Aristotle on Tragedy, is it okay to disagree with him?

[Retro_Ace]

Now I am not a hater of the west, Western civilization and tidbits of the East(as a Catholic I take it the God’s word CAN be translated into some eastern values, the Bride of Christ is beyond earthly things such as east and west after all)

But one thing I could never get was Aristotle thing Tragedy is superior to comedy or epics

Tragedy with the idea of Catharsis, I’m purged of all this emotion, BUT I then get an angry bitter void in my soul, they say it shows live life to the fullest and appreciate the time you have. But I dont see it that way

It seems more like live life to the fullest and appreciate the time you have, because that’s all what you’ll ever get and thats all what your good for

Now partially I think its because of my OCD and high-functioning Asperger’s Syndrome but at the same time I cant resonate with that. I think stories that go through the wringer and show those triumph in the end is more empowering

Would Aristotle think I’m insane? I used to make an argument like this on other forums and they called me delusional and even crazy, like as in I was a lunatic.

I don’t think Aristotle, as much as a genius philosopher as he was, didn’t know all people. But then again that was back in a time were conditions such as mine were not acknowledged but at the same time I don’t think Aristotle knew the world as much as I think he did

First major reason which most of us know he never knew our faith, the truth of God and the goodness that awaited for those even after death

Second reason is Aristotle didn’t seem to understand that there are different kinds of audiences who need stories that enlighten and heighten senses to their own situation

Third reason is my own

Tragedy, Comedy, Tragicomedy, and everything in between are different language or a sub-culture for timeless universal truths sometimes people do not understand the truth behind it if its spoken in a language they do not understand.

I call these universal languages and cultures, they can be applied to any national cultures, myths(in the tolkien sense), and religion

Aristotle’s philosophy as much as he has helped the Church Fathers and Apostles evangelize the West, seemed to lack a sense of nuance

 

[SeriousQuestion]

Aristotle doesn’t really have a place in the Church. His logic has been used as a frame work, but that’s about it. It is okay to disagree on this.

 

[Retro_Ace]

It just seems while great of a philosopher as, some now take his word “Tragedy is better” as a means to boost their ego, like liking tragedy, not the shock value kind, makes you somehow mentally and morally superior to everyone else.

 

[SeriousQuestion]

I wouldn’t worry too much about them.

 

[IWantGod]

It seems more like live life to the fullest and appreciate the time you have, because that’s all what you’ll ever get and thats all what your good for

Now partially I think its because of my OCD and high-functioning Asperger’s Syndrome but at the same time I cant resonate with that. I think stories that go through the wringer and show those triumph in the end is more empowering

I would say that accepting the reality of tragedy and living life to the fullest in the face of it, is a sign of strength and possibly a sign of spiritual maturity. But tragedy can destroy even the strongest of us.

 

[Retro_Ace]

But its not the ONLY reality, its come to the point were society has over-corrected the acceptance of tragedy and living life to the fullest that they idolized it and write stories with tragic or bittersweet endings and mocking and ridiculing those who like happy endings.

Like tragedy is what you’ll ever get in the end so make friends with it and start worshiping it

I had lost 3 close people in one year during high-school, I am well aware tragedy is part of life, but the life to the fullest in the sense that tragedy gets the final word is wrong. We shouldn’t make friends with tragedy and we shouldn’t go out of our way to force it or worship it especially in some misplaced, and I mean the right thing in the wrong place, sense of wisdom.

Like I said, its come to the point of “live life to the fullest in the face of it because its your master and you are its slave”

So I should life life to the fullest because I’m doomed to never have a significant other and being happy with morsels is all I can ever get?

 

[Retro_Ace]

Let me further my point with my mentioned tragedies

My dog Jessie was a close and faithful family companion who’s age eventually caught up with her and had to be put down

My grandfather died from a hemorrhage

and my cousin died from a car accident

During all those times, I couldn’t help but DREAD the death of anyone else, I couldn’t help but feel I was DOOMED with tragedy and I could only scrape little joy their ways or as you say “life life to the fullest in face of tragedy” and that didnt give my ANY spiritual maturity, it made it worse it came to the point I almost gave up in faith in God and the Catholic Church

I had to go back to private school after the funerals and that didn’t help at all.

It wasn’t until I talked to my parents, my friends, and watching/reading/playing video games of stories with happy endings such as Soul Eater, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Transformers, the announcement of Pope Francis, discovering Arthurian Chivalry and GK Chesterton did it pull me out of that hell-hole I fell in. They all made up my crutch and without them I probably become an anti-nihilist moral relativist atheist.

They showed me happy endings and outcomes were still possible, and that I wasn’t a slave to tragedy nor anyone else that our fates were not bound to it as I thought they were

And when others tear them down and say “live life to the fullest in face of tragedy” in a way that forces grizzly lesson after grizzly lesson and mocks and holds guilt over anyone who gets sick of it I want to puke. Because somewhere out there there are people who relate to characters in these tragedies and in turn when they see them end in bitter sweetness and tragedy, they are discouraged. They’re hearts are broken, as in bad heartbreak, disappointed, and hurt. They feel they’re doomed to suffer such a fate in real life.