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Administrator
Administrator
15007 Posts
Gratitude: 3353
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 Posted - 12/31/2015 : 20:35:21
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Here is #1:
Stoicism - Meditations By Marcus Aurelius: Animated Book Review
- "If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment."
It's not the event, but our interpretation of the event, that determines our behavior.
Bad things happen - we must be stoical about them (i.e., "what did you expect?").
- "You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."
The world is made up of things that you can't change, and things that you can change. Focus only on the things you can change. Often, the only thing you can change is yourself, because you have no control over what others think or do.
You have to choose to be happy. Marcus Aurelius said that very little is needed to live a happy life. Happiness is all about the quality of thoughts you put into your head. All you have to do is put the right thoughts in there.
- "How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbour says or does or thinks, but only at what he does himself, to make it just and holy."
People who unjustly criticize you usually don't have a great life themselves. So why do you listen to them?
Don't constantly worry about what other people think of you. Disregard their complaining and gossip. Instead, focus on what you are doing right.
You can go out and walk in nature for 1 hour, or sit at home and be negative and worry about what other people are doing. You are not doing anything right when you spend your entire day worrying, complaining, and gossiping.
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| Administrator
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15007 Posts
Gratitude: 3353
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Posted - 12/31/2015 : 20:44:02
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Here is #2:
On The Shortness Of Life By Seneca
"It's not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste much of it. Life is long enough, and its been given to us in generous measure for accomplishing the greatest things."
Life isn't short, it's just that you waste most of it. You may often be intoxicated, unconsciously watching TV, spending time with people you don't even like, fighting with your wife, working as a slave at a job you hate until you retire - then you ask "where did it all go?"
Your time is the most valuable thing you have. Every activity comes at a cost in terms of your time. You have to spend your time doing things that are meaningful, and that you love.
So why do you spend hours listening to people who are just complaining, and doing nothing about their complaints? Stop wasting your time on negative, unproductive activities.
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| Administrator
Administrator
15007 Posts
Gratitude: 3353
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Posted - 12/31/2015 : 21:01:00
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Here is #3:
How To Stop Worrying And Start Living by Dale Carnegie
- "Ask yourself, what's the worst thing than can happen?"
Your brain is poor at handling uncertainty. If you don't clearly define the worst thing that can happen, your brain will imagine something far worse. In reality, the worst thing is never that bad.
You have to be conscious of your worrying. Clearly define the worst outcome of your worries, and you will quickly realize how ridiculous all your worrying was.
- "Think of the absurdity of all our worrying."
If you just had 2 more hours to live, you would think back on all the things you worried about and realize the absurdity of all that worrying.
If you watched someone having their head chopped off, you would realize how insignificant our worries are.
- Your brain can't think of two things at the same time. So the best way to get rid of the negative thoughts in your head is to put positive thoughts in there.
That way, your positive thoughts will push your negative thoughts out of your attention.
- "Would you sell your arms for a billion dollars? Would you sell your legs for a billion dollars? This proves that you already own something worth billions of dollars. Thus it makes poor sense to worry about things that cost only a few dollars, and neglect your body which you value at $2 billion or more."
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| Administrator
Administrator
15007 Posts
Gratitude: 3353
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Posted - 12/31/2015 : 21:14:29
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Here is #4:
Man's Search For Meaning By Victor Frankl
- Happiness can not be pursued.
It's not like a college degree that you get after 4 years. You either cultivate the ability to be happy right now, or there's nothing you can chase that will bring you happiness.
If you haven't learned how to be happy right now, you won't be happy - even if you are richer - 5 years from now. That's why you can't buy happiness.
- You don't have control over what happens to you, but you do have control over how you respond to it.
Everything can be taken away from you; except for one thing - your freedom to chose.
