onlythetruth

Totally agree with this. Posting on an old thread often exposes people to a good discussion that would otherwise be lost, and leads to fresh insights and ideas.

ReadyAndAble

On the other hand, I posted a 2,000-year-old quote on a relatively new AVRT thread the other day, and brought the whole discussion to a grinding halt. So you never really know how these things will turn out.

stairs

Oh yeah, what quote was that?

ReadyAndAble

It was from Epictetus:

I think the old Stoic would be into AVRT. This could be Rational Recovery's tagline:

ReadyAndAble

See? Crickets!

Epictetus does it every time. And he was such a conversation-starter back in the day....

onlythetruth

You are a hoot! Crickets!

So why do you think old Epictetus shut down the discussion? Do you suppose his wisdom is too deep for our addiction-addled brains to grasp?

ReadyAndAble

You kidding, OTT? This part of SR is where all the eggheads hang out, lol..

But I am making a mental note that if I meet a cute woman, I should hold off on any Epictetus until the second or third date, maybe open up with a few lines from "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" instead.

freshstart57

Eggheads? Oh nose! I am learning about Epictetus for the first time here (thanks a lot, buddy).
All philosophy lies in two words, sustain and abstain.
Freedom is not procured by a full enjoyment of what is desired, but by controlling the desire
If one oversteps the bounds of moderation, the greatest pleasures cease to please.

ReadyAndAble

Did he say that, too? Lol, they should just package his stuff in a two-volume set with "The Art of AVRT"!

Anyway, sorry, I feel like I hijacked this thread and forced everyone to go with me to Nerdville. But you know, HP wanted a more active board, so there you have it, the moral of the story, be careful what you wish for, lol...

californiapoppy

I may use your quote,
maybe it works on overly verbose people. I certainly could'nt find any thing witty to say after that, but then again that's not my strong point.

onlythetruth

ReadyAndAble:

My job, seriously, is to be a nerd! I love nerds! Nerds of the world, unite!

freshstart57

Do we get a special hat? Or just the ol' secret handshake, you know the one.

Charon

Thought this was Epicurus, who explicitly warned against overindulgence because it often leads to pain.

PaperDolls

I suggest we add a new section. Nerdville.

freshstart57

God has entrusted me with myself.

Dalek

This does show that there can actually be a more active secular forum. SoberRecovery is obviously providing the space for it. If it is all crickets, it is because people choose not to take advantage of it. A bit ironic that the OP appears to have left, though.

ReadyAndAble

Maybe he's reading up on Epictetus!

Here's my favorite nerd, Marcus Aurelius. Emperor, philosopher, proto-blogger:




Plato's full of crap, though. There, I said it.

freshstart57

“You are a little soul carrying about a corpse, as Epictetus used to say.”
― Marcus Aurelius

Dee74

I can mod that, LOL.

D

ReadyAndAble

The emperor learned a lot from the ex-slave, eh? What's most enjoyable for me about "Meditations" is that it was never meant to be read. It's a self-help book in the most literal sense—notes that Aurelius wrote to himself on how to stay true to his principles. He was keenly aware that being emperor made that even harder, so he left all these grim posts like the one you quoted, reminding himself of his ordinariness. Pretty impressive considering how many of his predecessors became so swept up in their power, they fancied themselves gods.

Good to see another fan here, FS. I think the stoics mesh neatly with AVRT. Check this:

That also goes for certain forms of internal distress, no? As in jibber-jabber from the beast?