"I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever, in religion, in philosophy, in politics, or in anything else, where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent. If I could not go to heaven bu with a party, I would not go there at all." --Thomas Jefferson to Francis Hopkinson, 1789.
Monday, December 7, 2015
Thomas Jefferson on Political Parties
Stoic Courage in a Spartan Queen: Cratesicleia
I have posted previously about the mission to Sparta of Zeno's disciple, Sphaerus. He had a great influence on Spartan king Cleomenes III, who was destined to be a great reformer and to attempt to return the soul of Sparta that was formed during the days of Lycurgus.
Not everything went well for Cleomenes militarily. At first he had unprecedented military success and conquered almost all of the Peloponnese, shocking the rest of Greece with his exploits. However, due to political maneuvering and intrigue by his enemies, everything that he gained quickly collapsed and he was abandoned by his allies. He was hemmed into Laconia.
At this point, the Egyptian king Ptolemy offered to help Cleomenes, but demanded that Cleomenes send his mother and children to Egypt as collateral. This request very much upset Cleomenes, which eventually drew the suspicions of his mother, Cratesicleia. She demanded to know what was going on, and he told her. She laughed.
"Was it this which you frequently meant to tell me, but lacked the courage? Why ever don't you hurry to put me on board ship and send me off wherever you think this body of mine will be of the greatest service to Sparta, before old age disposes of it as it just sits here?"
So Cleomenes set off with her to put her on the ship to Egypt. He was visibly shaken as the moment neared, so Cratesicleia pulled him into the temple of Poseidon.
She embraced and kissed her son and then said: "Come now, king of the Spartans. When we emerge we want no one to see us in tears nor doing anything unworthy of Sparta. This is all that lies in our power; but our fortunes must be as heaven ordains."
And thus she boarded the ship for Egypt and ordered the sailors to make haste.
*Reference: Plutarch's On Sparta
Not everything went well for Cleomenes militarily. At first he had unprecedented military success and conquered almost all of the Peloponnese, shocking the rest of Greece with his exploits. However, due to political maneuvering and intrigue by his enemies, everything that he gained quickly collapsed and he was abandoned by his allies. He was hemmed into Laconia.
At this point, the Egyptian king Ptolemy offered to help Cleomenes, but demanded that Cleomenes send his mother and children to Egypt as collateral. This request very much upset Cleomenes, which eventually drew the suspicions of his mother, Cratesicleia. She demanded to know what was going on, and he told her. She laughed.
"Was it this which you frequently meant to tell me, but lacked the courage? Why ever don't you hurry to put me on board ship and send me off wherever you think this body of mine will be of the greatest service to Sparta, before old age disposes of it as it just sits here?"
So Cleomenes set off with her to put her on the ship to Egypt. He was visibly shaken as the moment neared, so Cratesicleia pulled him into the temple of Poseidon.
She embraced and kissed her son and then said: "Come now, king of the Spartans. When we emerge we want no one to see us in tears nor doing anything unworthy of Sparta. This is all that lies in our power; but our fortunes must be as heaven ordains."
And thus she boarded the ship for Egypt and ordered the sailors to make haste.
*Reference: Plutarch's On Sparta
Friday, November 27, 2015
Zeno's Influence on Spartan Kings
In the 3rd Century B.C., Sparta was not the kingdom that she once was. She had turned away from the laws of Lycrugus which had helped her ascend to a dominating position over all of Greece. There was a political movement, at this time, to guide Sparta back to the ascetic ways of their ancient past and to restore the character and honor of the city-state. At this same time, Zeno of Citium was forming the Stoic philosophy in Athens. There was much respect in philosophy for the virtue-centric lifestyle of the ancient Spartans, and it seems that this pollination of ideas came full circle when a follower of Zeno named Sphaerus visited Sparta and influenced the soon-to-be-king Cleomenes III.
This is what the Roman historian Plutarch says about this relationship in his book On Sparta:
"He was certainly not satisfied with the state of affairs in the city, where the citizens had been lulled by inactivity and indulgence, and the king let all business slide so long as no one disturbed him in his desire to live a life of leisure and luxury in affluent circumstances. Public affairs were disregarded as everyone amassed profits for themselves privately. As for training, self-discipline on the part of the young, stamina and equality, it was unsafe so much as to mention these now that Agis and his family were dead. [Agis was a King who had recently been murdered by political rivals because he had very nearly succeeded at returning Sparta back to her roots. He had managed to have all debts erased and was in the process of redistributing all land equally between Spartan peers when he was murdered along with his wife and mother.]
