How to Use Reason To Relax During War

(Philosocom's Subcategory on Military and Combat)

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For more on war, please check this article: https://www.philosocom.com/post/how-to-cope-with-war-like-a-stoic-by-mr-o-c-isaac

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Logic as a Tool to Soothe Mind and Body

Logic can be a very powerful tool to soothe your mind, and as a result, your body. Being a tool that inspects meaning in the world and in yourself, it can help you see the true meaning of things and beings, as in themselves, and in relation to you.

There are different variants of meaning, whose understanding can be found through the power of reason/logic. Here are but a few examples of variants/aspects, a meaning of something can have:

• Personal: Something of personal value is far likely to be only yours than shared by many others, making it irrelevant to those who do not attribute to it this aspect.

  
  

• Objective: A value that exists regardless of what you think about it. It is never a personal attribution but something that exists beyond it and independently of it. When it comes to objective value, your subjective experience of it does not matter much in its understanding.

  
  

• Aesthetic: An aesthetic value is about the quality of how you experience something. Its objective value is irrelevant because it is all about the stream of experience you get through its consumption. Everything that can be experienced through the senses has an aesthetic value, and it isn't necessarily personal, as whole communities can be built on it. A popular example being music.

  
  

• Practical: Practical value is the key in making philosophy relevant as it deserves to be seen in the name of its contribution to humanity. Why? Because philosophy also has a practical value to it, one that exceeds the theory realm. One that can help people with their problems.

  
  

To Remove Unnecessary Misunderstandings...

War is a traumatic experience on the national and historical level. It's when people get wounded and killed, most often than not in both sides. It is a time of great concern to everyone involved, practically or otherwise. People are afraid of dying, as they are afraid of their loved ones dying as well. War is a time of uncertainty and one that can scar entire nations and even the whole world. Only those who profit from it, and/or those who have no empathy or concern for human life (like psychopaths), are going to either enjoy or benefit it.

Core Reasonings

• War is beyond my control and thus I cannot do anything to allow or prevent it. If I was a soldier, a general or a politician, then I would've worried because I would have some degree of influence over the state of affairs. However, I'm just a physical hermit, and nothing I can do, won't stop it. When you understand your true value, you then can discard impractical concerns, for you can't do anything about them. Why waste energies on such things? They are important objectively. They are not important to me, practically. They are important to people personally who are involved in it. The personal value of it is impractical to me and thus is irrelevant to me.

• I did all I can to be in safety. I had practical reason to worry, and I did what I could to fulfill that concern. Concerns that I cannot fulfill in any way, are impractical. Of course, I have many impractical concerns. These concerns are legitimate, but are still impractical. As such, I do not let them bother me.

  
  

• Stress is bad for one's physical and mental health. You may claim that we should "pray and hope for the best". That is not enough. We need to finally understand how damaging stress is, especially during the difficult time that is war. Firstly, stress can impair our judgement; secondly -- drain our energy to the point of fatigue. Thirdly -- increase our chances of a panic attack, which could stress others as well, and so on and on. Apply reasons One and Two and do not let useless concerns stand in your way for a clear and focused mind. They are useless only because they are impractical. These concerns show you have heart and empathy because of the personal value you attribute to life and to those whom you love and care about. However, they are still impractical.

  
  

You see, when you are under a place of safety, such as a reinforced room that is protected from missile attacks, and when you have enough supplies for the long term, what practical value is there to worry? Negative. It is far more logical to calm yourselves when you are safe, because you are safe. Worrying that you are unsafe, while you're safe, doesn't make sense.

Self-Respect -- The Hidden Connection

When war imposes a threat on your life, the best "revenge" you can do in many cases is to resume living under the new conditions. And yes, I will resume working on Philosocom as usual because the best revenge against such insolence on my work is to live well and not care where my caring is undeserved.

We deserve to have respect on our attention, and direct it in accordance. The art of not caring is indeed an art that is not easy to master. It's worthy to master it because it can help manage our mental resources far more wisely. Often times you don't have to care what some people think because that caring is beneath you as a person.

It is illogical to be anxious about some word an idiot yelled you on the street because such concern is of no use to you. Why? Because unless that idiot is a formidable threat and not just a random passer-by, your attention deserves to be directed elsewhere, elsewhere where it is more fitting. That is also logic: Knowing what fits and what doesn't.

Quick Summary

Of course, a hostile terrorist organization is surely a threat on you. But when you did whatever you could to protect yourself, no further worrying is necessary. And thus, much of the stress has overstayed its welcome. Why? Because that stress has no further practical value anymore.

And logic is all about finding and understanding value.

Be a more logical being and you might find that you are calmer. Just, like, me.

Take care and Hail Philosocom.

Share this and calm the hearts and minds of your loved ones.