Ignoring the Distraction of Sirens

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Photo credit, fair use

In the ancient Greek epic the Odyssey, there’s a tale about mythical creatures known as the Sirens (female humanlike beings with alluring voices, used as a symbol of the dangerous temptation embodied by women regularly throughout Christian art of the medieval era).

In the story, the Sirens are depicted as attempting to use their enchanting song to lure the hero Odysseus and his crew towards deadly waters. Although the ship’s crew blocked their ears to protect themselves, Odysseus wanted to hear the call of the Sirens.

Therefore, Odysseus ordered his crew to tie him to the ship’s mast so that he may have the satisfaction of listening without endangering himself, the crew, or his ship. That portion of the Greek epic speaks to enticement—to attract artfully or adroitly or by arousing hope or desire.

The current blog entry isn’t intended to promulgate the notion that women are corruptively tempting. Rather, the Sirens serve as a metaphor for the distraction that stems from enticing elements of life. More importantly, I examine whether or not ignoring temptation is wise.

As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.

Authors of The Daily Stoic draw upon the wisdom of ancient Roman Stoic philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger, usually known simply as Seneca, by referencing his following quote (page 29):

Tranquility can’t be grasped except by those who have reached an unwavering and firm power of judgment—the rest constantly fall and rise in their decisions, wavering in a state of alternately rejecting and accepting things. What is the cause of this back and forth? It’s because nothing is clear and they rely on the most uncertain guide—common opinion.

So that I may elaborate on this quote, I ask that you forgive me a personal anecdote. I once was friends with a woman who would frequently call or text me when seeking advice. “I’m hungry; what should I eat?” she once asked. “How in the world do you expect me to respond?” I replied.

“I’m bored; what should I do?” she asked at another time. “If you keep asking me these absurd questions, I’m going to reply with ridiculous answers,” I responded. Thankfully, none of the people currently in my personal life bother me with such ludicrous queries.

Nevertheless, I use this former friend’s behavior to illustrate that some people recognize the impermanence and uncertainty of life. However, rather than exercising their own power of judgment, they rely on the opinions of others to provide clarity.

To remain true to the metaphor used herein, enticement of ignorance represents the Siren’s call. Ignorance merely represents the lack of knowledge. Some people metaphorically tie themselves to a ship’s mast while flirting with temptation not to remedy their ignorant conditions.

My former friend’s error in rejecting use of logic and reason served as a form of alluring call from the Sirens. Rather than teaching herself that she could be trusted as a self-determined and autonomous being, she metaphorically crashed on rocks when outsourcing judgment to others.

How then could this individual ever achieve an independent mindset with which she could navigate the transitory and unclear waters of life? I argue that she couldn’t, and I wasn’t going to serve as her navigational guide. Of this matter, authors of The Daily Stoic state (page 29):

In Seneca’s essay on tranquility, he uses the Greek word euthymia, which he defines as “believing in yourself and trusting that you are on the right path, and not being in doubt by following the myriad footpaths of those wandering in every direction.” It is this state of mind, he says, that produces tranquility.

For those people who behave in a manner similar to that of my former friend, aimless wandering is the inevitability of distrusting oneself. To such people, distraction of the Sirens produces chaos rather than tranquility. In this way, authors of The Daily Stoic continue (page 29):

Clarity of vision allows us to have this belief. That’s not to say we’re always going to be 100 percent certain of everything, or that we even should be. Rather, it’s that we can rest assured we’re heading generally in the right direction—that we don’t need to constantly compare ourselves with other people or change our mind every three seconds based on new information.

Within my professional life, I’ve worked with many people who seek permanence and certainty in life through care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health. Perhaps due to the fallacy of appealing to authority, as it regards so-called expertise, some people forego their own judgment.

I generally tell such people, “I’m not an expert of anything, much less you,” as a means of dispelling the irrational notion that I know my clients better than they know themselves. As such, I invite people not to compare themselves to others while instead trusting their own judgment.

Of course, not everyone’s judgment is in accordance with both logic and reason (also known as “rational”). Therefore, I work with people so that they can conduct trial and error behavioral experiments as a psychoeducational method of determining what does or doesn’t work.

This approach to rational living permits people like Odysseus to consider whether or not listening to the lull of the Sirens’ song is worthwhile. Is there value associated with refusing to ignore distraction? Regarding this matter, authors of The Daily Stoic conclude (page 29):

Instead, tranquility and peace are found in identifying our path and in sticking to it: staying the course —making adjustments here and there, naturally—but ignoring the distracting sirens who beckon us to turn toward the rocks.

I leave it to my clients to determine whether or not flirtation with temptation while foregoing one’s own judgement is in their best interests. Some people grasp this lesson while others, such as my former friend, metaphorically crash on the rocky shores of life over and over again.

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

References:

Daily Stoic. (n.d.). Translating the Stoics: An interview with “The Daily Stoic” co-author Stephen Hanselman. Retrieved from https://dailystoic.com/stephen-hanselman-interview/

Holiday, R. and Hanselman, S. (2016). The daily stoic: 366 meditations on wisdom, perseverance, and the art of living. Penguin Random House LLC. Retrieved from https://www.pdfdrive.com/the-daily-stoic-366-meditations-on-wisdom-perseverance-and-the-art-of-living-d61378067.html

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