While still a youth, Cleomenes is also said to have taken part in philosophical discussions at the time when Sphaerus from Olbia visited Sparta and devoted a good deal of attention to both the young men and the ephebes. Sphaerus had become one of the leading followers of Zeno of Citium and apparently he was delighted by the manliness of Cleomenes' character and tried to fire his ambition. There is a story that when the Leonidas of ancient times was asked his impression of Tyrtaeus' quality as a poet, he replied: 'A good one for firing the spirits of the young.' For the poems filled them with such excitement that they stopped caring for themselves in battle. But where great and passionate characters are concerned, Stoic doctrine has an element that is unstable and hazardous; it is rather when combined with a profound and mild temperament that it particularly develops towards its intrinsic worth."
Cleomenes III went on to enact great reforms and was greatly respected in Sparta for his plain lifestyle and the example that he set for his people.
This is what the Roman historian Plutarch says about this relationship in his book On Sparta:
"He was certainly not satisfied with the state of affairs in the city, where the citizens had been lulled by inactivity and indulgence, and the king let all business slide so long as no one disturbed him in his desire to live a life of leisure and luxury in affluent circumstances. Public affairs were disregarded as everyone amassed profits for themselves privately. As for training, self-discipline on the part of the young, stamina and equality, it was unsafe so much as to mention these now that Agis and his family were dead. [Agis was a King who had recently been murdered by political rivals because he had very nearly succeeded at returning Sparta back to her roots. He had managed to have all debts erased and was in the process of redistributing all land equally between Spartan peers when he was murdered along with his wife and mother.]
While still a youth, Cleomenes is also said to have taken part in philosophical discussions at the time when Sphaerus from Olbia visited Sparta and devoted a good deal of attention to both the young men and the ephebes. Sphaerus had become one of the leading followers of Zeno of Citium and apparently he was delighted by the manliness of Cleomenes' character and tried to fire his ambition. There is a story that when the Leonidas of ancient times was asked his impression of Tyrtaeus' quality as a poet, he replied: 'A good one for firing the spirits of the young.' For the poems filled them with such excitement that they stopped caring for themselves in battle. But where great and passionate characters are concerned, Stoic doctrine has an element that is unstable and hazardous; it is rather when combined with a profound and mild temperament that it particularly develops towards its intrinsic worth."
Cleomenes III went on to enact great reforms and was greatly respected in Sparta for his plain lifestyle and the example that he set for his people.
Monday, November 23, 2015
The Folly of Trying to Please the Mob
This is an excerpt from Plutarch’s On Sparta. It is the introduction to the section of the work in which he discusses the rule of the Spartan kings Agis and Cleomenes.
When Phocion was asked by Antipater to do something that was not at all honorable, he said to him: ‘You cannot have Phocion both as a friend and as a toady.’ It is this, then, or something like it, which needs to be said to the crowd: ‘The same man cannot be your ruler and your servant.’ When this actually does occur, his situation is like that of the snake in the fable. Its tail rebelled against its head and demanded to take a turn at leading rather than continually following the head. So it took the lead and got into difficulties itself by going off the road as well as bruising the head, which was forced unnaturally to follow a part of the snake that was blind and stupid. We observe this to have been the predicament of those whose sole concern in politics is to win popularity. After making themselves dependent upon capriciously shifting mobs, they have later been unable either to reassert themselves or to control the disorder.
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
The True Believer
In wake of the Paris attacks I've been thinking about this quote a lot recently. I also watched a video last night of ISIS in Afghanistan attacking an ANA truck, killing the occupants, and putting one of their heads on a stump with the truck burning in the background.
Evil must be confronted.
"Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear. He doesn't worry about what workout to do - his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when the enemy stops chasing him. This True Believer is not concerned about 'how hard it is;' he knows either he wins or dies. He doesn't go home at 17:00, he is home.
He knows only The Cause.
Still want to quit?"
As far as I can tell, this quote originated on http://www.professionalsoldiers.com by user NousDefionsDoc.
Evil must be confronted.
"Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear. He doesn't worry about what workout to do - his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when the enemy stops chasing him. This True Believer is not concerned about 'how hard it is;' he knows either he wins or dies. He doesn't go home at 17:00, he is home.
He knows only The Cause.
Still want to quit?"
As far as I can tell, this quote originated on http://www.professionalsoldiers.com by user NousDefionsDoc.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Lycurgus: Governments are like individuals, happiness and stability comes from virtue...
