Author: SeekerFive

Creativity

Intrinsic Self-Esteem: What It Is and Why We Need It

Two years ago, I published two short posts about the difference intrinsic or true self-esteem and merely contingent self-esteem; the importance of intrinsic self-esteem; and the problem with only having contingent self-esteem. I think it’s time to revisit this topic. Having reviewed the old posts, they seem good to me. However, some of the comments suggest that this is a matter which is difficult to … Continue reading Intrinsic Self-Esteem: What It Is and Why We Need It

SeekerFive22 Comments
Creativity

Effective and Ineffective Pursuits of Happiness: Investing in Relationships with Others Is an Anti-Depressant

When people in the United States intentionally sought to become happier, they tended to fail. … When people in East Asia intentionally sought to become happier, they tended to succeed. … What people actually do when they seek happiness, in the U.S. and in East Asia, differs sharply in one key way. Continue reading Effective and Ineffective Pursuits of Happiness: Investing in Relationships with Others Is an Anti-Depressant

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Creativity

Disconnection from Others and Loneliness: One Social-Environmental Cause of Depression

Today I want to talk about one major cause of depression and the prospect of counteracting or removing that cause. This cause is disconnection from others, or loneliness (more on that shortly). I’m basing this largely on Johann Hari’s investigation and discussion of these matters in his amazing book Lost Connections, which I wrote about in a previous post, explaining what the book is about … Continue reading Disconnection from Others and Loneliness: One Social-Environmental Cause of Depression

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Creativity

The Idea of a Non-Pharmaceutical Anti-Depressant

The idea of a non-pharmaceutical anti-depressant might be the single most important thing in Johann Hari’s amazing and fairly recent book: Lost Connections. It radically reframes the entire dominant way of thinking about the treatment and prevention of depression, and does this by radically expanding, in a hopeful, realistic, and evidence-based manner, the way we’ve come to assume depression will be treated. Continue reading The Idea of a Non-Pharmaceutical Anti-Depressant

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Creativity

A Stoic difficulty: developing love for humanity (philanthropy)

In previous posts I’ve been expanding on four difficulties probably faced by those of us attempting to practice Stoic philosophy. Here is the fourth: a certain lack of effective exercises for developing “philanthropy,” meaning a love of humanity or love of human beings. This “philanthropy” is itself a great topic and matter for reflection, but I won’t go into that here. I want to focus … Continue reading A Stoic difficulty: developing love for humanity (philanthropy)

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Creativity

The pitfall wherein we try immediately to be a sage

A lot of Stoic teachings describe the way a sage would see and feel. We of course are not sages. Yet we can easily fall into trying to be one immediately, trying to force our perception and feelings to be other than they must be at this stage of our development. This is one of four ways we may easily stumble, in attempting to learn … Continue reading The pitfall wherein we try immediately to be a sage

SeekerFive4 Comments
Creativity

The Pitfall of Reliance on Providentialism

In a previous post, I mentioned that reliance on “providentialistic” views was one potential difficulty for present-day Stoics. Today I’ll explain this a bit. When I say “providentialistic” or “providentialism,” I’m referring to what theoretical discourses term “divine providence,” or perhaps more accurately, a belief in divine providence. In short, belief in divine providence is the belief that everything which happens, happens in accordance with … Continue reading The Pitfall of Reliance on Providentialism

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Pointless Overthinking

Note on acceptance, control, and Stoicism

I sometimes get the impression that Stoicism is often taken as, and practiced as if it were, a way to finally control everything, including our feelings. Yet this is quite incorrect. Stoicism is not about becoming able to control everything. It is about finally starting to begin to acknowledge that we don’t and can’t, and to start to begin to learn, to know, in and … Continue reading Note on acceptance, control, and Stoicism

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Pointless Overthinking

The pitfall wherein we become unfeeling

I think one pitfall we tend to encounter, when we try to put Stoic teachings into practice, is that of becoming unfeeling, “like a stone.” I mentioned four such difficulties in a previous post. Here, I want to expand on this particular one. What this expression means, becoming or being “unfeeling like a stone,” is being emotionless, unfeeling. Or more likely, it means suppressing, or … Continue reading The pitfall wherein we become unfeeling

SeekerFive3 Comments
Pointless Overthinking

Observations on pain and spiritual growth

Recently I’ve been hearing people talk about how spiritual growth is not painless. This, I think, is a very good thing to be pointed out, a very good thing to be reminded of, a very good thing to consider somewhat regularly. The topic puts me in mind of certain other observations. One, that to walk a path of or toward wisdom is painful and difficult, … Continue reading Observations on pain and spiritual growth

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