You've Got to Stand for Something, or You'll Fall for Anything

[DISCLAIMER]

In my youth, public service announcements (PSAs) were a common method of teaching morals and ethics. For clarity, a moral is a person’s standard of behavior or belief concerning what is and isn’t acceptable for the individual and other people.

Morals thus relate to what’s considered good, bad, right, wrong, or otherwise acceptable or unacceptable. An ethic is a set of moral principles, especially those relating to or affirming a specified group, field, or form of conduct.

Whereas morals relate to what is thought of as pleasing or displeasing behaviors and beliefs, ethics – based on morals – are the social rules by which we pledge to live. Noteworthy, I maintain that there’s no valid evidence to support the notion of objective morality.

In any case, a principle is a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption that serves as a rule or code of conduct with habitual devotion to this subjective morally and ethically right standard. Thus, principles are a form of values (something intrinsically desirable).

Given this context, a couple PSAs currently stand out to me. McGruff the Crime Dog was a cartoon bloodhound who taught the moral and ethical value of crime prevention and reduction. His catchphrase was “take a bite out of crime,” as he encouraged children to obey the law.

Another animated character was Daren the Lion. He was associated with the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program that was aimed at educating youth about the potential dangers associated with use and misuse or controlled substances (e.g., marijuana).

Both characters were loosely aligned with the “Just Say No” advertising campaign prevalent during the 1980s and early 1990s as a part of the national war on drugs, aiming to discourage children from engaging in illegal recreational drug use by offering various ways of saying no.

Due to having endured years of traumatic events from caregivers who abused alcohol and drugs, the PSAs in my childhood weren’t what convinced me to commit to a lifetime of sobriety. Sustained childhood abuse and neglect was the greatest contributing factor for my decision.

All the same, I uncritically valued the moral and ethical lessons of PSAs. Similarly, when country music singer Aaron Tippin released his album You’ve Got to Stand for Something (1991), I appreciated his song “You’ve Got to Stand for Something”, as lyrics of the chorus state:

You’ve got to stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything

You’ve got to be your own man, not a puppet on a string

Never compromise what’s right, and uphold your family name

You’ve got to stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything

The song suggests that if one lacks personal principles, values, or firm beliefs, then one may be easily influenced, manipulated, or deceived by others. Thus, one is encouraged to maintain a strong foundation of convictions to retain integrity and avoid being easily swayed by others.

Photo credit, fair use

In my youth, I laughed at the video for “You’ve Got to Stand for Something”, because it depicted a grown man offering a little boy a rolled joint (i.e., marijuana cigarette). That was a common trope of the PSA era—children being offered free drugs. (When did that ever happen?)

Aside from the perhaps unintended humor of the video, I liked that Tippin taught conviction to morals and ethics. Now, as I steadily read a book that aligns with my preferred psychotherapeutic modality, I’m reminded of Tippin’s song.

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.

Noteworthy, using the REBT tool known as the ABC model, Tippin’s use of the phrase “got to” represents a flexible form of persuasive demandingness. Along with a malleable form of conditional belief, it’s as though he professes what one recommendatorily should do in life.

For example, consider a disjunctive syllogistic belief (either p, or q; not p; therefore, q): Either you’ll stand for something (p), or you’ll fall for anything (q). You don’t stand for something (p). Therefore, you’ll fall for anything. Ergo, you recommendatorily got to stand for something.

Due to my small-l libertarian views—which don’t necessitate use of rigid demandingness beliefs, I’m unbothered if people choose to use or abuse alcohol or illicit substances. However, authors of The Daily Stoic appear to maintain a different perspective, as they quote Seneca (page 249):

Philosophy isn’t a parlor trick or made for show. It’s not concerned with words, but with facts. It’s not employed for some pleasure before the day is spent, or to relieve the uneasiness of our leisure.

It shapes and builds up the soul, it gives order to life, guides action, shows what should and shouldn’t be done—it sits at the rudder steering our course as we vacillate in uncertainties. Without it, no one can live without fear or free from care. Countless things happen every hour that require advice, and such advice is to be sought out in philosophy.

While I appreciate much of what Seneca stated, I argue that the dogmatic statement “Without it [philosophy], no one can live without fear or free from care” is unadulterated horseshit! Literally billions of people are alive today, as presumably many millions don’t subscribe to philosophy.

This is one difference I maintain with ancient and modern Stoics. I live my life as a Stoic, though it isn’t as though others should do so. Just as I don’t ingest alcohol or drugs, I don’t inflexibly demand that others do as I do. Nevertheless, authors of The Daily Stoic state (page 249):

There is a story about Cato the Elder, whose great-grandson Cato the Younger became a towering figure in Roman life. One day Cato witnessed a fine oration from Carneades, a Skeptic philosopher, who waxed poetically on the importance of justice.

Yet the next day Cato found Carneades arguing passionately about the problems with justice—that it was merely a device invented by society to create order. Cato was aghast at this kind of “philosopher,” who treated such a precious topic like a debate where one would argue both sides of an issue purely for show. What on earth was the point?

And so he lobbied the Senate to have Carneades sent back to Athens, where he could no longer corrupt the Roman youth with his rhetorical tricks. To a Stoic, the idea of idly discussing some issue—of believing or arguing two contradictory ideas—is an absurd waste of time, energy, and belief. As Seneca said, philosophy is not a fun trick. It’s for use—for life.

If my interpretation of the authors’ perspective is accurate, they maintain a self-disturbing view whereby it isn’t merely that you recommendatorily got to stand for something; you absolutely must stand for reverence to Stoic principles! To that, I say horseshit!

“You’ve got to stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything” serves as a flexible guiding standard to life. Yet, an inflexible bastardization of this proposition, whereby a rigid condition is used (i.e., either practice dogmatically, or you’re guilty of disrespecting Stoicism), is absurd!

I invite you to consider opposing sides of this argument. Do you want to use or abuse marijuana? If so, does such behavior serve your interests and goals? How about philosophy? Do you want to dogmatically practice Stoicism? If so, is that approach serving your interests and goals?

Is merely entertaining differing perspectives worthy of being forcibly sent a different location, because “believing or arguing two contradictory ideas” is inexcusable? If so, is that unaccommodating method of living well-aligned with your interests and goals?

Personally, standing for something, as not to fall for anything, necessitates consideration of as many factors of an issue as possible. Otherwise, I may as well be fed information from a PSA without critically thinking about its moral and ethical implications. Simply obey, as I’m told!

Horseshit! That arguably isn’t rational (in accordance with both logic and reason). Rather, if by some trope-confirming instance an adult offers a child a joint, then the kid can rationally think, “Must I obey, as I’m told, or is there another angle that I’m not considering here?”

Since childhood, I’ve been offered alcohol and drugs by people in close proximity to my age. Because I stand for something, I don’t fall for substance use or abuse. How about you? Do you know what it is you stand for? Moreover, have you considered varying angles of your stance?

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

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