A fundamentally crucial point in the application of stoic understanding to the Earthquake in Haiti: we are "not to waste energy on a process of mourning, but to quickly react and decide what assistance we could offer". The question I have for the stoics is, what assistance do we have to offer? certainly money is the easiest, and in class we addresses that we are meant to take on projects that are reasonably attainable by us. Donations seems to be an appropriate answer. But now what?
It seems this particular case provides a problem for me because of the notion or corrective punishment. This is the strongest case, I think, the stoics have for eliminating anger and following action for the appropriate intention. But this natural disaster has no one to punish. There is no reason to draw courage and find the individual who needs a lesson in moral intention; that simply does not apply.
So I am left bereft. What happens after I complete the task within my capabilities? Without emotion, I don't know how to continue contemplating the event. I literally don't know how the stoics would have me carry on. I eliminate anger, fulfill capable contribution and then....? Sympathy? Empathy? I know I am to feel/think something at the suffering of other human beings but I am not sure what. I am not even sure anger applies in the situation at all, who is there to be angry with? Nature? There is a futile mission. One must be quite delusional to begin with to allow such anger to consume them. So I am meant to empathize...what does this mean? I am at a loss.... It seems I have no new conclusions from yesterday. Maybe our discussion on Medea will shed some light on the matter.
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