Wisdom and Acting Justly Are One and the Same

[DISCLAIMER]

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.

The authors quote ancient Stoic Marcus Aurelius, who stated, “Soon you will die, and still you aren’t sincere, undisturbed, or free from suspicion that external things can harm you, nor are you gracious to all, knowing that wisdom and acting justly are one and the same” (page 376).

I remain grateful for the ability to contemplate journal entries from one of ancient Rome’s alleged “Five Good Emperors.” Now, there are three points of clarity that may better assist with your understanding of Aurelius’ views.

First, REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate that when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe an unhelpful narrative about it, it’s your unfavorable assumption, not the occurrence itself, that causes an unpleasant Consequence. This is known as distress or disturbance.

In particular, there are four predominate irrational beliefs which people often use to distress or disturb themselves: global evaluations, low frustration tolerance, awfulizing, and demandingness. When contemplating these unproductive scripts, think of the acronym GLAD.

Additionally, from a psychological standpoint, people distress or disturb themselves using a Belief-Consequence (B-C) connection. Of course, this isn’t to suggest that in the context of the naturalistic or physical world there is no Action-Consequence (A-C) connection.

From an A-C frame, every organic living being that exists (Action) will eventually die (Consequence). However, the occurrence of death and other “external things,” per Aurelius, can’t actually “harm” your mindset. Rather, the B-C connection is what causes harm.

For example, as surely as you live, you will die (Action). Knowing this, you unhelpfully Believe, “Life is pointless if it eventually ends [G], and I can’t tolerate the slow process of dying from the point of birth [L], as this development is awful [A], because I absolutely mustn’t die [D].”

While there’s a reasonable case to be made that death harms life (i.e., A-C connection), the pending end to your existence doesn’t cause mental or emotional harm. Thus, from a B-C view, use of GLAD Beliefs causes the psychological harm that you experience (Consequence).

Addressing how people upset themselves with unhelpful attitudes, the ABC model incorporates Disputation of unproductive philosophies of life in order to explore Effective new beliefs. Whereas rigid beliefs cause self-disturbance, flexible beliefs result in an un-disturbed condition.

Apparently, Aurelius understood the B-C connection, as he stated, “Soon you will die, and still you aren’t sincere, undisturbed, or free from suspicion that external things can harm you.” Second, the American Psychological Association (APA) thusly defines wisdom:

[T]he ability of an individual to make sound decisions, to find the right—or at least good—answers to difficult and important life questions, and to give advice about the complex problems of everyday life and interpersonal relationships.

The role of knowledge and life experience and the importance of applying knowledge toward a common good through balancing one’s own, others’, and institutional interests are two perspectives that have received significant psychological study.

The way that I differentiate between knowledge, understanding, and wisdom is thus. Knowledge regards information. Understanding is the process of gaining insight about the meaning of information. Wisdom is the ability to make sound decisions with imperfect information.

Last, Aurelius cited “acting justly.” The APA defines an act as “a complex behavior, as distinct from a simple movement,” and defines justice as “the impartial and fair settlement of conflict and differences, typically by legal process and the imposition of proportionate punishment.”

Whereas my hamstring muscles may contract involuntarily, constituting a movement, I may then act accordingly by standing up, walking around, and stretching the muscle group.  Yet, if I punch someone next to me during a muscle spasm, while B-C disturbed, this would be an unjust act.

With these three matters of clarification, Aurelius advocated “knowing that wisdom and acting justly are one and the same.” Regarding this matter, authors of The Daily Stoic state (page 376):

From what we understand, Marcus wrote many of his meditations later in life, when he was suffering from serious illnesses. So when he says, “Soon you will die,” he was speaking frankly to himself about his own mortality. How scary that must have been.

Given the A-C connection, I argue that death isn’t scary. Rather, people use B-C connections which cause fear about their inescapable end to existence. If Aurelius was ill and knew that death was inevitable, then what was there to fear? Nonetheless, the authors continue (page 376):  

He was staring at the real possibility of death and not liking what he saw in these last minutes. Sure, he’d accomplished many things in his life, but his emotions were still the cause of discomfort, pain, and frustration. He knew that with his limited time left, better choices would provide relief.

If Aurelius experienced negative, though healthy or unhealthy emotions which caused “discomfort, pain, and frustration,” according to authors of The Daily Stoic, then his B-C connection was the driving factor of this outcome. Nonetheless, the authors conclude (page 376):

Hopefully, you have a lot more time left—but that makes it even more important to make headway while you still can. We are unfinished products up until the end, as Marcus knew very well. But the earlier we learn it, the more we can enjoy the fruits of the labor on our character—and the sooner we can be free (or freer) of insincerity, anxiety, ungraciousness, and un-Stoic-ness.

Unlike the authors, I don’t hope for “a lot more time left” in life. I’ve had a good run, so I patiently await death. Until my inevitable end, I’m reminded of how wisdom and acting justly are one and the same. Now, I pass this knowledge, understanding, and wisdom along to you.

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

Photo credit (edited), Designed by Magnific, fair use

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