Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Anger is temporary madness: the Stoics knew how to curb it

#1
C C Offline
https://aeon.co/ideas/anger-is-temporary...e-triggers

EXCERPT: [...] Seneca thought that anger is a temporary madness, and that even when justified, we should never act on the basis of it because, though ‘other vices affect our judgment, anger affects our sanity: others come in mild attacks and grow unnoticed, but men’s minds plunge abruptly into anger. [...]

The perfect modern milieu for anger management is the internet. If you have a Twitter or Facebook account, or write, read or comment on a blog, you know what I mean. Heck, Twitter anger has been brought up to new heights (or lows, depending on your point of view) by the current president of the United States, Donald Trump.

[...] Ouch! How is it possible not to get offended by this sort of thing, especially when it’s coming not from an anonymous troll, but from a famous guy with more than 200,000 followers? By implementing the advice of another Stoic philosopher, the second-century slave-turned-teacher Epictetus, who admonished his students in this way: ‘Remember that it is we who torment, we who make difficulties for ourselves – that is, our opinions do. What, for instance, does it mean to be insulted? Stand by a rock and insult it, and what have you accomplished? If someone responds to insult like a rock, what has the abuser gained with his invective?’

Indeed. Of course, to develop the attitude of a rock toward insults takes time and practice, but I’m getting better at it. [...] Now, some people say that anger is the right response to certain circumstances, in reaction to injustice, for instance, and that – in moderation – it can be a motivating force for action. But Seneca would respond that ...

MORE: https://aeon.co/ideas/anger-is-temporary...e-triggers
Reply


Possibly Related Threads…
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  What Plato knew about behavioural economics. (A lot) C C 0 363 May 19, 2017 02:22 AM
Last Post: C C
  Single events have multiple causes + Beyond anger + Forgetting humility C C 7 1,307 Aug 3, 2016 02:35 AM
Last Post: elte



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)