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15007 Posts
Gratitude: 3353
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Posted - 01/03/2016 : 22:25:34
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Here is #5:
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| Administrator
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15007 Posts
Gratitude: 3353
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Posted - 01/04/2016 : 22:57:12
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Here is #6:
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| Administrator
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15007 Posts
Gratitude: 3353
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Posted - 05/14/2016 : 14:15:05
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Here is #7:
Sheryl Sandberg just spoke about her husband's death in public for the first time in an emotional speech
(Excellent philosophy of life on how to face adversity)
"I learned about the depths of sadness and the brutality of loss. But I also learned that when life sucks you under, you can kick against the bottom, break the surface, and breathe again. I learned that in the face of the void—or in the face of any challenge—you can choose joy and meaning.
Today I want to talk about ... the things you can do to overcome adversity, no matter what form it takes or when it hits you ... It is the hard days—the times that challenge you to your very core — that will determine who you are. You will be defined not just by what you achieve, but by how you survive.
After spending decades studying how people deal with setbacks, psychologist Martin Seligman found that there are three P’s—personalization, pervasiveness, and permanence—that are critical to how we bounce back from hardship. The seeds of resilience are planted in the way we process the negative events in our lives."
(Administrator: I have heavily paraphrased the remainder of Sheryl's thoughts.)
- Personalization: don't automatically assume that it's all your fault.
This is different from taking responsibility, which you should always do. This is the lesson that not everything that happens to us happens because of us. Many individual's first response to adversity is to blame themselves. Studies show that getting past personalization can actually make you stronger. Not taking failures personally allows us to recover—and even to thrive.
- Pervasiveness: don't automatically assume that the adversity has damaged all areas of your life.
When facing tragedy or disappointment, individuals may feel “everything is awful.” There’s no place to run or hide from the all-consuming sadness. After a life-changing adversity, it is important to get back to your normal routine as soon as possible. After an awful adversity, it is important to see that there were other things in your life that are not awful. You may realize that your family and friends are loving and supportive, despite the adversity. After failure, it is important to realize that you don't suck at everything, often only the thing that you failed at.
- Permanence: don't automatically assume that the adversity will last forever.
We often project our current feelings out indefinitely. We should accept our feelings—but recognize that they will not last forever.
Coping Strategies
- Negative visualization:
Think about how bad things could actually be. This is completely counterintuitive; usually you think the way to recover is to try to find positive thoughts. After adversity you may think, "worse - how could things be worse?" After a natural disaster has destroyed people's homes, they often say "well at least none of our family were killed - that's the most important thing - we can always start over". This realization that things could have been much worse makes people feel grateful, and can help decrease their sense of loss or failure.
- Gratitude list:
Finding gratitude and appreciation is key to resilience. Many people go to bed worrying about all the things they messed up that day. However, people who take the time at bedtime to list things they are grateful for are happier and healthier. It turns out that counting your blessings can actually increase your blessings. Write down three moments of joy before you go to bed each night. This simple practice can change your life. Because no matter what happens each day, you go to sleep thinking of something cheerful.
- Life is short and precious:
Live with the understanding of how precious every single day is. Be grateful for each breath, and for the gift of life. You are alive, but consider how short the average life span is.
- Be Grateful:
Be grateful for the kindness of your friends, the love of your family, the laughter of your children. You will need that gratitude — not just on the good days, but on the hard ones, when you will really need it.
- Build resilience:
Live your life — each precious day of it—with joy, meaning, and gratitude. When challenges come, remember that you have the ability to learn and grow. You build up your resilience each time you successfully face adversity. Life's tragedy or disappointment may show you that you are more vulnerable than you ever thought, but life will also show you that you are stronger than you ever imagined.
- Help others:
We find our will to live and our ability to love by helping others. Show your appreciation and support for your family and friends. Do this in person - not electronically.
