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> avoiding suffering is not living to the fullest Stoicism isn't about the avoidance of suffering. It's about accepting fate, loving others despite their behav
by bg4 8y ago
> avoiding suffering is not living to the fullest
Stoicism isn't about the avoidance of suffering. It's about accepting fate, loving others despite their behavior, and not creating anguish for yourself, in your own mind. It doesn't mean, however, that you don't attempt to put things in order and fix your problems.
"Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart."
"Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself."
"So you were born to feel 'nice'? Instead of doing things and experiencing them? Don't you see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders and bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order, as best they can? And you're not willing to do your job as a human being? Why aren't you running to do what your nature demands?"
- ddebernardy 8y ago> Stoicism isn't about the avoidance of suffering. It's about accepting fate That's actually a Roman-Christian reinterpretation of the Greek philosophy. The Greek teaching in a nutshell is that what depends on you depends on you, and what doesn't depend on you (such as others or nature) does not -- and therefor shouldn't be a source of frustration. (It says nowhere, as you note a few sentences later, that you should accept the would-be source of the frustration; just that you shouldn't be frustrated about it -- while working on improving the situation if you feel strongly about it.)