Ancient Philosophers Share Their Life Lessons for Happiness

21 replies
With the internet constantly at our fingertips now days it is very easy to get information overload, especially when there is a lot of conflicting info out there.

Well I'm going to take it back to a simpler time and see what some of the most renowned philosophers had to say about happiness.

One of the main principles in motion then was stoicism, and specifically negative visualization. This is the idea of thinking about just how bad things could really be. Like when you mom used to say 'think about the starving children in Africa'.

Careful and detailed thinking about how bad things could be for you has the ironic effect of making you realize that things really aren't that bad. You need to realize this about humans - we often over exaggerate our personal situations. So the next time you're in a bad situation think about how bad it could be, this can actually boost our gratitude over the long term and puts our situation into perspective.

Next we have a lesson from Seneca the Younger, a Roman philosopher. He believed in the modern saying of 'fake it till you make it'. He specifically thought that by acting calm and happy we would become calm and happy.

Many of the stoic philosophers did not believe in anger as they thought it was a waste of time. So when they did feel anger boiling within them they put on a smile and took some deep breaths.

And it worked! The simple act of smiling makes us feel happier.

This has been backed up by countless studies but below is a pretty cool video explaining how it works in body language.


Finally we have a lesson in self-discipline. With the attention hungry, interconnected world we live in we want everything immediately. We don't want to have to wait, we just want it now. And I believe this is the wrong way to look at things.

The stoics used to deliberately take a walk in the cold without a coat, or skip a meal to become hungry. Denying themselves these simple things made them appreciate the things they took for granted.

This might sound a bit strange but it actually works.

Harvard proffessor Michael Norton said "...if you love, every day, having the same coffee, don't have it for a few days. Once you have it again, it's going to be way more amazing than all of the ones that you would have had in the meantime... It's not "give it up forever." It's "give it up for short periods of time, and I promise you you're going to love it even more when you come back to it."

Not only that but it helps develop your character as well and builds your self-discipline.

Self control expert Roy Baumeister said "People have said for centuries that you can build character by making yourself do things you don't want to do, that by exerting self-discipline you can make yourself into a stronger person. That does appear to be correct."

Well there we have it. I hope you guys enjoyed this post, and if you learned something new give it a thanks or if you have any questions just leave a comment.

Cheers, Zach.
#ancient #happiness #lessons #life #philosophers #share
  • Profile picture of the author C G
    Awesome post.

    I truly believe that ‘fake it till you make it’ works. When i'm not in the mood. Listening to some good music gets me back up and ready for work.

    It's sad that this simple concept gets a bad rap nowadays.

    Cheers,

    C.G.
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    • Profile picture of the author jordand870
      Awesome post. I loved the video from Amy Cuddy. She's beautiful.
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      • Profile picture of the author ZachAlfaro
        Thanks for all the great feedback guys! I thought you'd like this one haha

        Originally Posted by jordand870 View Post

        Awesome post. I loved the video from Amy Cuddy. She's beautiful.
        Yeah Amy Cuddy is a stellar woman. I only wish she did more videos like this!

        Originally Posted by wunzzz View Post

        Great post man!
        Always appreciate any reminders about self-discipline -- getting shit done and going that extra mile.
        Thanks mate I might try and do another post on self-discipline in the near future so keep an eye out for that!

        Cheers, Zach.
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  • Profile picture of the author hardraysnight
    ancient philosopher john lennon once said 'life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.'
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    • Profile picture of the author sstins
      Very good.
      Thanks for sharing!
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    • Profile picture of the author jordand870
      Originally Posted by hardraysnight View Post

      ancient philosopher john lennon once said 'life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.'


      Equals setting goals for your personal life and business right?


      Sorry, I'm foolish.


      Jordan S. Daniels
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      • Profile picture of the author Daniel Evans
        Originally Posted by jordand870 View Post

        Equals setting goals for your personal life and business right?


        Sorry, I'm foolish.


        Jordan S. Daniels
        I've never understood that quote by Lennon neither! 😊
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  • Profile picture of the author wunzzz
    Great post man!
    Always appreciate any reminders about self-discipline -- getting shit done and going that extra mile.
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  • Profile picture of the author AlventoStudio
    I agree we sometimes forget who we are and that things can be worse. Thanks for this post. Loved reading it. You are right self-disciplne makes great things. Sometimes it is hard to make yourself work , have a healthy lifestyle. no matter what. as for the info in th net it's up to the person what to use. for me it's a great possibility to work on my own amd get the data I need.
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  • Interestingly, none of these philosophers ever shared anything in the sense that this post headline is written (check their Facebook interaction history an' the contemporary vision of what it means to 'share'), so we all enter into a delusion here as we comment and pontificate.

