StoicChristianLatter-DaySaint
Philosophy of Nathan........
So, this is….
Stoic philosophy, the Ancient Greek/Roman kind.
I'm not really a fan of what I have read about neostoicism.
I really don't condone the suicide idea.
The word "stoic" has come to mean "unemotional" or indifferent to pain because Stoic ethics taught freedom from "passion" by following "reason".
“Logic, reflection, and concentration were the methods of self-discipline.”
“unhappiness and evil are the results of human ignorance of the reason in nature”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoicism
Christian philosophy. At least my take. Not truly traditional.
Latter-Day saint philosophy. Again, my take. I will most likely include lots of Sunday school general conference thoughts. Pretty much trumps all.
Me. I'm just human.
Added January 2018: General conference talks from the most recent conference.
This is more or less about my understanding of religion and philosophy. If you don't like it or don't agree, remember, no one is forcing you to read.
July 30
2 Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.
10 And because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of him, to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him. Wherefore, the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition to that of the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the atonement—
11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.
12 Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God.
Everything must have its opposite. Some opposites are easy to identify. Some are more difficult.
Love is said to be the opposite of hate. I agree with the idea that love is more the opposite of indifference.
But another idea that I discovered recently is that love is the opposite of kindness. Or if you try to be to kind, you can end up killing any love that was there.
Explanation. I have a great love for the gospel. In love and kindness I want to share it with others. If someone does not want to accept my gift, I do need to force them to take it. The more I push anything, the more likely someone is to think, “Do they love me or the idea of me a certain way, more?”
The Savior referred to us as neighbors. We are all equals in His sight.
August 2017
So how is it that we are so intolerant of others, and demand such a high price of others, yet we expect so little of ourselves sometimes?
Justice and mercy
We all want justice until we feel we need mercy.
We all want to give endless mercy until we feel we need justice.
Two things that are so opposite but so important and both so desirable. I do not understand all the opposites that are so important to all of us as humans.
One thing that I understand is right brain and left brain. Even more since the stroke. My stroke occurred on the left side of my brain mostly. That made it possible for me to act more “normal” than if the stroke and bleeding had happened on the right side. My emotions are nuts most of the time. Still, I can keep them in check fairly wełl. The stroke is part of me. Now more so than initially.
One thing I am more tolerant to the slowness of many things now. One thing I have learned am am learning more all the time is that the Lords time is not human time. We, as humans want time to move faster so much. We don't seem to be capable of speed most of the time. We should be grateful that the lord allows us to move at a much slower pace.
September
What is it that God wants most from us?
I would answer He wants our love and obedience. They are so closely related you can not separate one from the other.
We may be constantly bombarded by ideas that in many ways make logical sense to us. The one thing that we have to remember, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9.
Human logic and learning only goes so far. We must rely on the Lord. He will always no more than we do.
I will admit I am smart. Very smart. I could probably run mental circles around most people. The simple fact is we are of two minds and always have been. Can we be logical, sure. We can also be emotional. Most people say that when we are using the logic part of or brain we are mean. If we use the emotional side me are unstable. Both opinions are right. We must have both parts.
“For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so,….., righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.
12 Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God.” 2 Nephi 11, 12
So I had stake conference today.
I was made to remember an idea. We are many times taught in the LDS church that sealing is like a chain. While this is a good analogy I think chainmail is a better analogy.
Both husband and wife are sealed to their respective parents, regardless of how old they are. Husbands and wives are sealed to each other, and children are sealed to both parents.
We can think of it as a type of protection that is doubled because we have to parents.
I haven't got the best idea about this. It's getting better.
October
So I have been thinking about how we, as humans, think. We want to consider ourselves logical, unemotional, rational, and everything that goes along with them. We are emotional, flighty, vacillating.
We want to think we are logical, rational creatures. We are governed by emotions regardless of how logical we think we are or can be.
As much as we say we like facts we don't want to be governed by them.
Facts are hard to argue against. We want to but if we do we loose.
As much as we like facts we need to be governed with love also. Facts and love don’t mix well, like oil and water.
Opposition in all things. Love and emotions can only take us so far. Logic of facts can only take us so far. We need both. In some ways they work against each other. If we devote ourselves to one or the other we only get part of the picture.
In many ways we, as humans, are always convinced our answers are right. No matter what we do. Individually, we are flawed beyond measure. Time is what really offers us individual clarity.
Before my stroke, I was convinced I had the right answer most of the time. One way my stroke has been a blessing is that I see how much I need other people. In a way I hate the fact. It can make me feel dependent. Some people have let me know, by their actions that helping me is a burden. Other have spoken boldface to my parents and then the message was shared with me. Like I have said before, my life, in many ways has become I topic of conversation. I hate that fact. I try to do things myself but many things are hard to do. Combing my hair would be impossible for me so I have decided to shave my head.
I have learned I have to fight for my rights. No one is going to just give me anything. Despiteq the fact that I’m in a wheelchair and look amazing minus the looking amazing.
I want to be the ultimate authority about many things, everything at times. I don’t know what the best answer is most of the time. I’ve wanted to be that way forever.
I am not sure about a lot right now. I feel so crumby right now.
So reading the Sunday school lesson has got me thinking. We must help others all we can. But how are we helping already.
Are we actively helping, are we passively helping. Are we paying fast offerings. This must be a very active thing we must do.
Taxes are generally a very passive thing that everyone must do. Still there are so many programs that exist and we will never have to open our wallets for because the programs get the money they use from our taxes we pay.
November
Logic, ruthless logic is essential for life. At the same time, love and compassion, charity is essential to anything we want to do.
We must use logic if we want to be happy. But we must go beyond logic if we want to understand ourselves and those around us.
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
1 croithans 13
45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail--
47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.
48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.
Moroni 7
So most important is charity. Charity is more than just helping in some fashion. “Charity is the pure love of Christ.” Love that never fails.
Love or Charity, is formost, before anything else. Then logic and reason. Other emotions must be used at times. But we must return to love as quickly as possible.
41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
42 By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile--
43 Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
44 That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.
D&C 121
Love above all. Logic, facts, reason next. Other emotions if needed.
We are emotional creatures. That doesn’t mean we should let emotions rule our lives.
Love and compassion are more closely related to logic and reason than any of us might think.
Most of the questions we have could be solved, in part, by a reduction in technology. I am not saying we should reduce technology. We must consider what we can and cannot do with and without technology.
What we can do with technology is wonderful. Medical technology is wonderful. I would be dead, most likely, without it. That said, what would this world be like with no more access to the many items we currently have. Just medical technology.
We have to go to the Least Common Denomater.
A very difficult thing to understand is what we can honestly do by ourselves, and what we need others to do for us.
There are many things I can do by myself. I hate doing them because they are very hard and time consuming for me to do.
As I think about what is the best way to compare ourselves. It was done for us.
“Physician, heal thyself.”
I have been thinking that I will change how I write. I will focus on talks from general conference talks. It will be more simple. I have so much I want to talk about and write.
I am simply not sure what to say or think in someways right.
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