"We don't abandon our pursuits because we despair of ever perfecting them."-EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 1.2.37b
("우리는 결코 완벽에 도달할 수 없다고 절망해서 우리가 추구하는 것을 포기하지 않습니다." -에픽테토스, 담화, 1.2.37b)
Psychologists speak of cognitive distortions-exaggerated thinking patterns that have a destructive impact on the life of the patient. One of the most common is known as all-or-nothing thinking (also referred to as splitting). Examples of this include thoughts like:
•If you're not with me, you're against me.
•So-and-so is all good/bad.
• Because this wasn't a complete success, it is a total failure.
This sort of extreme thinking is associated with depression and frustration. How could it not be? Perfectionism rarely begets perfection- only disappointment.
Pragmatism has no such hang-ups. It'll take what it can get. That's what Epictetus is reminding us. We're never going to be perfect-if there is even such a thing. We're human, after all. Our pursuits should be aimed at progress, however little that it's possible for us to make.
심리학자들은 환자의 삶에 파괴적인 영향을 미치는 과장된 사고 패턴을 인지 왜곡(cognitive distortions)이라고 합니다. 그 중 가장 흔한 것 중 하나는'흑백 사고'(splitting)로도 알려진 '전부 아니면 전무의 사고'(all-or-nothing thinking)입니다. 이러한 사고의 예로는 다음과 같은 것이 있습니다:
