Redmayne

One aspect of the joys I've found in my recovery, is the provision of the opportunity to learn, perhaps in sharing my experience, strength and hope with others, including myself to help them recover from alcoholism.

In doing this I have and hope to go on doing so, from many sources. The following then from my current interest, Stoic philosophy. Attributed to one of the novas, Marcus Aurelius, the others being Epictetus and Seneca.

'There is a limit to the time assigned to you, if you don't use it to free yourself it will be gone and never return.'

On reading this, I could think of no better towards motivating others and indeed , not only recovery but, hopefully time spent afterwards in prolonged and lasting sobriety ...

Emphasising the importance of time, not only spent in recovery but that spent afterwards, in sobriety.

In regaining, allowing for the passage of time and all that it brought with it, for all of us! The person we once were, affording us the opportunity, to be once again. As I'm sure many of us once were, calm, clear and bright, our true selves.

silentrun

I have been thinking about a comment you made to me about Stoic philosophy lately. I didn't really understand it at the time. I don't remember it exactly but it was about something along the lines of "take control or be controlled". That combined with RobbyRobot pointed out to me that responsibility isn't about blame helped me past a rut in my thinking. If responsibility isn't about blame it is also not about intent. Responsibility is about taking control of the situation and finding a solution .

On another forum I am on I watched someone put themselves in bad situation after bad situation feeling like things were happening to them. They couldn't see their part in it so they couldn't see a way out either. Almost like they had learned to be helpless. Sometimes I would spend too much time looking backward like that person and missing the whole point that regardless of how I got there it was now on me to better the situation.

great post Red.

Redmayne

I think, as at a basic level, a lot of Stoic philosophy is based on Epictetus saying,'Man is not disturbed by things, but his view i.e. perception, of them.'

Complimented by Marcus Aurelius saying,' If you are distressed by anything external the pain is not due to the thing itself but by your estimate of it, and this you have the power to evoke at any time.'

I've no idea what Seneca, the third member of the trio of novas in Stoic philosophy said, as there's some suggestion that it was the night he and his wife went bowling, when they were discussing it, and she insisted on him accompanying her, or she'd inviter her Mom for tea next Sunday!

Away from this, Sun Tzu, in his famous book,'The Art of War,' which is about life itself really said,'You must control events, otherwise events will control you.'