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| Administrator
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15007 Posts
Gratitude: 3353
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Posted - 05/16/2016 : 13:45:53
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Here is #8:
Daily Meditation (By Phil Long MD - Largely Based On Ancient Greek Stoic Philosophy)
Stoicism was a school of ancient Greek philosophy founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium in the early 3rd century BC. Stoic philosophers taught that the best way to judge an individual was not by what the person said, but by how that person behaved. Over the centuries, Stoicism became very popular and even an emperor of Rome, Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180), became a popular Stoic philosopher. The Stoic philosophers developed the following daily meditation (which I have taken the liberty of modernizing). Psychiatrically, the importance of this Stoic daily meditation is that it clearly identifies the character defects in many personality disorders.
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| Administrator
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15007 Posts
Gratitude: 3353
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Posted - 05/16/2016 : 14:38:11
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| Administrator
Administrator
15007 Posts
Gratitude: 3353
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Posted - 05/18/2016 : 16:16:15
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Here is #9:
What Did the Bible's Old Testament, and the Ancient Greek Philosophers, say about Antisocial Personality Disorder?
The Bible's 10 Commandments Prohibited The Behaviors of Antisocial Personality Disorder
Notice how, except for the theological Commandments (#1-4), Commandments #5-#10 seem solely focused on prohibiting the behaviors that characterize Antisocial Personality Disorder.
The 10 Commandments- #1 You shall have no other gods before Me.
- #2 You shall not make idols.
- #3 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
- #4 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
- #5 Honor your father and your mother.
- #6 You shall not murder.
- #7 You shall not commit adultery.
- #8 You shall not steal.
- #9 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- #10 You shall not covet
.The Ancient Greek Philosophers Also Condemned Antisocial Personality Disorder
The ancient Greek Stoic philosophers were opposed to the character defects of those with Antisocial Personality Disorder. Their "Daily Meditation" correctly identified these antisocial character defects.
In my subsequent posts, I will argue that the Bible's 10 Commandments focused only on the character defects of Antisocial Personality Disorder; whereas the ancient Greek Stoic philosophers were able to identify practically all of the character defects of the modern personality disorders, by evaluating behavior using the framework of their "Daily Meditation". Would you rate the usefulness of this article as:
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| Administrator
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15007 Posts
Gratitude: 3353
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Posted - 05/18/2016 : 20:16:01
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Here is #10:
Why Was The Bible's Old Testament Silent About Extreme Narcissistic Behaviors, But Ancient Greek Philosophers Weren't?
Extreme Narcissistic Behaviors Weren't Prohibited In The Old Testament of the Bible
The Old Testament of the Bible seemed to condone extreme narcissistic behaviors. There are no Old Testament Commandments prohibiting arrogance, callousness, exploiting others, greed or attention-seeking (i.e., the hallmarks of Narcissistic Personality Disorder).
In fact, in the Old Testament, there are many instances where Moses commanded his followers to kill each man, women and child of his enemies in order to take their lands. Moses established a theocracy in which his word was law, and he had absolute life and death power over his followers. Moses ordered the mass execution of those of his followers that disobeyed him.
Subsequent religious prophets in the Old Testament also attempted to establish a theocracy; hence competed for power with the Kings of Israel. Each prophet said he spoke with the authority of God - thus expected to be obeyed. Whether this was arrogance and thirst for power, or divine revelation, depends on your interpretation of the Old Testament.
What is clear is that the behaviors of the Old Testament religious leaders would be considered extremely arrogant and callous by modern standards. Religious leaders are no longer allowed to order the slaughter of every man, woman, and child of their enemy, nor do we give our religious leaders life and death powers over us. The Ancient Stoic Philosophers Were Very Opposed To Narcissistic Tyrants
It was no accident that the ancient Greeks were the first to invent democracy. The ancient Greek philosophers, and especially the Stoics, wrote extensively about how the arrogance, callousness, and greed of a tyrant destroys his nation - hence such narcissism had to be opposed. In fact the concept of narcissism was created and named by these ancient Greeks.
Thus it is interesting how the Stoic Daily Meditation can be used to correctly detect the character defects of those with Narcissistic Personality Disorder - whereas the Bible's 10 Commandments can't. Would you rate the usefulness of this article as:
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Philosophic Approach To Life
