I have evolved into a Freudian Stoic:
One who understands and explains his Stoicism
using Freudian terminology.
The essence of enlightenment
is the understanding of the secret of happiness.
The secret of happiness
is the development of the mature ego.
The mature ego
is one that has gained wisdom and self control.
Our greatest battle
The mature ego is our only defense
against the tyranny of the id.
We must control the id or it will control us.
The id operates
according to the pleasure principle.
The only thing important to the id
is the satisfaction of desires.
The id is not concerned with reality or morality.
The ego operates
according to the reality principle.
What's important to the ego
is the achievement of happiness.
The function of the ego
is to discern which desires should be satisfied
and to find the best way to satisfy them.
The mature ego understands
that not all desires can be satisfied.
The mature ego understands
that there are things we should and should not do.
This is an important lesson:
Il cuore vuole ciò che vuole.
(The heart wants what it wants.)
But, the fact that we want something
is no indication that we should have it.
This is a work in progress.
There is much more that needs to be said.
But I don't know if I'll ever get around to saying it.
Addendums:
The ultimate goal is to increase the joy, but I approach it with the understanding that some choices lead to happiness while others do not. We want many things that do not lead to happiness.
The id is like a classroom full of children. Our desires operate independently of each other, each concerned only with its own satisfaction. (The fact that our desires are often in conflict is one reason why they can't all be satisfied.) The desire to satisfy hunger may urge us to walk trough fire in order to obtain food. It's the ego that wisely chooses to walk around the fire in order to also satisfy the desire to avoid pain.
It all comes down to this: When we're under the influence of the mature ego, we understand that we can't have everything we want, we know what things we want most and we make them a priority. But sometimes in weaker moments, when we're under the influence of the id, we're willing to sacrifice the things we want most in order to obtain things we want less. That's why we must do everything we can to increase our self control, and to avoid those weaker moments when we are tempted by the id.
P.S. I still believe in my "Freudian Stoicism" concept, but I think that this essay was pretty poorly written. (I don't have the gumption to rewrite it.)
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