"All the same it was not Lycurgus' main aim at the time to leave his city as the leader of so many other cities. Instead his view was that happiness in the life of a whole city, as in that of one individual, derives from its own merits and from its internal concord: it was to this end that all his arrangements and his structures were combined, so that Spartans should be free and self-sufficient, and should have the good sense to continue thus for a very long time. This theory of government was adopted by Plato, Diogenes, and Zeno and all those who are praised for their attempts to make some statement about these matters, even though they left only paper theories."
-Plutarch, On Sparta - Lives - Lycurgus - 31
-Plutarch, On Sparta - Lives - Lycurgus - 31
- Though the Spartans were respected as the defacto leaders of Greece at the time of Lycurgus, this was not his aim.
- Lycurgus believed that cities should focus on their own internal virtue and self-sufficiency.
- This will lead to long periods of stability.
- This is similar to the individual philosophies of the Cynics and the Stoics.
Friday, November 13, 2015
Silence is Golden
This is as an indictment of myself.
I have a difficult time keeping my mouth shut. The greatest interpersonal problems that I have had in my life were caused either by blurting something out without pausing to consider what I was saying, or worse, violating someone's confidence. When I have violated the confidence of people, it is generally implied confidence where they have not specifically asked me to keep my mouth shut, but I should've known better.
Also, by babbling, when I do have something significant to say, the signal is often lost in the noise.
One of the biggest gains that I have made this year is not criticizing people behind their backs. I still catch myself doing it occasionally, but I am very conscious of it and feel ashamed if something slips out.
I am trying to train myself to embrace silence. I turn to the advice of the Stoics and Spartans on this matter.
I have a difficult time keeping my mouth shut. The greatest interpersonal problems that I have had in my life were caused either by blurting something out without pausing to consider what I was saying, or worse, violating someone's confidence. When I have violated the confidence of people, it is generally implied confidence where they have not specifically asked me to keep my mouth shut, but I should've known better.
Also, by babbling, when I do have something significant to say, the signal is often lost in the noise.
One of the biggest gains that I have made this year is not criticizing people behind their backs. I still catch myself doing it occasionally, but I am very conscious of it and feel ashamed if something slips out.
I am trying to train myself to embrace silence. I turn to the advice of the Stoics and Spartans on this matter.
“For as the Celtiberians make steel of iron by burying it in the ground, thereby to refine it from the gross and earthy part, so the Laconic way of speech has nothing of bark upon it, but by cutting off all superfluity of words, it becomes steeled and sharpened to pierce the understanding of the hearers. So their consciousness of language, so ready to turn the edge to all manner of questions, became natural by their extraordinary practice of silence.” -Plutarch
“… they conceal their wisdom, and pretend to be ignorant, so that they may seem to be superior only because of their prowess in battle … This is how you may know that I am speaking the truth and that the Spartans are the best educated in philosophy and speaking: if you talk to any ordinary Spartan, he seems to be stupid, but eventually, like an expert marksman, he shoots in some brief remark that proves you to be only a child" -Socrates in Plato's Dialog Protagoras
"In answer to the ambassador from Abdera, who, after winding up a long discourse, asked him what report he should make to his people at home, he said, "Report that during all the time you wanted to speak I listened in silence.” -Agis son of Arcidamus
"Be silent for the most part, or, if you speak, say only what is necessary and in a few words. Talk, but rarely, if occasion calls you, but do not talk of ordinary things - of gladiators or horses races or athletes or of meats or drinks - these are topics that arise everywhere - but above all do not talk about men in blame or compliment or comparison. If you can, turn the conversation of your company by your talk to some fitting subject; but if you should chance to be isolated among strangers, be silent. Do not laugh much, nor at many things, nor without restraint." - Marcus Aurelius "Meditations"
"You do not seem to realize that he who knows how to speak knows also the right time for speaking.” -Archidamidus
When a public lecturer spoke at considerable length about bravery, he burst out laughing and when the man said, "Why do you laugh, Cleomenes, at hearing a man speak about bravery, and that, too, when you are a king?" "Because, my friend," he said, "if it had been a swallow speaking about it, I should have done the same thing, but if it had been an eagle, I should have kept very quiet.” -Plutarch
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Sunday, September 13, 2015
The Apostle Paul On Winning People
1 Corinthians 9
Christian leadership according to Paul:
2. Relate and speak to people in a way they will receive you.
3. Make yourself a servant to everyone so they may believe you care.
4. Discipline yourself so that you can live up to the standard you expect of others.
5. Win the cultural and ethnic leaders.
6. It is a sin to change the message. It is a sin to NOT change the method.
Mark 10:45 (Jesus came not to be served but to serve)
Genesis 12 (God commands Abram to move out into the world, but promises to serve him.)
