Some Philosphical Musings
Written on May 24, 2009
Dear Constant Readers,
To start out with, I’ve been doing some more thinking, which is what I usually do anyway. I’ve noticed areas in my life that I would like to improve, and things that have caused me frustration which I’m wondering about now, is it even worth getting worked up over?
As usual, a major catalyst of my thinking has been my reading, but also I have noticed activities or habits in my life that seem to be wasteful or unproductive. This is all part of the process to get to know myself better; something which I think is an often misinterpreted statement. At least in my mind I’ve misunderstood it before. Sometimes when someone says “get to know something,” they have a specific goal in mind, and when that goal is reached, their mission has been realized. However, getting to know something means also a constantly on-going process, something that has as few stopping points as a river. It is constantly moving and ever-changing, and if you get to know only a certain point of it, you will know almost none of it. A river has various depths, currents, angles, areas of smoothness and areas of turbulence. It is always making an impact of some kind: a bank touched by the water will never been the same afterwards, and even though it is the same river by name, it is not the same water, much how in our own physical bodies even: our ideas grow or change, and even our cells die and are replaced such that after a point our name is almost the only thing that has remained (I would argue there is something beyond that as well, on a spiritual realm, that more solidly anchors our uniqueness, as well). But the point is, getting to know something, including even one’s personal self, should be, if it were visually stated, “I am getting to know…………………..” instead of “I am getting to know,” as it is never really a finished process until life is expired.
That said, one thing that bothers me is how I feel I am wasteful with my time and would like to increase a sense of self-discipline. I am one of the millions, or more likely billions of those who have hardly any idea where they are headed or even where they want to go in life. I have some general ideas, enough to give me a sense of direction; but then maybe that’s all we really need. Maybe the idea of a certain set goal, an end, is not really the point of life. Maybe achieving something doesn’t bring a desired fulfillment that is believed to be the key to. I am not anti-Western culture. In fact I think I am more comfortable when I’m living in the privilege that we have. I would like to live in work in the USA or Europe perhaps. But I think it has made some serious mistakes in terms of how it defines success. Success measured in materials or money seems to be like cotton candy or a mirage to aim at. I think as an end it’s probably a hollow and unhappy one. What if life is more fulfilled in the living it, the journey of it, and its lessons? I’m not trying to do away with the importance of working to live, and I don’t mean to say we should all act like the wise man sitting on top of a mountain, but that there is a different attitude we need to adopt in the journey of life. An attitude that doesn’t mean search for reassurance from outside sources as if something separate can make us whole, but realizing that we are whole if we accept already that we are. Maybe not perfect in the sense of being the ideal human with the problem free life, but perfect in the idea that we are where we are supposed to be? To use an example from nature, a tree has no thought that we know of, but if it did, would it compare itself with others? Or would it be satisfied with its situation? A tree can still get sick, get damaged by wind or lightening, carved up by people with knives, chopped down and so forth, would that make a tree less perfect? It is what it is. So are rocks, so are fish, and so on. So what about us? I don’t mean perfection by means of one who makes no errors, is lacking in wisdom, and sometimes hurts others. Our actions aren’t always perfect, often they are the opposite. But our situations are where we are, and there is no need to fight what is, perhaps.
There are things in this world we need to change. The environment is in peril. Population-related problems are on the rise. There is constant fighting and crime among people. All of these are common examples, and I don’t think we should ignore them, but these are things that we can improve. However, I think we should try to know that in the process of fixing problems which we can fix and accepting what we cannot, we will have a better chance of survival and in finding happiness. Ultimately it involves becoming more in touch with one’s self and with the world around it.
I admit I haven’t yet been able to think out what the implications of all this is. It could be these are all well-meaning but naïve ideas. They might all be short-sighted, but I don’t think they are necessarily headed in the wrong direction. And I know that these ideas aren’t original either, nor have I lived up to them on a daily basis. And I do acknowledge that much of the world would disagree that their lives are perfect when they are sick, starving, in the middle of a war, illiterate, so on. I’m not trying to be arrogant or insensitive, as life is challenging, and some people face more challenges than others. But the attitude with how one faces challenges is more important than the challenges themselves. CS Lewis once said that tragedy like war or an accident or a house burning down doesn’t give people courage or concern that they didn’t already have. It merely brought it out. He didn’t mean that these are ultimately good situations; the point was that we have “the right stuff” in us all along.
And I have to say, sometimes I think if this is what I am doing as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I feel a bit guilty because I don’t think I was sent here to philosophize and ponder life. However, I do that habitually, and I’ve done it ever since I was a little kid sitting on a swing set lost in my imagination while everyone else played football, soccer, went down slides.
I’m very aware that I often forget to take things as they come even here in my blog complain about things that probably are really just little concerns, but then I make mistakes too, both in my actions and in fretting about things. All of us have something to learn. I have dreams just like everyone. And I’m trying to realize them, hence being better self-disciplined with how I spend my life and my energy to achieve a fulfilling life. We are all in the flow of life, the river of it, and the realization of this is maybe more of an achievement than in outside goal that we often aim for. There’s something for us all to learn.
