THE DISCIPLINE OF DESIRE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE

 # THE DISCIPLINE OF DESIRE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE

## FOUNDATION: THE CORE PRINCIPLE

**From Excerpt 9, Section Two:**

The discipline of desire operates on this fundamental truth: **desire and aversion follow from value judgments**. If you judge something to be genuinely good, you will desire it. If you judge something to be genuinely evil, you will avoid it with aversion.

**The Stoic insight:** Most people desire externals (wealth, health, reputation, relationships) because they falsely judge these to be genuinely good. They experience aversion to loss, poverty, criticism, isolation because they falsely judge these to be genuinely evil.

**The result:** Constant vulnerability. Since externals are not in your complete control, your happiness depends on what fortune provides.

**The correction:** Redirect desire toward what is genuinely good (virtue) and aversion away from what is genuinely evil (vice). Maintain appropriate selection of preferred indifferents without judging them as genuinely good or evil.

---

## THE TWO-PART STRUCTURE

### **PART ONE: REFUSE FALSE VALUE JUDGMENTS (Negative Practice)**

**The practice:** When an impression arises that treats an external as genuinely good or evil, **refuse assent**.

**How this works:**

**Step 1: Recognize the impression**

Notice when you're treating an external as if it were genuinely good or necessary:

- "I need this promotion to be okay"

- "Criticism from my boss is terrible"

- "Being alone means something is wrong with me"

- "This failure proves I'm inadequate"

**Step 2: Identify it as false**

Recognize this treats an external (promotion, criticism, relationship status, outcome) as if it were genuinely good or evil.

**Step 3: Refuse assent**

Say: "No. This is an external, an indifferent. Only virtue is genuinely good. Only vice is genuinely evil."

**Step 4: Correct the judgment**

Replace with accurate assessment:

- "Promotion is a preferred indifferent - worth pursuing, but not necessary for my worth"

- "Criticism is someone's opinion - external to my character"

- "Being alone is absence of preferred indifferent - I remain adequate"

- "This outcome is external - my worth lies in how I responded (virtue), not in the result"

---

### **PART TWO: MAINTAIN CORRECT DESIRE (Positive Practice)**

**The practice:** Actively desire only virtue; actively avoid only vice. Maintain appropriate selection toward preferred indifferents.

**How this works:**

**For DESIRE (orexis):**

**What to desire:** Excellence of character - virtue

- Wisdom (judging correctly)

- Justice (treating others rightly)

- Courage (maintaining virtue under difficulty)

- Temperance (desiring appropriately)

**Practice:**

- "I desire to judge this situation correctly"

- "I desire to act justly toward this person"

- "I desire to maintain my character despite this setback"

- "I desire to pursue this preferred indifferent appropriately, without false dependence"

**For AVERSION (ekklisis):**

**What to avoid:** Corruption of character - vice

- Foolishness (false judgment)

- Injustice (wronging others)

- Cowardice (abandoning virtue)

- Intemperance (disordered desire)

**Practice:**

- "I avoid judging this external as if it were genuinely good"

- "I avoid treating this person unjustly in my response"

- "I avoid abandoning my principles due to this difficulty"

- "I avoid making my happiness depend on this external"

**For SELECTION (preferred indifferents):**

**Appropriate pursuit without false judgment:**

- Health, wealth, reputation, relationships are according to nature

- Worth pursuing when available

- BUT pursued WITH RESERVATION

- "I pursue this, IF nothing prevents, BUT my virtue doesn't depend on obtaining it"

---

## DAILY PRACTICE STRUCTURE

### **MORNING PREPARATION (Praemeditatio)**

**Before the day begins:**

1. **Anticipate what externals you'll encounter**

   - Meetings, evaluations, social interactions, work challenges

2. **Remind yourself of correct value judgments**

   - "These are externals - preferred or dispreferred indifferents"

   - "My virtue depends on how I judge and respond, not on outcomes"

   - "I can maintain excellence of character regardless of what happens"

3. **Set your desire correctly**

   - "Today I desire to judge correctly, act justly, maintain courage, pursue appropriately"

   - "Today I avoid false judgments, injustice, cowardice, disordered desire"

### **MOMENT-TO-MOMENT PRACTICE (Prosoche)**

**Throughout the day:**

**When impression arises that external is good/evil:**

1. **PAUSE** - Notice the impression

2. **EXAMINE** - Is this treating external as genuinely good/evil?

3. **REFUSE** - Don't assent to false value judgment

4. **CORRECT** - "This is indifferent. Virtue alone is good."

5. **REDIRECT** - Focus on what's actually in your control (your response)

**Example in action:**

**Situation:** Boss criticizes your work

**Impression:** "This is terrible. I'm being harmed. My worth is diminished."

**Practice:**

- PAUSE: Notice this judgment arising

- EXAMINE: This treats boss's opinion (external) as if it genuinely harms me

- REFUSE: "No. Only vice harms. This is an external opinion - indifferent."

- CORRECT: "His opinion is external. My worth = my character. Has my character been harmed? No."

- REDIRECT: "What's in my control? How I respond. I can respond with wisdom (evaluate if criticism has merit), justice (treat him fairly), courage (maintain character despite discomfort), temperance (don't desire his approval as if genuinely necessary)."

### **EVENING REVIEW (Examen)**

**Before sleep:**

1. **Review the day's impressions**

   - Where did I treat externals as genuinely good/evil?

   - Where did I maintain correct judgment?

2. **Analyze false assents**

   - When did I fail to refuse false value judgment?

   - What impression did I assent to?

   - What was the result? (disturbance, passion)

3. **Reinforce correct judgments**

   - When did I successfully refuse false impression?

   - When did I maintain that externals are indifferent?

