Over on Hacker News, DanielBMarkham suggested a book detailing a modern take on the philosophy of stoicism. I got the book, and find it valuable. I don’t agree with everything in it, and wish it had been written by a cognitive specialist instead of a popular author; but it specifically addresses being effective in the world without letting outcomes disrupt your tranquility.
I second khafra’s suggestion that you look into Stoicism, although I have not read the book in question.
At leastin my case, regular reading of Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations helped bring about a fundamental change in my paradigm. I now find myself much more in aware of my feelings and in control of my overall outlook (if not my every affective state).
However, I also second khafra’s reservation. Marcus Aurelius seems to have been a smart dude, but people have learned a lot in the last 1900 years. For the modern analogs of Stoicism, see cognitive behavioral therapy and its close cousin, REBT (rational emotive behavior therapy). They emphasize the importance of grokking the relationship between beliefs and emotions—emotions are a reaction to beliefs. (For good information on the Stoic views on this, see the aptly-titled Stoicism and Emotion.)
Destructive emotions are caused by distorted beliefs. In REBT terms, these beliefs tend to contain implicit demands on ourselves, other people, or the world generally. For example, someone’s depression might be based on the belief that they’re inadequate. But according to REBT, that’s not the end of the analysis: they also demand of themselves that they be “adequate,” by some standard. (Without the demand, the belief would no more cause depression than any other belief would, e.g. “I’m too short to play in the NBA.”)
Over on Hacker News, DanielBMarkham suggested a book detailing a modern take on the philosophy of stoicism. I got the book, and find it valuable. I don’t agree with everything in it, and wish it had been written by a cognitive specialist instead of a popular author; but it specifically addresses being effective in the world without letting outcomes disrupt your tranquility.
I second khafra’s suggestion that you look into Stoicism, although I have not read the book in question.
At least in my case, regular reading of Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations helped bring about a fundamental change in my paradigm. I now find myself much more in aware of my feelings and in control of my overall outlook (if not my every affective state).
However, I also second khafra’s reservation. Marcus Aurelius seems to have been a smart dude, but people have learned a lot in the last 1900 years. For the modern analogs of Stoicism, see cognitive behavioral therapy and its close cousin, REBT (rational emotive behavior therapy). They emphasize the importance of grokking the relationship between beliefs and emotions—emotions are a reaction to beliefs. (For good information on the Stoic views on this, see the aptly-titled Stoicism and Emotion.)
Destructive emotions are caused by distorted beliefs. In REBT terms, these beliefs tend to contain implicit demands on ourselves, other people, or the world generally. For example, someone’s depression might be based on the belief that they’re inadequate. But according to REBT, that’s not the end of the analysis: they also demand of themselves that they be “adequate,” by some standard. (Without the demand, the belief would no more cause depression than any other belief would, e.g. “I’m too short to play in the NBA.”)
Upvoted! I’ve been meaning to get that book for a while. Here’s another take on it.