    But hey, we are all schwangoing out on the millennial groovo right now, so who gives a f*ck about time an' evidence?

    Originally Posted by ZachAlfaro View Post

    Well there we have it. I hope you guys enjoyed this post, and if you learned something new give it a thanks or if you have any questions just leave a comment.
    Cheers, Zach.
    I am glad you raised the issue. Truly.

    Gonna subvert an' divert for a minno.

    If we are gonna stick some -ior in our Mind Warr-, then let's acknowledge philosophical suffix an'deal with the spare hyphen.

    I guess if you are an actor, you could work your magic via Method.

    Character lives in a ditch? K — so go live in a ditch.

    But I got smarto clothes to protect from harm an' I figure on pretendin'.

    Why do I gotta lie in a ditch?

    Fancy is an immaculate maximiser, yet she is in no way blind to notions of ceilings.

    So let her descend into air and kiss on fire.

    Let her seek succour from untamed nothings.

    The baddest thing of all for humans is that we think we got it all sewn up.

    Even if we ain't, there is someone, somewhere, who knows the goddamn truth.

    But we are all blastin' the shit outta one another, all scramblin' out to find the next perfect place to be when it is not down to us in the unfoldin' of the Cosmos.

    Well, kinda it is, but kinda it aint.

    The Stoic POV (ie, what they contrived to see) is so readily an' brutally witnessable right now we don't have to go hit on momentary artifice to suck it all in.

    Other people's shoes have been rainin' down on our heads since the Holocaust, but they are in museums.

    We are shocko close up to stuff right now in our desensitized lightyearsawyishness, givin'a weird kinda sh*t about time an' evidence, with a touch broad as f*ck an' precise as nuthin'.

    Those philosophers were so smart about human nature, but human nature got a different discoursonics about it right now an' we are either gonna open up or shut down for good as magnitude of example crowds the eg's out of our hapless egos till we are a multiplicity of noughts.

    K, so 'o's: I am gettin' ahead of myself here.

    I am jus' typin to space, an' my dials are skewed on a few points for sure.

    Jus' writin', provoked by the headline notion of ancient philosophers on a 'share', as we kinda are here now in socmed 2015.

    But the flossos did not 'share' — especially not the Stoics, the miserable c***s.
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    Lightin' fuses is for blowin' stuff togethah.

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  • Profile picture of the author Luke 8645
    People so rich that buy a new boat each time one gets wet need to stop for a minute and heed these words of wisdom. Eventually, they'll bite the bullet.
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  • Profile picture of the author abra3fe
    Great post!

    Off course, we need to develop our character and build self-discipline.
    One of the key steps to live a happy life is to become organized.

    Cheers
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  • Profile picture of the author Priki
    One of my favorite philosophers is definitely Socrates and here are one of his most famous quotes:

    True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing.

    I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing.

    By all means marry: if you get a good wife, you’ll become happy; if you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.
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  • Profile picture of the author Odahh
    One of the main principles in motion then was stoicism, and specifically negative visualization. This is the idea of thinking about just how bad things could really be. Like when you mom used to say ‘think about the starving children in Africa’.

    Careful and detailed thinking about how bad things could be for you has the ironic effect of making you realize that things really aren’t that bad. You need to realize this about humans – we often over exaggerate our personal situations. So the next time you’re in a bad situation think about how bad it could be, this can actually boost our gratitude over the long term and puts our situation into perspective.


    sorry im tired so copy paste quote here ..

    the normal thing where i can from was the starving kids in china ..but then i got older and brecause i was taught to eat everything on my plate .. i got fat and my employers sent the jobs i did to china ..

    in anycase ..in the attempt to chase happiness..most modern people do things that make them misserable for long periods of time ..

    most people are letting themselves be misseable do to a long list of things they don't have,, while they are paying for the stuff they do have ..theyu thought world make them happy..but 80 percent of people are doing jobs ..to make money that are makeing them unhappy..

    so real modern advice.. is stop buying crap to make you happy if the job you do to by the crap is what is making you unhappy
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  • Profile picture of the author Priki
    Here is more motivation from the same ancient philosopher:


    To find yourself, think for yourself.

    Beware the barrenness of a busy life.

    The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.