Tristan
Dear Constant Readers,
To start out with, I’ve been doing some more thinking, which is what I usually do anyway. I’ve noticed areas in my life that I would like to improve, and things that have caused me frustration which I’m wondering about now, is it even worth getting worked up over?
As usual, a major catalyst of my thinking has been my reading, but also I have noticed activities or habits in my life that seem to be wasteful or unproductive. This is all part of the process to get to know myself better; something which I think is an often misinterpreted statement. At least in my mind I’ve misunderstood it before. Sometimes when someone says “get to know something,” they have a specific goal in mind, and when that goal is reached, their mission has been realized. However, getting to know something means also a constantly on-going process, something that has as few stopping points as a river. It is constantly moving and ever-changing, and if you get to know only a certain point of it, you will know almost none of it. A river has various depths, currents, angles, areas of smoothness and areas of turbulence. It is always making an impact of some kind: a bank touched by the water will never been the same afterwards, and even though it is the same river by name, it is not the same water, much how in our own physical bodies even: our ideas grow or change, and even our cells die and are replaced such that after a point our name is almost the only thing that has remained (I would argue there is something beyond that as well, on a spiritual realm, that more solidly anchors our uniqueness, as well). But the point is, getting to know something, including even one’s personal self, should be, if it were visually stated, “I am getting to know…………………..” instead of “I am getting to know,” as it is never really a finished process until life is expired.
That said, one thing that bothers me is how I feel I am wasteful with my time and would like to increase a sense of self-discipline. I am one of the millions, or more likely billions of those who have hardly any idea where they are headed or even where they want to go in life. I have some general ideas, enough to give me a sense of direction; but then maybe that’s all we really need. Maybe the idea of a certain set goal, an end, is not really the point of life. Maybe achieving something doesn’t bring a desired fulfillment that is believed to be the key to. I am not anti-Western culture. In fact I think I am more comfortable when I’m living in the privilege that we have. I would like to live in work in the USA or Europe perhaps. But I think it has made some serious mistakes in terms of how it defines success. Success measured in materials or money seems to be like cotton candy or a mirage to aim at. I think as an end it’s probably a hollow and unhappy one. What if life is more fulfilled in the living it, the journey of it, and its lessons? I’m not trying to do away with the importance of working to live, and I don’t mean to say we should all act like the wise man sitting on top of a mountain, but that there is a different attitude we need to adopt in the journey of life. An attitude that doesn’t mean search for reassurance from outside sources as if something separate can make us whole, but realizing that we are whole if we accept already that we are. Maybe not perfect in the sense of being the ideal human with the problem free life, but perfect in the idea that we are where we are supposed to be? To use an example from nature, a tree has no thought that we know of, but if it did, would it compare itself with others? Or would it be satisfied with its situation? A tree can still get sick, get damaged by wind or lightening, carved up by people with knives, chopped down and so forth, would that make a tree less perfect? It is what it is. So are rocks, so are fish, and so on. So what about us? I don’t mean perfection by means of one who makes no errors, is lacking in wisdom, and sometimes hurts others. Our actions aren’t always perfect, often they are the opposite. But our situations are where we are, and there is no need to fight what is, perhaps.
There are things in this world we need to change. The environment is in peril. Population-related problems are on the rise. There is constant fighting and crime among people. All of these are common examples, and I don’t think we should ignore them, but these are things that we can improve. However, I think we should try to know that in the process of fixing problems which we can fix and accepting what we cannot, we will have a better chance of survival and in finding happiness. Ultimately it involves becoming more in touch with one’s self and with the world around it.
I admit I haven’t yet been able to think out what the implications of all this is. It could be these are all well-meaning but naïve ideas. They might all be short-sighted, but I don’t think they are necessarily headed in the wrong direction. And I know that these ideas aren’t original either, nor have I lived up to them on a daily basis. And I do acknowledge that much of the world would disagree that their lives are perfect when they are sick, starving, in the middle of a war, illiterate, so on. I’m not trying to be arrogant or insensitive, as life is challenging, and some people face more challenges than others. But the attitude with how one faces challenges is more important than the challenges themselves. CS Lewis once said that tragedy like war or an accident or a house burning down doesn’t give people courage or concern that they didn’t already have. It merely brought it out. He didn’t mean that these are ultimately good situations; the point was that we have “the right stuff” in us all along.
And I have to say, sometimes I think if this is what I am doing as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I feel a bit guilty because I don’t think I was sent here to philosophize and ponder life. However, I do that habitually, and I’ve done it ever since I was a little kid sitting on a swing set lost in my imagination while everyone else played football, soccer, went down slides.
I’m very aware that I often forget to take things as they come even here in my blog complain about things that probably are really just little concerns, but then I make mistakes too, both in my actions and in fretting about things. All of us have something to learn. I have dreams just like everyone. And I’m trying to realize them, hence being better self-disciplined with how I spend my life and my energy to achieve a fulfilling life. We are all in the flow of life, the river of it, and the realization of this is maybe more of an achievement than in outside goal that we often aim for. There’s something for us all to learn.
Tristan
posted by Tristan | 6:18 AM
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