"Good" and "Bad"

"True happiness, therefore, consists in virtue: and what will this virtue bid you do? Not to think anything bad or good which is connected neither with virtue nor with wickedness." ~ Seneca, On the Happy Life

I suspect you like me and most of us make value judgments many times a day. I mean by this that we look at various mundane circumstances and we label them either "good" or "bad".

"That was an awesome meal!

"What a great night's sleep I had."

"What a lousy night's sleep I had.

"Traffic is terrible."

"That was amazing!"

"That was awful!"

One problem with evaluating the day-to-day events in our lives is that using these judging words can lead to strong emotions. When we describe something as "horrible" or "amazing", we're not simply stating facts. We are judging something that exists only in our minds. [Pigliucci]

Let's look briefly at the difference between judging and judgment. There is a difference, although they are related concepts and are often used interchangeably.

Judging is the act of forming an opinion about someone or something. It is an action of assessing, evaluating, or critiquing. The term "judging" can sometimes carry a negative connotation, especially when it implies forming an opinion without sufficient knowledge or being overly critical or biased.

Judgment refers to a conclusion or verdict reached after considering the evidence. It also refers to the ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusions. It is often associated with wisdom, discernment, and good sense. The term "judgment" tends to have a more neutral or positive connotation, highlighting the capacity for sound decision-making and rational evaluation.

We make judgments every day and, as we've seen, most of us are judging people and events. But if we desire more equanimity, it can be helpful to do less judging by refraining from labeling them "good" or "bad".

The Stoics taught that only virtues (such as wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance) should be thought of as good. And only the lack of virtue (such as foolishness, injustice, cowardice, or excess) should be labeled bad.

So if you are interested in separating your emotions from everyday occurrences and achieving a greater feeling of peacefulness in the process, try these exercises.

First, resist labeling things "good" or "bad". (Full disclosure: I've been working on this for nearly a year and still forget more times than I remember.) Instead of "That was a great meal!", try "That was a tasty meal." Instead of "You're a terrible driver!", use "You could be a little more attentive (or careful or law-abiding) when you're driving." Don't say "That was an excellent TV show!" but say "I really enjoyed that show."

You get the idea. And if my experience holds true, you won't be very good, uh, I mean you'll likely find this difficult at first.

Here is another exercise that I find a little easier to do. During the day, pick small things you are experiencing and resist labeling them as "good" or "bad". In fact, don't label them at all. For example, if you get stopped at a traffic light, that's not good or bad, it just is. If you wake up and it's raining, that isn't awful weather - it's just weather. I suspect most of the little things that tend to upset us during the day will lose their effect when we refrain from labeling them.

So as we make judgments throughout our day, let us do less judging. Many of the things we label as "good" or "bad" are neither - except in our minds. Accept them as they are, without judging them. It's another step on the path to embracing your Excelerated Life?!

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Resources:

Pigliucci, Massimo and Gregory Lopez. A Handbook For New Stoics: How To Thrive In A World Out Of Your Control. New York: The Experiment, LLC, 2019.

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This blog post includes research information and suggestions provided by ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI. To learn more about ChatGPT and its capabilities, you can visit the OpenAI website.

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