Thursday, July 30, 2015
If you do something nice for somebody...
it doesn't count if you tell people about it.
Love is its own reward. Don't cheapen it.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Monday, June 29, 2015
Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
-William Henley
1888
If -
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son.
-Rudyard Kipling
1895
The Jefferson Bible
I recently discovered the Jefferson Bible, which was an attempt by Thomas Jefferson (as if the guy didn't do enough already) to approach the teachings of Jesus Christ as a philosophy. In fact, his title for it was "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth."
This Founding Father, in his spare time, used a razor blade to cut up a New Testament and arrange verses into a new book. He cut out pretty much everything supernatural, only including the actual teachings of Jesus himself and accounts of his actions (even excluding the miracles performed by him). TJ believed that Jesus' teachings had been corrupted and that the miracles and theology in the Bible had been manipulated by the Church. If, Jesus returned from heaven, he certainly wouldn't recognize "Christianity" today. TJ exclaimed to a friend that he was a truer Christian than anyone else, because he focused exclusively on living life as taught by Jesus and cut out all of the extraneous trappings added by men.
As far as my personal beliefs, well, I am not willing to go as far as Jefferson, who obviously didn't believe in the infallibility of scripture amongst other things. I do believe that too much focus is placed on theological nitpicking and not enough is placed on how to live life day to day. In that regard, I have really enjoyed reading the Jefferson Bible, which consists completely of practical Christianity.
As a student of Stoicism, this work now reads much more like the Enchiridion or the Meditations. It is much shorter, more practical, and to the point. It is indeed a sort of Christian "handbook."
I have always believed that, in order for Christianity to survive and thrive in the world, the practical way of life that the religion teaches must be superior to that of the "philosophy" of the general population. Otherwise, what is there to attract someone to the Church? There is much too much handwringing and Pharisee style debate over points that have little impact on how we should live our lives. Isn't that exactly the sort of thing that Jesus railed against in his own teachings? How many stories are there in the Gospels of Jesus rebuking some religious "leader" for being blinded by legalism?
Do I believe that this version of the Gospels should supersede or replace the original texts? Absolutely not. But I love the idea of grabbing people by the hair and turning their heads away from the hieroglyphic symbolism of miracles and signs and wonders. Let them remember that there is indeed clear practical advice on how to live their lives sandwiched between all of the other events over which they love to debate.
http://uuhouston.org/files/The_Jefferson_Bible.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Bible
This Founding Father, in his spare time, used a razor blade to cut up a New Testament and arrange verses into a new book. He cut out pretty much everything supernatural, only including the actual teachings of Jesus himself and accounts of his actions (even excluding the miracles performed by him). TJ believed that Jesus' teachings had been corrupted and that the miracles and theology in the Bible had been manipulated by the Church. If, Jesus returned from heaven, he certainly wouldn't recognize "Christianity" today. TJ exclaimed to a friend that he was a truer Christian than anyone else, because he focused exclusively on living life as taught by Jesus and cut out all of the extraneous trappings added by men.
As far as my personal beliefs, well, I am not willing to go as far as Jefferson, who obviously didn't believe in the infallibility of scripture amongst other things. I do believe that too much focus is placed on theological nitpicking and not enough is placed on how to live life day to day. In that regard, I have really enjoyed reading the Jefferson Bible, which consists completely of practical Christianity.
As a student of Stoicism, this work now reads much more like the Enchiridion or the Meditations. It is much shorter, more practical, and to the point. It is indeed a sort of Christian "handbook."
I have always believed that, in order for Christianity to survive and thrive in the world, the practical way of life that the religion teaches must be superior to that of the "philosophy" of the general population. Otherwise, what is there to attract someone to the Church? There is much too much handwringing and Pharisee style debate over points that have little impact on how we should live our lives. Isn't that exactly the sort of thing that Jesus railed against in his own teachings? How many stories are there in the Gospels of Jesus rebuking some religious "leader" for being blinded by legalism?
