Why, Philosophy is Important

 

 Creation, life, death, the universe, love, hate, jealousy, desire, etc. each one of us countless questions about many aspects of our existence. In a sense everyone at heart is some sort of a philosopher.

We delve into philosophy whenever we can, but the pressures of work, and society, formal education and entertaining ourselves leaves most of us little time to contemplate about or discuss philosophical issues. 

Modern existence is focussed primarily on material issues, meaning money and science. It is but natural therefore for the vast majority of people to ask, 'When science provides all the answers, of what benefit is philosophy?' 

Today science and its daughters of technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) reigns over our lives, providing us the means to progress materially and economically. We seem to forget that philosophy provides us the soul, the emotional gain and the conscience to experience that progress in a meaningful way. 

Philosophy is the delightful pursuit of answers to the question of our existence and millions of its  facets, because the questions are more important than the answers. It may take even a lifetime to obtain a somewhat satisfactory answer, but a philosopher deems it worthy.

It is important to remember that all scientific answers started off as philosophical questions. Seemingly slow and placid, philosophy is actually at the forefront of our seeking,  Science on the other hand is the conquered territory of answered questions yielded to it by philosophy.  

Science provides answers, philosophy the questions.

Science will tell us how to how to live and even kill, but it can never tell us when and why to live and kill.

Science dissects to the smallest possible to see and understand the parts whereas Philosophy seeks to synthesise and unify the whole. 

Science without an accompanying philosophy in individuals, families, organisations and even society can only produce wealth but not provide meaning to life. The material world without philosophy is like a one winged bird that will live, maybe even grow fat, and give the impression of thriving, but it will never be able to fly leave alone soar.

  

Where does one learn philosophy?

Schools driven purely by economics and science don't have the time nor the desire to teach philosophy. Neither can one get it at work nor from the media.

Libraries are a good source, and the internet can provide good sources and materials. 

All these platforms tend to be monologues and that can never be satisfying.

Philosophy is about questions and answers about life and living, and therefore it is best learnt and appreciated through dialogue. Social dialogue, and discussions with family, friends, associates and even strangers is good, but the best of course, is with a philosopher.

Unless one questions, seeks and obtains, then reflects on what has been received, that acquisition of thoughts is useless. Only after we contemplate on the answers can one form a hypothesis on a matter.

Philosophers in their pursuit of understanding and synthesis are seen simultaneously, both as wise, and foolish. 

Wise because they ponder and separate the chaff from the wheat, filtering out and presenting great truths. 

Viewed as great fools for they seem to lack common sense, and an understanding and appreciation of the material world.

Pursuing and indulging in philosophy is what produces and enriches civilisations. 

The best time to start becoming a philosopher was yesterday, the second best time is today.

It is time of the season, but without awakening, there can be no cheer.

 

 

Wish you Happy, Happy ...,   Happy This, Happy That. 

Seasons greetings, are more common this time of the year. Yet in spite of the brave faces and the plastic smiles, hardly anyone feels particularly cheerful or happy.

Instead of Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, the tone is definitely Merry Crisis and a Happy New Fear. 

Fear is driving a wedge between us. We have grown distant from one another over the past year and even more from ourselves, because of genuine but more so due to imaginary fears.

In fact, 99% of the things and events we are fearful of never actually occur. Then why are we so fearful?

Fear of any kind is considered the most effective method to control and exploit a people.

If we look carefully at the origins of the fear, we will discover that the proponents of fearful belief are the very same people who stand to benefit from providing us solutions to our fears. The media of course is almost always complicit in the spread of these fears.

An unawakened mind finds it difficult to differentiate between rumour and fact. Most of us possess conscious but unawakened minds. That is the ability to see and sense but lack the ability to differentiate between fact and fiction. This is why we live in fear.

We do not need magic or therapy to awaken our minds, just to be one's own best friend and be honest with oneself. To take time to self examine our situation.

To speak with oneself for the answers to our own problems can best be found within our own being. Once the answer is found, the path to negotiate through the various  conundrums in life come forth almost by themselves.

I send you greetings and wishes, hoping that you become and remain your own best friend. The  easiest way to awakening the self.

The folly of seeking happiness in the 'Rat Race'

 

Ever wondered what is this 'Rat Race'? 

Well this video provides a good idea. Many of us can relate to this depiction for the answer.

We run in the race because of FOMO (fear of missing out).

How can we escape the Rat Race?

Simple. Don't run in the race. 

We can escape if we focus on our needs rather than wants, because our needs are limited, whereas our wants are infinite.

Our inner being speaks to us, telling us what really appeals to us, suits us and what does not. 

Most elements in society tell us how inadequate or incomplete we re because we are lacking this or that. So we pursue what we are told is appealing rather than what is genuinely appealing to us. 

If we follow our heart and take the mind with us, we can escape the 'Rat Race'.

The 'Rat Race' can only hold the promise of success. Success however is external to our being so we have to look for it outside. Happiness is inherent within us, it only has to be realised from within our being. 

Rich or poor, the 'Rat Race' cannot deliver happiness.  More money, power or success does not mean more health and happiness. They just help to buy a better quality of unhappiness. If we examine carefully we will notice that the rich are comfortably unhappy and the poor are uncomfortably unhappy. 

Live simply, eat moderately, love intensely, work and play passionately is a good mantra for living outside the 'Rat Race'.

The problem with political jokes is, ...

 

If it's not for money, then why do you write?

 

A friend asked me, "If it's not for money then why do you write?"

