On the anger of atheists

Although this doesn't necessarily have much to do with Stoic philosophy, this speech by Greta Christina at Skepticon was interesting to me, because it touches on anger as a useful and justified response to injustice.



I think Greta Christina does a great job in putting forth an argument on the usefulness of anger.  Watching it, though, I couldn't help thinking of Seneca's On Anger, in which, after describing the harm of anger at length, says:

... It is to purpose.  "It is a sad thing", we cry, "to put up with these injuries, and we are not able to bear them;" as if any man that can bear anger could not bear an injury, which is much more supportable.  [...]

To be angry at offenders is to make ourselves the common enemies of mankind, which is both weak and wicked; and we may as well be angry that our thistles do not bring forth apples, or that every pebble in our ground is not an oriental pearl.  [...]

 But "may not an honest man then be allowed to be angry at the murder of his father, or the ravishing of his sister or daughter before his face?"  No, not at all.  I will defend my parents, and I will repay the injuries that are done them; but it is my piety and not my anger, that moves me to do it.  I will do my duty without fear or confusion, and I will not rage, I will not weep; but discharge the office of a good man without forfeiting the dignity of a man.  If my father be assaulted, I will endeavor to rescue him; if he be killed, I will do right to his memory; and all this, not in any transport of passion, but in honor and conscience.  Neither is there any need of anger where reason does the same thing.

 Furthermore, Seneca goes on to more directly refute Greta's argument:

Some people are of the opinion that anger inflames and animates the soldier; that it is a spur to bold and arduous undertakings; and that it were better to moderate than to wholly suppress it, for fear of dissolving the spirit and force of the mind.  To this I answer, that virtue does not need the help of vice; but where there is any ardor of mind necessary, we may rouse ourselves, and be more or less brisk and vigorous as there is occassion: but all without anger still.

And as if Seneca was anticipating Godwin's law, he invokes the example of the Germans to settle the point:

There is not upon the face of the earth a bolder or a more indefatigable nation than the Germans; nor a braver upon a charge, not a hardier against colds and heats; their only delights and exercise is in arms, to the utter neglect of all things else: and yet upon the encounter, they are broken and destroyed through their own undisciplined temerity, even by the most effeminate of men.

Personally, I'm think Seneca is right that it is best not to be anger.  Sure, as Greta says, atheists roused to righteous fury can be very effective.  But that same anger can be used against us.  The same feelings are used by governments to dehumanize other nations and lead us into war.  Anger is simply too irrational to control, and my current view is that Greta is wrong to try and make use of it.  If any movement should lead by an example of rationality, it is the atheist movement.

The daily review

This month I want to try out a new practice, this one most thoroughly Stoic: the daily review.

Seneca writes:

It is dangerous for a man too suddenly, or too easily, to believe himself.  Wherefore let us examine, observe, and inspect our own hearts, for we ourselves are our own greatest flatterers: we should every night call ourselves to account, "What infirmity have I mastered today?  What passion opposed?  What temptation resisted?  What virtue acquired?"  Our vices will abate of themselves, if they be brought every day to the shrift. Oh the blessed sleep that follows such a diary!  Oh the tranquility, liberty, and greatness of the mind that is a spy upon itself, and a private censor of its own manners!  It is my custom (says our author) every night, so soon as the candle is out, to run over all the words and actions of the past day; and I let nothing escape me; for why should I fear the sight of my own errors, when I can admonish and forgive myself?  "I was a little too hot in such a dispute: my opinion might have been as well spared, for it gave offense, and did no good at all.  The thing was true, but all truths are not to be spoken at all time; I would I had held my tongue, for there is no contending either with fools or our superiors.  I have done ill, but it shall be no more."  If every man would but thus look into himself, it would be the better for us all.  What can be more reasonable than this daily review of a life that we cannot warrant for a moment?

All that is left is to determine the method.  Before sleep, like Seneca suggests, seems natural.  I'll try to type it up, otherwise I feel I wouldn't be as thorough as necessary.  I don't know yet how long it will take. The first night I try this is tonight, so this will be the next thing I do.

I'm looking forward to seeing how effective this is at improving myself.

Reflections on a month of meditation

I've been meditating for a month.

I started this at the beginning of the month, as you may remember.  Every day, for anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes a day, I've been meditating.  I missed 5 days last week, due to me being on a business trip, but other than that, I didn't miss a day.

After a month, I can say that meditation helped me.  To note one example, I made a mistake at work, resulting in someone getting mad at both me and my boss.  I felt pretty bad about it.  Ordinarily, that emotional reaction would cause me a lot of stress, and I'd end up making further sub-optimal decisions.  Instead, I was able to keep my cool thanks to the meditation.  I corrected the problem without much fuss, and didn't let it bother me too much, and I don't believe there was any lasting harm done.

That was the most striking example, but throughout this month, I've felt that I've been more calm and more rational overall.  It really struck home how good a practice meditation is to the practicing Stoic.  Increasing tranquility and tranquility is what it's all about, Stoically speaking.  In a sense, though, meditation reverses the Stoic cause & effect.  The Stoics would encourage us to be rational, which will lead to tranquility.  Meditation increases tranquility directly, which leads to rationality.

This next month I have another practice I'm going to try, which I'll write up shortly.  I intend to keep up the meditation.