Do I believe that this version of the Gospels should supersede or replace the original texts? Absolutely not. But I love the idea of grabbing people by the hair and turning their heads away from the hieroglyphic symbolism of miracles and signs and wonders. Let them remember that there is indeed clear practical advice on how to live their lives sandwiched between all of the other events over which they love to debate.
http://uuhouston.org/files/The_Jefferson_Bible.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Bible
Monday, June 8, 2015
Response: The Painted Porch Episode 8
I've recently subscribed to the "Good Fortune" podcast by Matt Van Natta and the "Painted Porch" podcast. I've started working my way backwards through the episodes of both. It didn't take me long to finish "Good Fortune," but "The Painted Porch" episodes are significantly longer at an hour each.
I'm 3/4 of the way through episode 8, in which the hosts are discussing what sort of theology, if any, is required to "be a Stoic." Apparently there is a lot of in-fighting in the Stoic online community on this subject. All 3 hosts are admittedly atheists, but they go out of their way to not throw any jabs at the deists.
I'm just not sure why this is a divisive issue. Stoicism doesn't belong to any one particular group. Isn't it incredibly un-Stoic to attack a group that doesn't believe as you do?
It seems to me that we should be more focused on the actions of the philosopher.
Also, aren't we all turning to Stoicism for the same reasons? It provides us with a framework upon which to pursue virtue, almost all of which we universally agree on. Perhaps some atheists are seeking out a universal moral truth, because they have turned away from the traditional sources, but I think more people are trying to practice Stoicism because it simply works.
Within my faith, Jesus Christ even taught against getting hung up in the nitty gritty theological details.
We need Stoics of action.
Let's see the forest for the trees. Let's not cut off our nose despite our face. Let's stop talking the talk and start walking the walk. Let's stop discussing what good Stoics should be and just be them. (cliches off)
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Carl Sagan on Perspective...
The Pale Blue Dot
"We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.
The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."
The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."
-Carl Sagan
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Marcus Aurelius on Forgiveness
When one of his most trusted generals and friends, Avidius Cassius, betrayed Marcus Aurelius and attempted to usurp the throne, Marcus had this to say:
"There is only one thing I fear, fellow-soldiers, for you shall be told the whole truth, — and that is, that either he will kill himself because ashamed to come into our presence or that someone else will do so upon learning that I am to come and am already setting out against him. For then I should be deprived of a great prize both of war and of victory, a prize such as no human being has ever yet obtained. And what is this prize? To forgive a man who has wronged one, to remain a friend to one who has transgressed friendship, to continue faithful to one who has broken faith. Perhaps all this seems incredible to you, but you ought not to disbelieve it; for surely all goodness has not yet entirely perished from among men, but there is still in us a remnant of the ancient virtue. And if anyone should disbelieve it, that but renders the more ardent my desire, in order that men may see accomplished what no one would believe could come to pass. For that would be the one profit I could derive from our present ills, if I could settle this affair well and show to all mankind that there is a right way to deal even with civil wars."
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Musonius Rufus on Obedience to Parents
"Consider, then, a father who is neither a doctor nor acquainted with matters pertaining to health and sickness. Suppose he ordered something for his sick son that he thought would help but which was useless, if not harmful. Suppose, too, that the sick son knew this. If the son did not do what he ordered, is he disobeying his father and is he disobedient? This is unlikely."
- Lecture 16, Paragraph 2
One of the 10 Commandments is "Honor your father and mother." I don't think that honoring them means 100% blind obedience, as is expected in some cultures. I have seen in some Asian cultures, for example, that seniority is more important than correctness. This is even to the extreme example of "older" twins having authority over the "younger" twin.
Doesn't having a healthy child bring honor to the father and mother?
Doesn't having an educated child bring honor to the father and mother?
Doesn't having a morally upright child bring honor to the father and mother?
If the father asks the child to do something immoral, and the child obeys, aren't they both dishonored? But if the child picks the correct path, isn't the father honored for having raised such an upright child, despite the seeming disobedience?
If my father were to bring to me a multi-level marketing scheme and ask me to buy into it, and I knew that it was a fool's errand and would only lose him money, should I throw my money away to support my father? Or should I respectfully decline and let the scheme fail sooner, thus bringing my father back to reality?
Doesn't having a healthy child bring honor to the father and mother?
Doesn't having an educated child bring honor to the father and mother?
Doesn't having a morally upright child bring honor to the father and mother?
If the father asks the child to do something immoral, and the child obeys, aren't they both dishonored? But if the child picks the correct path, isn't the father honored for having raised such an upright child, despite the seeming disobedience?