   - What was the result? (equanimity, virtue maintained)

4. **Prepare for tomorrow**

   - Where am I still vulnerable to false judgments?

   - What impressions should I anticipate?

   - How will I refuse assent when they arise?

---

## THE THREE LEVELS OF PRACTICE

### **LEVEL 1: BEGINNERS (Recognizing)**

**Goal:** Notice when you're treating externals as genuinely good/evil

**Practice:**

- Throughout day, simply notice impressions

- "I'm judging this promotion as if it's genuinely good"

- "I'm treating this criticism as if it genuinely harms me"

- Don't judge yourself for having the impressions - just notice them

**Success indicator:** Increasing awareness of false value judgments as they occur

### **LEVEL 2: PROGRESSORS (Refusing)**

**Goal:** Refuse assent to false impressions in real-time

**Practice:**

- When impression arises, actively refuse it

- "No, this external is not genuinely good"

- "This cannot genuinely harm me - only vice harms"

- Correct the judgment immediately

- May still feel emotional pull, but don't assent

**Success indicator:** Catching false judgments before assenting, even if emotional response lingers

### **LEVEL 3: ADVANCED (Transformed)**

**Goal:** False impressions no longer arise, or arise weakly

**Practice:**

- Automatic correct judgment

- Impressions that externals are good/evil become rare

- When they arise, immediately recognized as false

- Natural eupatheiai (joy at virtue, appropriate selection of preferred indifferents)

**Success indicator:** Stable apatheia (freedom from false-judgment-based passions)

---

## SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS

### **For Conscientious Type (confusing virtue with perfect execution):**

**False desire:** "I desire perfect outcomes, flawless execution, meeting all standards"

**Correction:**

- REFUSE: "Perfect outcomes are externals - indifferent"

- CORRECT DESIRE: "I desire to judge wisely what matters, pursue work justly and courageously, maintain temperance in effort"

- SELECTION: "I pursue excellent work as preferred indifferent, WITH RESERVATION - knowing my worth lies in character, not outcomes"

### **For Inventive Type (confusing virtue with recognition):**

**False desire:** "I desire others' admiration, validation, superior status"

**Correction:**

- REFUSE: "Others' opinions are externals - indifferent"

- CORRECT DESIRE: "I desire genuine excellence of character - wisdom in my work, justice toward others, courage in facing criticism"

- SELECTION: "I pursue achievement as preferred indifferent, WITH RESERVATION - knowing my worth lies in virtue, not in recognition"

### **For Solitary Type (treating connection as threat to virtue):**

**False aversion:** "I avoid connection to protect my virtue, maintain purity, prevent contamination"

**Correction:**

- REFUSE: "Connection is not genuinely evil - it's a preferred indifferent"

- CORRECT AVERSION: "I avoid injustice toward others, avoid treating them merely as means, avoid dependence that abandons my own judgment"

- SELECTION: "I pursue relationship as according to human social nature, WITH RESERVATION - knowing my virtue doesn't depend on others' presence"

### **For Devoted Type (treating others' guidance as necessary):**

**False desire:** "I desire others' guidance, direction, support to be adequate"

**Correction:**

- REFUSE: "Others' guidance is external - preferred but not necessary"

- CORRECT DESIRE: "I desire to use my own prohairesis excellently - to judge wisely, choose justly, act courageously"

- SELECTION: "I pursue advice as preferred indifferent, WITH RESERVATION - knowing my adequacy comes from my capacity for virtue, not from external support"

---

## MONITORING PROGRESS

**Signs you're practicing correctly:**

1. **Increased awareness** of when externals are treated as good/evil

2. **Faster recognition** of false value judgments

3. **More frequent refusal** of assent to false impressions

4. **Reduced intensity** of disturbed emotions (pathe)

5. **Greater stability** in face of external changes

6. **Appropriate engagement** with preferred indifferents without dependence

**Signs of incorrect practice:**

1. **Suppressing emotions** without examining judgments (repression, not refusal)

2. **Withdrawing from externals** instead of engaging appropriately (avoidance, not indifference)

3. **Judging yourself harshly** for having false impressions (creates new false judgment about self)

4. **Mechanical repetition** without genuine examination of beliefs

5. **Isolation from life** instead of engaged participation with correct judgment

---

## THE PROMISE

**If you practice the discipline of desire consistently:**

**You will achieve:**

- **Apatheia:** Freedom from disturbed emotions based on false value judgments

- **Eudaimonia:** Happiness based on virtue, secure and stable

- **Autarkeia:** Self-sufficiency - your wellbeing depends on what you control

- **Freedom:** No longer hostage to fortune, circumstances, others' opinions

**You will experience:**

- Equanimity when externals don't cooperate

- Joy in virtue itself

- Appropriate selection of preferred indifferents without dependence

- Resilience under all circumstances

**Because:**

- You desire only what's genuinely good (virtue) - which is in your power

- You avoid only what's genuinely evil (vice) - which is in your power

- You maintain correct judgment about externals (indifferent)

- Your happiness depends entirely on what you control

---

## SUMMARY: THE PRACTICE

**The discipline of desire is:**

1. Refusing false value judgments about externals

2. Maintaining correct desire (for virtue alone)

3. Maintaining correct aversion (from vice alone)

4. Appropriately selecting preferred indifferents WITH RESERVATION

**Practiced through:**

- Morning preparation (anticipate, remind, set intention)

- Moment-to-moment attention (pause, examine, refuse, correct, redirect)

- Evening review (analyze, learn, prepare)

**Resulting in:**

- Freedom from dependence on externals

- Stable happiness based on virtue

- Engaged participation in life without false judgment

- Apatheia and eudaimonia

This is the core Stoic practice for transforming your relationship with desire and achieving the good life.