It would be foolish to say that 'money is not important' but can that and should that be, the only reason for doing anything? 

Writing I suppose is like playing golf. 

One really doesn't play for money or against an opponent, but for oneself against oneself. Attempting to improve oneself from the previous day. Meaning that one should write for one's own sake and for oneself, improving with each piece in clarity, brevity, impact and pleasure.

If I write something nice, correct or agreeable, I get a decent number of replies providing me some new learning.

If I wish to learn something more, I have to only make or plant an error. Then I am bombarded with criticism, corrections and different perspective.

I suppose like men can usually never resist a bad girl, it is difficult for readers to resist a writer who in their opinion needs correcting and learning.

____________

Because of my writing, I have found several teachers, discovered some students, and befriended many, in this insanely wonderful world.

Every day offers an opportunity to share good wishes. Today is special because it is the new year day for the vast majority of Indians. I send you greetings and good wishes.

What Meditation is not

 

The Western mind deeply influenced by Judaism, Christianity and Islam which has no room for meditation. Contemplation yes, meditation no. Hence the Oxford dictionary erroneously defines 'meditation' and 'indulgence in thought. Ignorance can mislead us.

The concept of meditation originated in the East where great Masters shared it with their disciples. Unfortunately, even though India is the birth place of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, there is a lot of misunderstanding about meditation. Arrogance can mislead us.

Every seeker of the Truth struggles to experience and understand. A true master teaches without considerations of money, power, or benefit of any kind.  (Disciples out of gratitude almost always make a voluntary contribution in money or kind to their teacher). Hence the true master remains openly honest, terribly blunt and virtuously open, keeping only the disciples development in focus.

Here is  something from the great Master J. Krishnamurti that I would like to share with my readers. 

There are many schools of meditation, each following its own methods and systems. claiming that if one practice these methods /systems, the practitioner will achieve a certain form of enlightenment. They claim that by their methods of meditation one can realise or experience an extraordinary state of existence.

A system or a method implies a mechanical repetition and that cannot be called as meditation, because repetition can only dull the mind. 

Meditation is awareness, the awareness of our own thoughts, without trying to suppress,  manipulate or control our thoughts. To simply observe dispassionately, the whole momentum of our thinking, this constant chattering that is going on within us.

Daydreaming is not meditation, for meditation requires a great discipline. Not the discipline of suppression or control, but the subtle discipline born out of observing one's own thinking.

One can therefore meditate at any time of one's choosing and at any place. Meditation is observation, an acute awareness of what is happening around us and also within oneself.

Meditation is not praying, for meditation is the emptying of the mind of everything we know, for only then can we begin to know the unknown.  To see something new one must empty the mind of the past. Our experience of God or Truth or whatever we choose to call it has to be something new. It cannot be something born out of centuries and even thousands of years of conditioning or propaganda.

God or truth as we know it by organised religion is constantly decaying, if not dead. Truth is a living experience, that means it is here and now without baggage from the past. 

A mind must be emptied of the past to become aware of the living Truth as it is today. To realise this Truth of the present the mind is silenced of all baggage of the past and all the chatter in the mind in the present.

The silent mind is not the absence of noise, rather it is the mind that has become aware of and understood its own thoughts. Such a mind grows silent and the body stills. Then an extraordinary state is achieved, the brain cells themselves become quiet. That is real meditation. 

Meditation is often misunderstood as submission to some scriptural or human authority, or the chanting or mere repetition of words.

Real meditation is 'Simran' a stilling of the body and mind so as to be acutely aware of all that is without and within our mind. It is only then can we awaken to the Truth frequently referred to as God, a 'Truth' realised by ourselves rather than one given to us by others. 

Do we possess, the audacity to awaken?

Why are friendships sometimes lost?

 

In spite of wanting to see his friend, the  wise man restrained himself, thus not visiting his friend for many days.

When he did go to visit him, his friend remonstrated, 'Why have you taken so long to visit?'

The wise man replied, 'It is better than you asking me, why have you come again?'

Friendships are strained and even lost by interacting either too rarely or too often.

Friendship is like a 'Diya', an oil lamp. It requires a regular supply of fuel oil to keep  the flame of friendship alive. 

Meeting rarely or staying out of touch for long periods, is like depriving the lamp of sufficient oil. As a result the flame flickers and eventually dies out. 

Meeting too often is like pouring an excess of oil into the lamp, thus extinguishing the flame. Only the empty lamp remains, possibly with a few sparks but there is no flame. So it is with friendship.

Another way of understanding why friendships do not sustain is, what I describe as threshold capacity of one's personal space.

Each person has his or her threshold of having other people in their physical, intellectual, and emotional space.

Some need and want more, others a lot less.

Spending a lot of time sharing space with others, like in the army, or in travelling or working intimately together, being a member of a large and active joint family,  or having spent an extended time at boarding schools etc. it tends to enhance the threshold of accepting people in our life space.

Hence, I have a very high threshold for accommodating a large number of high intensity interactions simultaneously.   On the other hand my wife Mohini and some of my friends have a low threshold. They need the comfort of their private space a lot more and calibrate their lives accordingly.  

When friends, even good ones with widely different thresholds share their personal space, then, either sparks fly or exhaustion causes them to withdraw.

The solution is to be sensitive and understand the threshold levels of others. 

Unfortunately people sometimes misjudge or forget where that threshold level is, and I am one of them.

Note: Understanding and respecting the threshold is applicable not only to friendships but in fact all relationships. It is key to achieving success and realising happiness.