The Soldiers' Philosopher (2014)
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The Soldiers' Philosopher (2014)
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Re: The Soldiers' Philosopher (2014)
#2[flagged]
Re: The Soldiers' Philosopher (2014)
#3[flagged]
It reflects our reality. Nobody outside the country stands to gain from a war with the United States, so the only remaining wars are started by those looking to, in one way or another, steal from us (the public) with invented necessities. If we find ourselves paying for another war in the Middle East, in all likelihood it will be because our government refused to accept Iran's appeasement, not the other way around.
As for the acts of war, when the justifications are so distant and the arguments from "defense of interests" so tenuous, they really do start to appear as random acts of violence.
Re: The Soldiers' Philosopher (2014)
#4[flagged]
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Re: The Soldiers' Philosopher (2014)
#5(2014)
Interesting:
The Stoics were giving salvation for tough times. It’s a great philosophy for tough times, I’m not sure it’s a great philosophy for everyday living. It’s always good to feel more in control, but it’s not good to think that luck and the vicissitudes of the world can’t touch you or that you can’t show moral outrage, love, grief, and so on.
Re: The Soldiers' Philosopher (2014)
#6I used to work with Soldiers a lot (I helped build training simulations) and was often amazed by their perspectives. I remember theoretical discussions (Q: when is the enemy defeated? A: when he thinks he is) alongside powerful raw emotions (Dutch peacekeepers unable to intervene in the Srebrenica massacre). On one project, where things were technically crashing around our ears, I was staggered by the emotional and practical support from soldiers who understood that I was on their side, more than I’ve ever experienced from civvie project managers. It's the closest I've come to crying with gratitude. That and the attitude: when you fall down, we will laugh, but we will help you up.
Respect.
Re: The Soldiers' Philosopher (2014)
#7Excellent read. Original perspectives too - just drop the D from PTSD
and get with the idea that this is normal and the hardest people are
soft on the inside.
Re: The Soldiers' Philosopher (2014)
#8(2014) Interesting: The Stoics were giving salvation for tough times. It’s a great philosophy for tough times, I’m not sure it’s a great philosophy for everyday living. It’s always good to feel more in control, but it’s not good to think that luck and the vicissitudes of the world can’t touch you or that you can’t show moral outrage, love, grief, and so on.
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Re: The Soldiers' Philosopher (2014)
#9(2014) Interesting: The Stoics were giving salvation for tough times. It’s a great philosophy for tough times, I’m not sure it’s a great philosophy for everyday living. It’s always good to feel more in control, but it’s not good to think that luck and the vicissitudes of the world can’t touch you or that you can’t show moral outrage, love, grief, and so on.
Full agree.
The preceding paragraphs are terse and add further insight about the limits of Stoicism (or perhaps the little-s version that one might commonly adopt if under stress) and its effects on curtailing emotions.
Re: The Soldiers' Philosopher (2014)
#10(2014) Interesting: The Stoics were giving salvation for tough times. It’s a great philosophy for tough times, I’m not sure it’s a great philosophy for everyday living. It’s always good to feel more in control, but it’s not good to think that luck and the vicissitudes of the world can’t touch you or that you can’t show moral outrage, love, grief, and so on.
Full agree. The preceding paragraphs are terse and add further insight about the limits of Stoicism (or perhaps the little-s version that one might commonly adopt if under stress) and its effects on curtailing emotions.
Common misconception; Stoicism is not about curtailing or repressing emotions.
Stoicism is about not allowing your emotions to govern you.
Subtle but profound difference.