askesis: askein, to exercise. asceticism: (in psychiatry) a defense mechanism that involves repudiation of all instinctual impulses. The concept is derived from the religious doctrine that material things are evil and only spiritual things are good.
In reality, askesis is a practice of truth, it is not a way of subjecting the subject to the law; it is a way of binding him to the truth.
Musonius Rufus: the acquisition of virtue involves tow things, theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge.
Paraskeue: an open and an orientated preparation of the individual for the events of life. The paraskeue involves preparing the individual for the future, for a future of unforeseen events whose general nature may be familiar to us, but which we cannot know whether and when they will occur.
Demetrius the Cynic in the text Seneca quotes in book VII of De Beneficiis. Demetrius compare the life of the person who wish to achieve wisdom in life with the athlete. The good athlete appears as one who practices. It involves preparing ourselves only for what we may come up against, for only those events we may encounter, but not in such a way as to outdo others, or even to surpass ourselves. The notion of "excelling oneself" involves being stronger than, or not weaker than, whatever may occur. The good athlete's training must be training in some elementary moves which are sufficiently general and effective for them to be adapted to every circumstance and for one to be able to make immediate use of them when the need arises. It is this apprenticeship in some elementary moves, necessary and sufficient for every possible circumstance that constitutes good training, good ascesis. The paraskeue will be nothing other than the set of necessary and sufficient moves which will enable us to be stronger than anything that may happen in our life. This is the athletic training of the sage.
Marcus Aurelius: The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing, in that you must stay on guard and steady on your feet against the blows which rain down on you, and without warning.
The Christian athlete is on the indefinite path of progress towards holiness in which he must surpass himself even to the point of renouncing himself. Also, the Christian athlete is especially someone who has an enemy, an adversary, who keeps him on guard. The adversary is himself. To himself, inasmuch as the most malign and dangerous powers he has to confront. Sins are within himself.
The Stoic athlete also has to struggle. He has to be ready for a struggle in which his adversary is anything coming to him from the external world: the event.
logos: propositions justified by reason. The logos must be "ready to hand".
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