Its hard for me to accept your last paragraph here. While listening to Meditations, I couldn't help but feel disturbed by how he encourages parents to easily let go of children. I can't help but feel like he removes emotion too much in this case. A child isn't born with only logic, and to not experience the passion of a parent, that would cause so much confusion as to where the child belongs in the world. I think this is even supported by how you describe Commodus falling in with a bad crowd.
"34. As you kiss your son good night, says Epictetus, whisper
to yourself, “He may be dead in the morning.”
Don’t tempt fate, you say.
By talking about a natural event? Is fate tempted when we
speak of grain being reaped?"
"Independence and unvarying reliability, and to pay attention
to nothing, no matter how fleetingly, except the logos. And to be the same in all circumstances—intense pain, the loss of a
child, chronic illness. And to see clearly, from his example,
that a man can show both strength and flexibility."
"Not “some way to save my child”—but a way to lose your
fear."
Now as for love for your child, he does show that a little. But the bond between parent and child has been proven to be more than logical. Think of Harlow's experiments with monkeys. Treating a child on the basis of pure logic I think could only cause disfunction.
"To show your teachers ungrudging respect (the Domitius
and Athenodotus story), and your children unfeigned love"
flyfrog3 karma
Its hard for me to accept your last paragraph here. While listening to Meditations, I couldn't help but feel disturbed by how he encourages parents to easily let go of children. I can't help but feel like he removes emotion too much in this case. A child isn't born with only logic, and to not experience the passion of a parent, that would cause so much confusion as to where the child belongs in the world. I think this is even supported by how you describe Commodus falling in with a bad crowd.
"34. As you kiss your son good night, says Epictetus, whisper to yourself, “He may be dead in the morning.” Don’t tempt fate, you say. By talking about a natural event? Is fate tempted when we speak of grain being reaped?"
"Independence and unvarying reliability, and to pay attention to nothing, no matter how fleetingly, except the logos. And to be the same in all circumstances—intense pain, the loss of a child, chronic illness. And to see clearly, from his example, that a man can show both strength and flexibility."
"Not “some way to save my child”—but a way to lose your fear."
Now as for love for your child, he does show that a little. But the bond between parent and child has been proven to be more than logical. Think of Harlow's experiments with monkeys. Treating a child on the basis of pure logic I think could only cause disfunction.
"To show your teachers ungrudging respect (the Domitius and Athenodotus story), and your children unfeigned love"
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