my Id
"The functional importance of the ego is manifested in the fact that, normally, control over the approaches to motility devolves upon it. Thus, in its relation to the id, [the ego] is like a man on horseback, who has to hold in check the superior strength of the horse; with this difference, that the rider tries to do so with his own strength, while the ego uses borrowed forces. The analogy may be carried a little further. Often, a rider, if he is not to be parted from his horse, is obliged to guide [the horse] where it wants to go; so, in the same way, the ego is in the habit of transforming the id's will into action, as if it were its own."
I am a product of an Age of Enlightenment. This great nation is a constitutional democratic republic, and due to my citizenship status at birth in a military hospital within the contiguous United States. And I have learned that I am a very Enlighten Thinker, but due to my upbringing under the influence of a U.S. Department of Defense-regulated environment, I have a strongly stoic ethos.
“Every habit and capability is confirmed and grows in its corresponding actions, walking by walking, and running by running … therefore, if you want to do something, make a habit of it, if you don’t want to do that, don’t, but make a habit of something else instead. The same principle is at work in our state of mind. When you get angry, you’ve not only experienced that evil, but you’ve also reinforced a bad habit, adding fuel to the fire.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.18.1–5
Many people become angry at the unfairness or the injustice in their lives, however, if we take pause and reflect on what way the anger can disrupt our path towards Eudaimonia, we can find ways to overcome the injustice in our lives. First and foremost, understand that anger is a reaction triggered by an increase of the flight or fight hormones in our brains, and there are a few well-known techniques to lower our hormonal response (or to balance and reign back our id), and then we are free to take action to improve our lives. (Feeling angry: Mental health and what to do)
Once you get (or realize and understand) that not coping with your anger towards an injustice, you can begin to cope with a positive mindset! It is more about my reflection now on the teachings of philosophers, but my parents had very different coping techniques, and my siblings still react in ways that are much different than mine. I am very gadfly-like in nature due to my academic pursuits.
"True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us."
― Socrates
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”
― Albert Einstein
"we cannot doubt of our existence while we doubt."
― René Descartes