating yourself to material things. quite the oppposite actually.

if you are somebody who is interested in stoicism as a way of life, i strongly encourage you to read the original texts. do not fall for the trap of the ready "guidebooks" that are supposed to facilitate it for you. it is already easy enough. if this is not, there are books by academics, written for further development of the stoic thought, not for money. if you need something less intimidating, john sellars could be your "introduction to stoicism" guy. if you look for something more audio or video-based, please check out accepting the universe. it is on youtube, spotify, and probably other platforms too. i've been following this channel for a very long time, and for me, atesh is one of the very few creators worth following. you can tell that he is a thinker, he really is interested in what he is saying, what he is thinking, reading. and he can talk about it very beautifully, at least in my opinion. he understands the core values underlaying stoic thought. and he also has discord channel where you can ask about any problem you encounter with the teachings, and people there are simply lovely. i know because i am there myself, and i experienced their thoughtfulness and kindness many times firsthand :]

and of course, even though i am no master myself, a mere student, i want to remind that my DMs are always open, and i always look forward to discussing any ideas, stoic teachings, so feel free, you, whoever reads this :-)