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In a healthy mind, there is a causal hierarchy: Reality > your perception of reality > emotions (strongly simplified!). You are suggesting that stoicism means m
by manmal 8y ago
In a healthy mind, there is a causal hierarchy: Reality > your perception of reality > emotions (strongly simplified!). You are suggesting that stoicism means manipulating emotions, at the bottom of the hierarchy. What (to me) it means is manipulating the perception of reality. I agree that shoving aside emotions won’t do you much good, except in the short term (e.g. not punching the boss in the face). Long term emotion suppression will make you depressed. Stoicism doesn’t tell you that you must not be angry. It tells you that your boss is actually not in control of the situation herself, and also does not control your own destiny - her bad decision is suddenly only an annoyance, and not a life-threatening event. And your emotions will adjust accordingly.
Vaping nicotine 20 times a day is obviously a bad idea and might lead to cancer. Vaping 2 draws of CBD (a non-addictive substance) 2-3 times per week might also have a negative long term effect, but I’ll take it. I don’t use propylene glycol, but only vegetable glycerine to minimize risk.
- dragonwriter 8y ago> In a healthy mind, there is a causal hierarchy: Reality > your perception of reality > emotions (strongly simplified!). That's certainly the conceit of rationality, but realistically the last two have a complex two-way relationship where often, perhaps most often, the reverse order of those two elements dominates.
- manmal 8y agoI agree that, short-term, emotions change perception of reality. Or at least, past trauma and other experiences from the past feed heavily into perception. But my own experience is that the link from perception to emotions is more profound and effective. A few words, formulating crucial information, can turn around your emotions 180 degrees. „I‘m pregnant“, „You have cancer“, „I‘m sorry“, etc. The other direction seems way more subtle to me.