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Old 03-31-2011, 10:00 PM   #228 (permalink)
cardboard adolescent
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Join Date: Nov 2005
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Originally Posted by Neapolitan View Post
But the result might be well worth the struggle. To quote Aristotle "I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is the victory over self."
The problem is that it's very difficult to overcome desires by struggling against them. Struggling against your desires just ends up giving them fuel and fire. When we're really aware of the desire, really aware of the sensation that we're so attached to, really aware of the consequences of giving in, the undesirable desire fades away by itself. The key is to recognize that what we believe is a great pleasure is actually causing us to suffer, because it's making us agitated or because it has negative consequences.

The hardest victory is the victory over self, but it's the self that desires to struggle and fight. The hardest victory is giving in to peace, and peace is the simplest path
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