    True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.

    The end of life is to be like God, and the soul following God will be like Him.

    Death may be the greatest of all human blessings.
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    • Profile picture of the author vicg100
      Those are all great words of wisdom, and it is amazing to me how even though they lived hundreds or thousands of years ago they're advice still applies today. Our world today is radically different from what they experienced yet history repeats itself and human nature will always be human nature regardless of the date on a calendar.

      Growing up my parents never did pull the "remember the kids starving in Africa" thing. But, in college they did use to remind me of "all the sober kids in India".
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      • Profile picture of the author Kay King
        've never understood that quote by Lennon neither!
        I understand the quote - but Lennon wasn't the first to make it. The quote was first published in the 50's.

        Allen Saunders: Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.
        --Publishers Syndicate 1957
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        Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
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  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    Thanks, OP, for this post.

    I've been fasting for around 2 weeks now and what you said below
    The stoics used to deliberately take a walk in the cold without a coat, or skip a meal to become hungry. Denying themselves these simple things made them appreciate the things they took for granted.
    Is spot on.

    I appreciate things better now.

    I also have more energy and focus.

    The more I let go, the more in control I feel.

    Ironic, no?
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  • Profile picture of the author CaRTmAnBrAh
    Originally Posted by ZachAlfaro View Post

    The stoics used to deliberately take a walk in the cold without a coat, or skip a meal to become hungry. Denying themselves these simple things made them appreciate the things they took for granted.
    I sort of do this but with a little twist.

    I OVERINDULGE on all the simple things to such a degree that I feel completely sick. I then wrap up warm in a fur coat and ear muffs and drive my Mercedes around the poorer areas, (with the doors locked of course), to feel good about myself. It's great for gratitude. It really works.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      The more I let go, the more in control I feel.
      That is so true - I hope you aren't doing a total fast for two weeks. I'd have passed out by now!
      Signature
      Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
      ***
      Please do not 'release balloons' for celebrations. The balloons and trailing ribbons entangle birds and kill wildlife and livestock that think the balloons are food.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10456955].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author getseoonline
    Originally Posted by ZachAlfaro View Post

    With the internet constantly at our fingertips now days it is very easy to get information overload, especially when there is a lot of conflicting info out there.

    Well I'm going to take it back to a simpler time and see what some of the most renowned philosophers had to say about happiness.

    One of the main principles in motion then was stoicism, and specifically negative visualization. This is the idea of thinking about just how bad things could really be. Like when you mom used to say 'think about the starving children in Africa'.

    Careful and detailed thinking about how bad things could be for you has the ironic effect of making you realize that things really aren't that bad. You need to realize this about humans - we often over exaggerate our personal situations. So the next time you're in a bad situation think about how bad it could be, this can actually boost our gratitude over the long term and puts our situation into perspective.

    Next we have a lesson from Seneca the Younger, a Roman philosopher. He believed in the modern saying of 'fake it till you make it'. He specifically thought that by acting calm and happy we would become calm and happy.

    Many of the stoic philosophers did not believe in anger as they thought it was a waste of time. So when they did feel anger boiling within them they put on a smile and took some deep breaths.

    And it worked! The simple act of smiling makes us feel happier.

    This has been backed up by countless studies but below is a pretty cool video explaining how it works in body language.

    Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are | Amy Cuddy | TED Talks - YouTube

    Finally we have a lesson in self-discipline. With the attention hungry, interconnected world we live in we want everything immediately. We don't want to have to wait, we just want it now. And I believe this is the wrong way to look at things.

    The stoics used to deliberately take a walk in the cold without a coat, or skip a meal to become hungry. Denying themselves these simple things made them appreciate the things they took for granted.

    This might sound a bit strange but it actually works.

    Harvard proffessor Michael Norton said "...if you love, every day, having the same coffee, don't have it for a few days. Once you have it again, it's going to be way more amazing than all of the ones that you would have had in the meantime... It's not "give it up forever." It's "give it up for short periods of time, and I promise you you're going to love it even more when you come back to it."

    Not only that but it helps develop your character as well and builds your self-discipline.

    Self control expert Roy Baumeister said "People have said for centuries that you can build character by making yourself do things you don't want to do, that by exerting self-discipline you can make yourself into a stronger person. That does appear to be correct."

    Well there we have it. I hope you guys enjoyed this post, and if you learned something new give it a thanks or if you have any questions just leave a comment.

    Cheers, Zach.
    loved the video
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10457063].message }}

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