sadness

This note last modified February 20, 2021

Similar to the problem of death, I fear that much of the philosophy of sadness is wishful philosophy

Regardless, sadness is a valid emotion to have, as long as you don't let it control you.

wishful philosophy
- There are many philosophers who have talked about how negative things such as death, pain, or sadness give life meaning, and are ultimately important for humans to experience to be fully realized.
- I feel odd about that though… I wonder if these philosophers are just saying that because they are afraid of death, or sadness, and try to ascribe meaning to the absurd just so that they can feel better about it.
stoicism
- Stoicism is a philosophy of emotional intelligence. A stoic understands why an event makes them feel happy or sad, and understands the value of those emotions, without letting emotions control them. A stoic might be happy, but their happiness does not derive solely from their surroundings, and will retain their happiness even if they lose their material wealth. Similarly, a stoic might endure some hardship, and feel sad as a tool to deal it, but won’t let their sadness define them, won’t lash out in anger.