Rationality and Self-discipline

Self-discipline is the ability to control emotions and actions according to set principles of a person. On the other hand, rationality is the ability to reason and act in the given consequences in an optimal way. Self-discipline and rationality help people to reason and behave in different situations according to their beliefs and principles. The Stoic philosophy was originally regarded as living in harmony or accordance with nature. Stoicism is a belief in person’s supreme value, his will’s integrity and primary right judgments. It is a system of values that seeks elevation of a rational man. The rational man is exalted to a high position such that all conditions seem valueless in comparison. The Stoics were for and against rationality but stuck strictly to the virtue of self-discipline.

The Stoic philosophy has three disciplines, namely discipline of desire, discipline of action, and discipline of assent. The discipline of ethics involves the application of the theoretical topic of Stoic ethic in connection to the daily living. The ethics of the Stoics involves defining indifferent, bad, and good ideas and notions. It also deals with meaning or fulfillment of life, happiness or pleasure. In addition, it is also connected with the cardinal virtues of the Stoics. These virtues include courage, justice, wisdom, and self-discipline. According to Marcus, McNeil, and Long, from the central doctrine of Stoicism, the virtue of self-discipline is the only sufficient and true virtue for the fulfillment and leading of a good life.

The Stoic ethics usually opposes virtues, vices, and unhealthy and irrational passions such as craving, emotional pain, fear, unhealthy or false pleasures. The discipline of action emphasizes the need to live in harmony with the community for all mankind. It means the willingness of a human to wish all mankind to be happy and flourish, which could be considered the main goal of life. Since other people’s way of life is out of their control, the discipline of action upon which the virtue of self-discipline falls emphasizes that people should also wish others well. The Stoics philosophy emphasizes the need to act with the virtue of self-discipline as we go ahead to accept the outcome of our actions in a detached manner, whether success or failure.

The Stoics must act in accordance with the rational appraisal from which comes the natural preference of external outcomes. The following are the clauses that the Stoics should follow closely while upholding the virtues attached in the discipline of action, rationality and self-discipline among others. The actions should be carried out for the well-being of all mankind and in accordance with the attached values.

The discipline of action, together with other Stoic’s disciplines, emphasizes working towards a consistent and harmonious life in accordance with the nature. Marcus and Long claim that by this notion, the Stoics meant that a person should live a life in service of the natural goal of human nature and in attaining life’s fulfillment. According to the Stoics, a good life can be achieved by perfect moral reasoning and exhibiting excellence in terms of cardinal Stoic virtues of courage, wisdom, justice, rationality, and self-discipline.

According to the Stoics, our judgments form the basis for our desires, actions, emotions and irrational vices and passions. Due to this, the Stoics sort to overcome all those vices. But while contrasting love with rationality, the Stoics are grounded in love. It is because if a community sticks to rationality, it leads to stiff hierarchy of the rational. In contrast, love does not allow hierarchies. Love is vulnerable, humble, and gentle serving.

In conclusion, self-discipline is the ability to control your emotions and actions according to your set principle, while rationality is the ability of a person to reason and act according to the virtues. Being a rational and a self-disciplined being means that one should be able to control his or her thoughts. It happens by treating one’s thoughts with respect. Person’s thoughts help protect the mind from false perception. Respect to thoughts helps make thoughtfulness achievable, as well as achieve the affection towards other people. It also helps one in committing to the divine. According to Stoic philosophy, people should focus on the virtues in order to live in harmony.

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