Athiest Stoic Serenity

Picture just because

Spring is coming 2015

I am trying to work out what I actually believe. Why should I petition a not existent god, or a god concept idea, for something I can get for myself? Some of the stoics were atheistic, to some god was nature, to others god was reason, logic. To some, it was the forces of nature, and if the forces could be defined and described, it would form the Logos, a written text of logic.

Epictetus says "some thing are up to me and some are not." If it is not in my control, I need to accept the outcome. If it is in my control, I still need to accept that the outcome may not be what I want. The only thing I can change are my judgements, desires, and impulses to move; the final outcome is still beyond my control, I must accept the outcome. So I must accept the past, as it is. I must accept the future which is beyond my control, and most other things.  I need to accept time's ravishing abuse, nature, impermanence, death, decay, pain and the like. I need to accept the ideas of others, but I need not go along. Any idiot can have a idea, and forcefully convey it, even convincingly, but if it does not meet the logic test, it is just noise. There is so much noise in the world.

Emotional pain is of my own making; it is of my judgement, and then is only natural events, and I need not react to those any more than when I turn out a light.

And yet the body wants. The mind wants. It does not mater. As long as he, the body, gets what it needs, all will be ok. Acceptance is the key to everything. Acceptance. Acceptance. Acceptance. And yet not accept crap from others.

So in reality, I must accept everything, except that which I have control over, my thoughts, and then even some of them are beyond my control. I can bitch and complain if others are in control of the problem, or I can accept and ignore them.

Stolen from   http://www.atheistnexus.org/profiles/blogs/agnostics-serenity-prayer?xg_source=activity 

* Serenity to accept things we cannot change,
* Courage to change the things we can, and the
* Wisdom to know the difference
* Patience for the things that take time
* Appreciation for all that we have, and
* Tolerance for those with different struggles
* Freedom to live beyond the limitations of our past ways, the
* Ability to feel your love for us if you exist,
* Or the ability to do without it if you do not,
* and our love for each other and the
* Strength to get up and try again even when we feel it is
hopeless and
* Even when we realize that you aren't really there. 

But it is more than I can remember....

Enough.