Sunday — Nature
Today’s topic is Nature, and how each part of it plays a part in the larger whole. There are two conclusions to draw from this, although I find myself only agreeing with one.
The first conclusion is that because Nature is a complex construction, with many parts that often have to be balanced to maintain harmony, there must be a God or higher power, who fashioned this device. This I find hard to agree with, simply because I do not believe in God.
The second conclusion is somewhat easier to swallow; that is, that just because we each have a first person perspective of ourselves, we are not more important than those who are on the other side of the world. This ties in with the primarily utilitarian view that I hold, that those who are suffering far away are still suffering, and deserve as much support from you as you would give to a close relative or friend. Often, people fail to see the big picture, and focus on the things that are most prominent in their lives. If we, as the morning text suggests, take a universal view, we see that the people in Africa, on the other side of the world, are still people, still suffering, and just because they are far away from us, are not less important, or suffering any less.
The evening text seems to comment on the cycle of life; that is, it reminds us that we, born and sustained from the earth, will return to it upon our deaths, and become sustenance for the future generations. This harmonises very nicely with the idea put forward in the morning text, because it once again suggests that focusing on oneself will lead to ethically dubious actions. Only once you remind yourself that you are merely a speck on a speck, part of a vast universe, a billion times your age, do you begin to understand that you must act to benefit others, not just yourself.
I’m glad that the last day of my Stoic week brought forth some ideas that I can agree with. It seems that I am still on the fence about Stoicism.
Looking back on this week, it seems that Stoicism could very well help a great many people in certain ways, such as planning for things to go wrong, and distancing yourself from an unnecessary reaction to something you cannot control. I find it hard to align myself with, simply because of my personal opinions. This should not stop others from taking Stoicism on, as it can teach many valuable lessons.
