Retrospectively Introspective. 

An inflection of thought 

Honestly, I'm not to sure what your going to find by reading my blog; I am not to sure there is anything worth finding. But you can have some of my thoughts mostly unfiltered. I'd like to think that I at least do some -review but for the most part here are some thoughts that have passed through my mind, unfiltered. (mostly)

Well the actual "philosophies" of life and approaching it seem as good a place as any.

 I'd like to just begin by saying that I am the most direct person I can be.
I currently am just typing the words as they flow through my head and hoping beyond all else that my mind doesn't wander. The result would probably be a lot of disjunctive thoughts.
 Disjunctive thoughts are not necessarily a bad thing but I'd like to be more organized with my mind. 

So about them Stoics?

So here's something I wrote a bit ago on Roman Stoicism.. Well I had to write it for class so it might have a funny theme but I think it got an A.. and feel free to give me a lower grade like a "D" for Dreadful of a "T" for Troll.  

            The pursuit of life is found in the reasons that people have for the things that they do. Philosophy is an outlook for life that can help center one’s self and give meaning to life. Each person has a different ideology of life, which means they often have a different philosophy and governing of their principles. Stoicism is the philosophy common in Ancient Rome and a kind of moral compass for Romans such as Seneca and Marcus Aurelius. Both Marcus Aurelius and Seneca were influenced by the philosophy of stoicism which lead to the way they managed their political and social lives.

            Stoicism as a way of life is in essence the belief that the universe is ordered. The ruling principle according to the Stearns handout, underlay all things. The philosophy of stoicism emphasizes human strength in dealing with lives misfortunes, while offering an avenue to individual happiness. Stoics reasoned that people shared the logic of the cosmos because everyone is a part of the universe. This reasoning lead to the stoics treating people much more fairly because of their beliefs, they believed that humanity was one; natural law governs the cosmos and rules all in this philosophy.

            Marcus Aurelius and Seneca where very influenced by the philosophy of stoicism. Marcus Aurelius in Book two says: Begin each day by telling yourself: Today I shall be meeting with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness—all of them due to the offender’s ignorance of what is good or evil. But for my part I have long perceived the nature of good and its nobility, the nature of evil and its meanness, and also the nature of the [evildoer] himself, who is my brother (not in the physical sense, but as a fellow-creature similarly endowed with reason and a share of the divine) therefore none of those things can injure me, for nobody can implicate me in what is degrading”. In those words, Marcus Aurelius shows the discourse a stoic would give for the reasons “he” does things. The stoicism influenced Marcus Aurelius with the logic of the cosmos that made the worldly influences bearable. Not only were they bearable for Marcus Aurelius but he thrived in his own place and time. The stoic philosopher fulfilled with reason and natural law.

            Seneca, yet another Roman influenced in his life by the principles of stoicism, has trouble with the idea of slaves. The idea of slaves for a person who is stoic is not an impossible thought but it is one that is at least broached with question. The stoic would see a slave as a logical equal, bound by the constraints of the world to their master; but in their mind free. This probably wouldn’t have created too much of a problem but the question seems likely to always be asked, why? Seneca in Epistle 47 writes to his friend Lucius on the matter of slaves: “It by no means displeases me, Lucius [a friend], to hear from those who confer with you, that you live on friendly terms with your slaves. This attests to your good sense and education. Are they slaves? No, they are men: they are comrades; they are humble friends. Nay, rather fellow-servants, if you reflect on the equal power of Fortune over both you and them.” Seneca not only doesn’t see the slaves as slaves but sees himself as not a master but a fellow servant; possibly to the grandeur of the logical natural world.

            Personally and public people must be congruent. Stoicism influenced Seneca and Marcus Aurelius to look at the world with a self-mastery, something synonymous with the natural world of logic. The philosophy of stoicism had such a profound impact on the culture of the time and the idea of oneness that allowed for the republic that was Rome; and for Marcus Aurelius and Seneca to govern fairly.

Well I think this is enough big ideas for today.