If my father were to bring to me a multi-level marketing scheme and ask me to buy into it, and I knew that it was a fool's errand and would only lose him money, should I throw my money away to support my father? Or should I respectfully decline and let the scheme fail sooner, thus bringing my father back to reality?
Rufus, Musonius, and Cynthia Ann Kent King. "16. By Musonius, from the Lecture on Whether Parents Must Be Obeyed in All Things." Musonius Rufus: Lectures & Sayings. United States: Createspace, 2011. 65-68. Print.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Raymond Tusk on Decision Making
"Decisions based on emotion are not decisions at all."
-Raymond Tusk
"Chapter 12"
House of Cards
Raymond Tusk, a calculating billionaire, and Frank Underwood, a machiavellian Congressman, are walking in the woods. Underwood is secretly seeking the Vice Presidency, which is currently vacant. The president has tapped Tusk for the spot, but Tusk is reluctant. Underwood volunteers to travel to Tusk's home in an attempt to woo Tusk into accepting the President's offer. His real motive is to size up his new nemesis.
The juxtaposition in this scene is a great one. Though they have both ended up as powerful men, their chosen life paths are very different. Their clothing draws a more visual contrast of their characters. Also, their comfort level amongst God's creation is very telling. I wouldn't consider Tusk a Stoic overall, but he serves as a decent representation in this moment, especially when compared to such an unscrupulous anti-hero as Underwood.
Tusk and Underwood could not have achieved their goals more differently. Tusk is a billionaire and businessman who has used intelligence and hard work to build an empire around himself. He knows his own trade and has even taught himself Chinese to communicate with business partners. He also is seen in several scenes doing things for himself that he could obviously pay people to do. No personal chef here, Tusk is making his own bacon in the morning. Underwood is a career politician that has never really held a "real job." He has clawed his way up the political ladder through lies and manipulation. He enjoys the luxuries of his office, such as having his personal security detail.
The outward appearance of the two is an illustration of the differences within. Underwood is a portrait of the modern Machiavelli. He is wearing a neat suit and tie, with shiny shoes and a clean shaven face. Tusk, the billionaire, looks ready for a safari. His clothing appears comfortable and functional. He even has a pair of binoculars slung around his neck.
Apparently deep in the forest, the two gentlemen have very different comfort levels. Underwood is tense and confused about why they are walking in the woods. He even had off handedly remarked that he would've rather been touring one of Tusk's nuclear power plants. Tusk is at ease, strolling with purpose and direction. He knows where he is going and what he is looking for. Tusk laughed at the power plant suggestion, remarking that he much rather spend his time in the great outdoors.
The juxtaposition in this scene is a great one. Though they have both ended up as powerful men, their chosen life paths are very different. Their clothing draws a more visual contrast of their characters. Also, their comfort level amongst God's creation is very telling. I wouldn't consider Tusk a Stoic overall, but he serves as a decent representation in this moment, especially when compared to such an unscrupulous anti-hero as Underwood.
Tusk and Underwood could not have achieved their goals more differently. Tusk is a billionaire and businessman who has used intelligence and hard work to build an empire around himself. He knows his own trade and has even taught himself Chinese to communicate with business partners. He also is seen in several scenes doing things for himself that he could obviously pay people to do. No personal chef here, Tusk is making his own bacon in the morning. Underwood is a career politician that has never really held a "real job." He has clawed his way up the political ladder through lies and manipulation. He enjoys the luxuries of his office, such as having his personal security detail.
The outward appearance of the two is an illustration of the differences within. Underwood is a portrait of the modern Machiavelli. He is wearing a neat suit and tie, with shiny shoes and a clean shaven face. Tusk, the billionaire, looks ready for a safari. His clothing appears comfortable and functional. He even has a pair of binoculars slung around his neck.
Apparently deep in the forest, the two gentlemen have very different comfort levels. Underwood is tense and confused about why they are walking in the woods. He even had off handedly remarked that he would've rather been touring one of Tusk's nuclear power plants. Tusk is at ease, strolling with purpose and direction. He knows where he is going and what he is looking for. Tusk laughed at the power plant suggestion, remarking that he much rather spend his time in the great outdoors.
A Stoic uses his reason and intelligence to make decisions, despite his emotional urges. This can result in worldly success for him, though he doesn't actively pursue it, per se. He dresses simply and functionally, not putting great emphasis on flashy possessions. The Stoic also loves and celebrates nature and sees his role in it. He will often look to lessons from the natural world around him to show him how he can live more in accordance with his own nature.
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