Reduce Christmas indulgence?
Hi Jon, Something I’ve been thinking about recently. I’m a fan of Christmas, it evokes happy memories and makes me feel good. Lots of those memories are about indulging desires, whether that be food, spending money, or lazily watching tv. I understand that the short-term pleasure of this may not last and a Stoic restraint might be more beneficial in the long run, but this also feels like I’m missing out on Christmas fun. After all, if I hadn’t indulged in the first place, I wouldn’t have these happy memories and feelings about Christmas. What do you think? Graham
Why should I care about Stoicism?
I'm super into depth psychology, psychedelics and other deeper healing, esoteric modalities that work on releasing tension and trauma from our bodies and our deeper psyches. I haven't been drawn to most 'mind-based' modalities out there, due to a lack of confidence that they actually work. Do I have to keep reminding myself of the Stoic virtues and wise quotes on a daily basis? Or do they eventually become a part of who I am? I guess the ultimate question I'm trying to ask is, does this really work? And how, and why?
A stranger drops some litter...
What is the 'right' thing to do? Perhaps I should stop them, try to educate them, in order to do my social responsibility for the world. This would display Courage, knowing that the exchange might not go well. Alternatively, does it demonstrate Wisdom to avoid doing anything, because I know it is unlikely to generate a productive conversation and it isn't the most appropriate time to help that person. Alternatively I could just pick it up myself, which feels like displaying social justice but without the courage or self-confidence that would be ideal. I'm sure there are some other theoretical implications too...