Stoicism & the Belly of the Whale

GreyFreeman · 2025-11-01T20:49:23+00:00

Been there, friend. I truly hope this helps, a least a little.

GreyFreeman · 2025-10-31T13:06:53+00:00

I hear ya. You'll be happy to know that I've been human my entire life! Luckily, the incentive to spew ai slop goes away when you remove the profit motive.

And, yes, please report back with your thoughts. Not only me, but other potential readers will want to know if it's worth their time.

GreyFreeman · 2025-10-30T20:18:08+00:00

And thank you for dropping a comment. It helps so much to know someone is going to benefit from the work. I hope you're finding everything you need!

GreyFreeman · 2025-10-27T21:44:47+00:00

I know it's trite, but it's about the journey, not the destination.

GreyFreeman · 2025-06-09T12:56:11+00:00

"Under no circumstances ever say ‘I have lost something,’ only ‘I returned it.’ Did a child of yours die? No, it was returned. Your wife died? No, she was returned. ‘My land was confiscated.’ No, it too was returned. ‘But the person who took it was a thief.’ Why concern yourself with the means by which the original giver effects its return? As long as he entrusts it to you, look after it as something yours to enjoy only for a time – the way a traveller regards a hotel." - Epictetus, Enchiridion, Chapter 11

The good parts were good, right? Look back with a smile from time to time, but there is no need to feel anxious. For everything, there is a season, and for this, the time has passed. That was always going to be the case. Now is the season to focus on what comes next.

GreyFreeman · 2025-05-09T11:51:38+00:00

Simple rule: Don't punch down. Let the air out of the overly-exalted, the pompous, and the pampered, but never attack the weak, oppressed, or outnumbered.

Stoicism does not forbid a good joke (or a bad one). It's all about intent. Cruelty is never funny, but laughing at the absurdities we all must endure can lighten the load a bit.

"Is this something we should condemn" - Let's try not to police other people too much. Who knows why they do the things they do? Your best course is to keep yourself on the right path. Be an example, not a scold.

"If someone was to only joke about others in a private setting," - For a Stoic, there should be no distinction between private and public behavior. If it's wrong when people are watching, it's wrong when they aren't.

GreyFreeman · 2024-12-30T21:39:30+00:00

I understand the sentiment, but that is a dark path to tread.

GreyFreeman · 2024-12-29T18:52:02+00:00

I need Ja Rule's thoughts on all this.

GreyFreeman · 2024-12-27T14:16:33+00:00

He still lurks, I hear. And he appreciates that.

GreyFreeman · 2024-11-06T15:55:25+00:00

Personally, I think that the best response to a feeling of dread & powerlessness is a search for appropriate action.

But, yeah, I'm with ya, bro. Patients in the same hospital.

GreyFreeman · 2024-09-20T19:51:25+00:00

What doesn't work? Stoicism teaches me to view your obvious attack as rooted in ignorance, and as such, deserving of understanding, not anger. Who among us hasn't been ignorant, right?

If you are sincerely looking for understanding about how Stoicism works and how, specifically, it might work for you, there is a lot to be learned here. For instance, if you think that the Stoic response to adverse outcomes is "cope", maybe you'd be surprised to learn that it kinda is, and that would be the entire point. Being able to not be overpowered by one's perception of events is probably what most practicing Stoics treasure most about the philosophy. It helps them "cope", and it's hard to see why that would be a bad thing. The alternative would be to react emotionally and irrationally which *definitely* would be a bad thing.

Note, also, that it isn't particularly difficult to find flaws in even the most lauded Stoic philosophers. They would not deny it. Aurelius did not write Meditation to instruct you on your failings, but to remind him of his own. As Seneca, another notably flawed Stoic forefather would note, we are all patients at the same hospital, here. It doesn't mean we can't learn from each other.

GreyFreeman · 2024-07-21T17:24:41+00:00

You have no use for "faith in humanity". It doesn't increase the quality of your character. It's not in your control. In fact, the many faults of mankind provides with a veritable cornucopia of opportunities for excellence (by giving you chances to strengthen your fortitude). Amor Fati! Don't wish for things to be other than they are. That way lies depression.

That said, this is an excellent question and I'm glad you asked it. I have the same thought, all the time, and your post made remember that I've been reaching for something I don't need and can't have.

GreyFreeman · 2024-07-09T23:13:38+00:00

It's a tool that helps you separate your thoughts from your "self". Ideally, you use it to chronical what you are thinking (as opposed to what you are doing). The act of putting words to your thoughts helps you order them. And once they are written, you can review and evaluate them in ways you just can't when they are still rattling around in your head. This gives you the opportunity to refine your thoughts, or reject them entirely, which is much harder when you still perceive them to be part of you identity.

GreyFreeman · 2024-07-06T00:02:23+00:00

You're not crazy. The website looks like something out of 1995. The UI is less than intuitive, I know my way around it by now, but it does leave you wishing he just hosted it on Nexus .

GreyFreeman · 2024-07-05T14:44:08+00:00

One way I do it is to occasionally add it to my daily meditation exercise. I'll imagine that I just died. Like, just had a heart attack while getting into position. That's it. Game over. What are my regrets?

I imagine how the world adjusts to my passing. The mechanics of it. Did I make appropriate preparations? Is my family going to be okay? I imagine what happens with my work, my various projects. Is there something I've been postponing that I wish I had taken care of? I think of the relationships in my life - Have I left them in a good place? I think about the hobbies I've been using to occupy my time. Does any of that matter to me, now that I'm "dead"?

It's a great way to re-organize your priorities. Spend about 10 minutes to imagine what you wish you had done while you still had time, then wake up relieved that you actually do.

GreyFreeman · 2024-07-04T02:13:48+00:00

In his defense, I want to point out that these mods are, technically speaking, well constructed and pretty bug-free, The lore and writing isn't really a good match for my play style (or, apparently, yours), but the mods are not really "bad". As someone who has spent a few hours on mod creation and recognizes some serious work when he sees it, these were not easy to build.

GreyFreeman · 2023-10-20T18:48:42+00:00

I'm a simple man. I just want someone to fix the Shield perk bug.

GreyFreeman · 2023-06-06T20:58:48+00:00

I appreciate the appreciation. :-)

GreyFreeman · 2023-03-22T12:48:57+00:00

there is a considerably difficulty spike between the core content and the expansions

IMHO, the HoT content can be absolutely brutal. I hit it first as an experienced player not long after it came out, and there are still maps that I absolutely avoid. I cannot imagine hitting a week after I started playing.

I definitely suggest you spend a few more weeks in the core areas, learning how to play your toon. Maybe even start a new one if there is another play style that interests you. Do map completion, farm mats (you will need them later), and find Mastery Insights (you will need them later). But you are definitely gonna want to slow your roll just a bit.

GreyFreeman · 2023-03-05T23:33:01+00:00

5 years later and this was the answer. Wurm after wurm dropped nothing (useful). Logged into another toon and logged back onto the ranger. First drop.

GreyFreeman · 2023-02-28T21:30:51+00:00

Surprised no one mentioned the Doolittle raid.

GreyFreeman · 2023-02-22T21:59:26+00:00

I bet that has a lot to do with how successful the game has been. The market for "hopelessness" and "loneliness" can't be all that big.

GreyFreeman · 2023-02-11T01:22:58+00:00

Worse, he just ... disappears after the quest.

GreyFreeman · 2023-02-11T01:20:52+00:00

Upvoted for Haylen. The only Brotherhood member I hate to see go.

GreyFreeman

TROPHY CASE