Stoicism's fault

    

Epictetus writes about how a person should not let emotions overrule a person's logic. In one example he says that people shouldn’t be over emotional about the death of a loved one. This is where, I believe, there is a fault. We are humans, and unfortunately, imperfect. In a perfect world we would not become excessively emotional over a death of a very close loved one, however, it is human nature. Most everyone goes through the stages of grief, which are, in fact, perfectly healthy for everyone to go through. The stages of grief include the following: shock or disbelief, denial, anger, bargaining, guilt, depression, and finally acceptance .These 7 stages are universal, and surprisingly healthy for an individual to experience.

Some of these stages such as denial and bargaining are really not logical ways of thinking, but it’s okay. Trying to make a deal with god is or denying the fact that someone is dead really is something you can’t reason with, but people do. While I would love to not get overly emotional and overreact to the loss of someone that’s close to me, I know it’s going to happen because we are human. While having a stoic way of thinking would save us lots of heartache, pain, and irrational decision making, it’s perfectly normal for a person to react this way after the death of a loved one. Most “normal” people think of their mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters as more than just an object.

In summary, sometimes not thinking logically when grieving a person, is fine. It is a part of life, and it is more than okay to not be perfectly stoic over situations like that. Like stated above, it is human nature, and trying to hide those feelings would most likely do more harm than good.

REFERENCE: http://www.stages-of-grief-recovery.com/7-stages-of-grief.html