I strive for harmony. Seneca believed this is what one needs to strive for to find inner joy.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Seneca on Harmony (3rd Base)
"A life in harmony with nature, one that calls on us to have a sound mind, be courageous and energetic, be ready for every emergency, careful of the body and of all that concerns it, but without anxiety, and recognizing virtue as the only good" (Bok, 63)
I strive for harmony. Seneca believed this is what one needs to strive for to find inner joy.
I strive for harmony. Seneca believed this is what one needs to strive for to find inner joy.
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I can relate to the equation, Balance=Happiness. For instance, every time something goes wrong in my life, I just remember all of the things that have gone right. There is always something to be thankful for even when I've had a bad day, week, or whatever.
ReplyDeleteI think life is a balancing act, and it's all about taking everything in stride. If you can't find the humor in a bad situation or some other silver lining, bummer.
DeleteThere is definitely a correlation between balance and happiness and in my life. I especially strive for karmic balance, balance of the mind (natural homeostasis) and body. Even with the external world, balance plays a huge role in well-being. Harmony with family, friends, co-workers and classmates makes me at ease and is very anxiolytic actually. I definitely agreed with Seneca the most in this chapter. As for the upcoming chapter, and a factual question
ReplyDeleteWho was it that said it was fully possible to compare estimates of quantities of pleasure without adding and subtracting numbers, but by relying instead on "data which while not numerical, are nevertheless quantitative." Answer- Francis Edgeworth
As for a discussion question- based on Bok's page 100, last paragraph that states "Findings from such methods(of brain responses, physiological reactions, performance on psychological experience, and answers to survey questions) can be skewed in several ways. Different types of measurement show different levels of satisfaction, and responses can be influenced by factors, such as having witnessed a cheerful or depressing film clip. Results also vary depending on the groups surveyed."
Because of this, what is your opinion on the work Psychologists do in the realm of well-being and happiness- and due to all of the uncertainty in the results of testing methods, should studies attempting to find empirical data on happiness be trusted to a large degree or taken with a grain of salt. (In your opinion, of course.) Just interested to see what people say as this is one my desired fields of study on my psychology endeavors.
As for a link, I would like to familiarize those reading this with Alan Watts. Here is a link to his youtube audio lecture titled The Inevitable Ecstasy. (There are shorter Alan Watts lectures, some a few minutes, if you want to get an idea of what he is about first)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-hGhhR6i5M