Self-Flagellation

Can philosophers help resolve the real problems that people have in their lives?

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Gary Childress
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Self-Flagellation

Post by Gary Childress »

I seem to engage in it quite a bit. My thinking seems to be that if I beat myself up enough over something I did wrong or badly, then I will atone for it. The only problem is, I've been beating myself up for years over things that probably aren't tremendous crimes but I don't seem to ever feel like I've atoned for them. So now I sort of wonder if self-flagellation is a herd defense mechanism whereby members that fall out of line destroy themselves for the benefit of the hive mind or something.
Advocate
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Re: Self-Flagellation

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[quote="Gary Childress" post_id=472718 time=1600739279 user_id=6477]
I seem to engage in it quite a bit. My thinking seems to be that if I beat myself up enough over something I did wrong or badly, then I will atone for it. The only problem is, I've been beating myself up for years over things that probably aren't tremendous crimes but I don't seem to ever feel like I've atoned for them. So now I sort of wonder if self-flagellation is a herd defense mechanism whereby members that fall out of line destroy themselves for the benefit of the hive mind or something.
[/quote]

Join me in being a Disciple of Truth, then you'll always have epistemological warrant that you've done your best or know how to change to do better, no flagellation required. Bayesian reasoning is sufficient to have an Accurate ego. By what standard do you atone, and to who, and how? and why? You've set yourself up for an infinite project that goes nowhere.
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Immanuel Can
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Re: Self-Flagellation

Post by Immanuel Can »

Gary Childress wrote: Tue Sep 22, 2020 2:47 am I seem to engage in it quite a bit. My thinking seems to be that if I beat myself up enough over something I did wrong or badly, then I will atone for it. The only problem is, I've been beating myself up for years over things that probably aren't tremendous crimes but I don't seem to ever feel like I've atoned for them. So now I sort of wonder if self-flagellation is a herd defense mechanism whereby members that fall out of line destroy themselves for the benefit of the hive mind or something.
What thoughts prompt it, Gary? Guilt? Regret? Self-focusing? Depression? Anxiety? Fear? There are a lot of reasons one can be drawn to that sort of thing, but it might help if you identify what triggers the inclination. It might tell you what you're struggling with.

Start with the emotion that immediately precedes those feelings, or the subject matter about which you're preoccupied when those feelings appear.
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