[jamessantiago]

Reminds me a bit of this book on a modern take on stoicism:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0195374614

Had a part about negative visualization where one would contemplate the negative aspects of life as much as the positive as a sort of counterbalance to hedonic adaptation. One would fall into a good life as being the norm and start to become overly negative about inconsequential aspects of it and hope for the next step up where the cycle would repeat. Instead, using this negative visualisation thing, one would contemplate how life would be without a paying job or a family or arms which I suppose leads to positive thoughts about having such things.

[Zarkonnen]

Yeah, the negative visualization aspect very much reminded me of stoicism.

[hvs]

Stoicism and Buddhism have some interesting parallels. They are very different in techniques and belief systems, but similar outlooks.