210119 What I learned in my studies this morning

Today's Tao:

What others teach, I also teach; that is: “A violent person will die a violent death!” This is the essence of my teaching.

From The Daily Stoic: 

 

Whoever we are, wherever we are— what matters is our choices . What are they? How will we evaluate them? How will we make the most of them? Those are the questions life asks us, regardless of our station. How will you answer?

From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Unifying Agents:

Hatred 

In this section, Hoffer says all things, all internal things, can be boiled down to hatred. 

All our enthusiasms, devotions, passions and hopes, when they decompose, release hatred. On the other hand it is possible to synthesize an enthusiasm, a devotion and a hope by activating hatred.

He relates sayings by Pascal and Luther that "all men hate each other" and "when I have trouble praying, I remind myself of the Pope and it fills me with hatred so my prayers become hot with passion again." (paraphrased) 

This seems overreaching to me. Surely, many emotions and attitudes in our lives, assuming we are pursuing virtue as our aim, are from a place of love and common feeling rather than hate. 

(The True Believer, XIV-76)