It's actually a message that's pretty common in our society. Don't worry about it; let it go. The Bible advises against worrying. I'm sure you've all hears that Frozen song by now. There's always that one overly stressed out character in romantic comedies that just needs to learn to have fun and stop worrying so much. Stressing out about things we can't control doesn't accomplish anything, so why do it? It does seem to be a useless punishment we inflict on ourselves.
I do agree that our emotions weigh us unnecessarily down most of the time. Do our happy emotions really make up for the bad ones? Do the bad ones take away from the good ones? I obviously don't have the answer, but I lean towards thinking that they don't touch. The good are good by themselves. The bad are awful in their own area. And really, what harm would it do to just echo Vonnegut's "So it goes" whenever we lose something we loved? If we didn't mourn but just accepted the loss? The world would probably improve if we all strive to be logical.
Right, Spock?
Right.
Stoics are more of a "let it go" kind of people. I agree with this idea because there are times where our emotions overcome our rational thoughts and incline us to make choices that do not benefit us. Like you were saying our emotions weigh us down unnecessarily and that can include happiness. I am not sure about this example would work, but what if you are really happy spending time with your friends? Would that happiness over come you need to be responsible and know when to go home and do homework, clean, etc? Its like an overwhelming amount of emotions can impact you negatively..
ReplyDeleteI super agree with your use of the word "overwhelming." Emotions a part of our lives--there is no denying that. But when our emotions are taking over, illogical decisions are surely to be made. Plato would definitely agree.
DeleteI agree with many of the tenants of stoicism. However, some of its analogies rub me the wrong way. For example, sometimes they advocate so much control of emotion it becomes suppression. Their view of death also bothers me comparing a death to the breaking of a vase (which really doesn't make sense but I digress). This basically views people even loved ones as numbers. While I do agree that they should not dwell over it, the grieving process for each is different and an intense expression of emotion, while unexpected, is quite healthy.
ReplyDeleteI think you make a really good point, and I do agree that suppression is unhealthy. However, I think the stoics don't necessarily have to suppress their feelings. I think of it more as logic-ing away the bad feelings. The vase thing, for example, I think makes perfect sense as long as you don't hold human lives above everything. For it to make sense we have to believe that human lives are no more special than a vase. Hell, loving a vase is probably safer than loving a human, since vases can exist in perfect condition for centuries and humans have an expiration date from the second they're conceived. So if one tries to keep in mind that all people will love die, then when they do we can then just try our best to accept it and not let it ruin us, like we don't let a broken vase ruin us.
DeleteI believe your opinion is reasonable. Society should be more open to accepting and letting go of things they cannot control like death and the pain and fear that can possibly come with it. We shouldn't let our emotions rule over us because pain and fear can hinder us from being happy and free.
ReplyDeleteDalai Lama XIV once said, “If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.” I wholeheartedly agree with this quote. Instead of worrying about something that can be changed, just change it the best way you can and stop worrying. I tend to be a bit of a worrier myself and am constantly running through my mind about how I couldn’t have done something better or what I should have done differently. My mother always tells me, “Hailey, you’ve run out of things to worry about,” if I’ve consumed myself with something so ridiculous. It can be so difficult to listen to this quote and “let it go” when something seems so important, but in order to lead a healthier, happier life it’s important to implement this rule.
ReplyDeleteSome would say that worrying is your lack of faith in God. Others would say that worrying is natural and shouldn’t be frowned upon. Stressing and worrying all the time can have negative effects on the mind as well as do harm to the body. As Dalai Lama XIV said, there is not benefit to worrying. Nothing positive or productive comes from worrying. Don’t sweat the small stuff!
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I'm a natural worrier, too, and I think that's why stoicism appeals to me so much. I would love to just let things go. What's awful is that usually I worry without doing anything and so it turns into a useless whirlpool of useless panic. I can't even imagine how productive I would be if I could move my useless feelings aside and just do what was logical. That's a very good quote; thank you for sharing that. It truly is a universal message, I feel.
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