This morning I awoke at 4:00 AM with hunger. It was severe enough to wake me. But now I know that it was due to too much carbohydrates last night, and the first true hunger is the gut signal that it is about to switch from external source of energy to internal source of energy. Oh well, there are worse things in life than hunger, like obesity.
I recognise that is a departure in thinking from what I used to think. If hungry, eat, was the old thought pattern. Perhaps it is the stoic stuff I have been reading.
Each idea, concept, is opened up and the belief behind that idea is explored. This is unlike modern approach where there is not time for looking at beliefs, of it is never taught, or I just missed it. Something so valuable should be looked at in a substantial way. I guess that is my next field of study, obsession. The stoics, and what they believed, one concept at a time.
Epictetus, ~300BC, seem to have realized that it is not the situation that makes the suffering, but our way of thinking about the situation. Secondly, he seems to state that we have no control over any thing out side of our bodies, and even our bodies. He claims that the only thing we have control over is our thinking, our mind, and I even doubt that any more. We may have control of portions of that, but we are losing control due to the electronic media constant input, and no recuperation, study of the crap being feed to us by the media.
Deep, substantial thinking is required, and not to much external stimulation. The US military teaches stoic methods to it's solders, but likely never calls it that. It divides thinking/acting/balance into five areas; physical, family, social, emotional, and spiritual. It teaches resilience and moral excellence to overcome the extremes of environment they experience. Its training includes honour, duty, respect are the superior attributes to strive for. It places republic above life, but that I cannot buy, for government are a bunch of self-centred demi-gods. But the US is a foreign power, so they can have that thought. I need not.
More study on the stoics I think.
Link to US Army video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MTBOiQ2C8s
I'm in the middle of reading A Guide to the Good Life {the ancient art of stoic joy}. Epictetus's specific food recommendations don't mesh with a low carb diet, but the principle of living according to one's nature does.
ReplyDeleteRe: military, I spent three years in the Air Force. Maybe a lot has changed since then, but they were the biggest bunch of whiners and prima donnas I ever worked with.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThat really should say US Army Rangers. There are two programs, one to teach mental resilience, and the second to teach "moral excellence".
ReplyDelete