Category Archives: Important Definition

Back to Basics: Control, Fate, Impermanence

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I sure am full of a lot of advice.  If you read here on the site enough, you might wonder if I have any organization to my thoughts, or am I just like Jack Handy with a few deep thoughts now and again?  The answer to these questions is “yes” and “no.”  I do have random ideas pop into my head, but it is always through the filter of my philosophy.  In the interest of maintaining a simple template for the Heroic Stoic philosophy (at least as a beginning), I think I have been very clear that there are 3 tenets to always remember: Continue reading →

The Non-Aggression Principle

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Non-aggression Principle – an ethical stance which asserts that aggression is inherently illegitimate. “Aggression” is defined as the “initiation” of physical force against persons or property, the threat of such, or fraud upon persons or their property. In contrast to pacifism, the non-aggression principle does not preclude violent self-defense.

Source:  http://wiki.mises.org/wiki/Principle_of_non-aggression

Dukkha

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Dukkha – Sanskrit term from Buddhism meaning “suffering,” but more precisely “dissatisfaction,” “anxiety,” or “unsatisfactoriness.”  It can be the physical pain sickness, injury, death, or grief, but it can also be the result of trying to grasp and hold things that are always and permanently changing.  This type of dissatisfaction can also be a result of trying to hold onto a vision of how things should be according to our own judgment.  It is the core of the First Noble Truth of Buddhism.

Sadness Another example of unsatisfactoriness might be that feeling after you win a big race or the lottery.  Not right after, but after maybe a few days or a few months.  You might still feel unfulfilled.  It’s that “now what” feeling after you get/accomplish something that you thought would make you happy.

Low Hanging Fruit

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Low Hanging Fruit –  Phrase that refers to achieving a goal that is easiest to reach.  Certainly it has some roots in the natural state of food gathering.  If you were ancient man or even an ape, you would tend to grab the fruit nearest to the ground rather than climb to the highest point on the tree.  Why put yourself at great risk when you can eat just the same by safely keeping your feet flat on the ground?

Low Hanging Fruit

A common approach in business process improvement is that fixing simple problems first to get immediate gains, provide people with a feeling of victory and motivate them to continue to do better.  “Let’s get the low hanging fruit in our production process first, then we can work on the more complex issues.”

I contend that you can apply this concept in your quest for virtue as well.  More to follow…