201124 — What I learned in my studies this morning

From Huang Po: <<Nothing is born. Nothing is destroyed. Away with your dualism, your likes and dislikes. Every single thing is just the One Mind.>> (The Chun Chou Record, 16)

From Eric Hoffer: The Unified Poor, those who belong to a compact group (family, tribe, racial, religious, or other), make for poor recruiting by revolutionaries. They have a higher "revolting point" than someone who is alone in the world. <<It requires more misery and personal humiliation to goad him to revolt.>>

Mass movements must work harder to break those ties to induce people to join the cause. They must break down those bonds first. Later, after the revolution has succeeded, we see the movement *encouraging* the formation of just such groups because, now that power has shifted to them, they have a need to (re)establish an order and baseline acceptance of life so as to stop further / a different revolution.

(This while simultaneously continuing to try and break down social cohesion in those places not yet under the control of the Party.) (The True Believer, V-31)

From Chrysippus, third leader of the Stoic school after Zeno and Cleanthes: Work hard and consistently to achieve your goals and to get what you need in life. It is unjust, however, to do so in a way which harms others.

Accept hardship. If you are faced with ruin, use it as an opportunity to change your life and move on.

Learn the arguments of your opponents / other philosophies. Know them so well that you can make an honest assessment of their strengths and weaknesses (aka "steel-manning" in modern parlance). This will make your counter-arguments convincing and true.

Have, but do not *want*. Enjoy, but do not *need*. Make use of what comes your way, but lusting after things is unnecessary and counter to right living. (Lives of the Stoics, pp. 39-49)