 The last of these Two Little Words... Our world is filled with a wealth of experience(s). Some of those experiences occurred last week and last year. Some of those experiences occurred hundreds of years ago. Sir Isaac Newton published notes on many of his brilliant and world-changing experiences, as did Plato, Socrates, Niccolò Machiavelli, Epicurus, and two of my personal favorites, Marcus Aurelius and Jesus of Nazareth. Each of these great philosophers left a profound mark on the world by publicly stating and sharing their respective philosophies. Yet their published works often go unseen, unread, unappreciated, and unused by most people. Despite having a prolific and terrific sense of seemingly supernatural wisdom, these philosophers and many of their teachings will go unnoticed by the vast majority of people. Why? Time and time again, I hear pessimistic people say, “There is no instruction book for life.” Yet, these same people do not seek the instructions of some of the wisest people who ever walked the earth. In reality, the aforementioned philosophers were more than just wise men; they were mighty mentors; immensely informed intellectuals; and tremendously talented teachers. And, from my point of view, One of them not only gave us His solution to all of our problems, but He is also THEE Solution to all of our problems. Indeed, the respective philosophies of the aforementioned philosophers changed the world. But what is it about the word “philosophy” and its implied academic doctrine that turns so many of us away from proven, prudent instruction that can positively affect our lives? The answer is usually rooted in fear. As is the case with calculus, cooking, and constant change, many people fear what they don’t understand. Instead of investing a little time to seek and understand philosophy, many people prefer to waste valuable time denouncing the one thing that can change their lives: tested and tried philosophies. And to be sure, we must be very careful when choosing, tasting, and nurturing ourselves on another person’s philosophy. Such tenuous tasting could be risky. However, to change is to move from one state of existence to another, ultimately arriving at a different state of being. And to move from your current intellectual spot to a whole new mental location, you must be exposed to new methods and manners of thinking, doing, and being. These methods might be as old as Methuselah. Yet, they might be new to you. Make no mistake: We all have our own philosophy. Some of your philosophy was handed down by your parents, ancestors, and extended family members. Portions of your personal philosophy were developed when you learned from your previous mistakes. And still, other parts of your philosophy were created by things you read in books, saw with your eyes, and felt with your heart. Indeed, with vast differences in our respective experiences, we all have a different philosophy. But what exactly is “philosophy”? And how can it help us? The word “philosophy” comes from the Greek φιλοσοφία (philosophia), which literally means “love of wisdom.” But what is wisdom? Wisdom is the application (or use) of knowledge. But what is knowledge? Knowledge is simply retained information; this includes facts, figures, and everything in this series of 40 Days and Two Little Words. To achieve an elevated state of being, we must learn to learn from others and ourselves. I will re-state the previous sentence for clarity: To achieve an elevated state of being, we must learn to learn from others and ourselves. More importantly, we must do more than merely learn. Yes, we must love the learning. But most importantly, we must love learning how to apply what we have learned. Our purpose is to: Move from (merely) gaining and retaining information… …to using and applying the information/knowledge that we gained… …to loving the wisdom we have acquired by using the knowledge. Re-stating the words above into fewer words below: Our purpose is to move from simply learning; and then… Move to being wise; and then… Move (again) to using a whole new philosophy. In the final analysis, loving wisdom is simply loving what is. This is not to say that we have to love all of the horrible things that have happened or will happen at any time in our lengthy lives (or in the lives of our closest friends, nearest neighbors, and evil enemies). Regardless of whether or not we like or agree with what “is…” sooner or later, we will have to accept that it has happened, and we will never be able to change it (whatever "it" may be). By crossing the threshold from denial to acceptance, we can begin to adapt to almost any event. To adapt is “to change.” To successfully adapt, we must first accept and understand that change is inevitable. And here is where things get amazingly simple: ...when something is inevitable, it is literally unstoppable. And when something is unstoppable, it is also predictable. Change will, indeed, occur. If, then, you cannot successfully work to stop change, you must learn how to successfully make change work for you. Moreover, the likelihood of creating a successful change event increases exponentially when you focus on changing your S.E.L.F. What’s one of the best ways to do this? LOVE WISDOM. How can you do this? Discover your own philosophy. And, if you have to, focus on finding and following a philosopher. Don’t blindly follow, swallow, or hollow out your own life-learned knowledge. After all, applied knowledge is the very definition of wisdom – the very thing we are hoping to acquire by following a philosopher. However, once you find your philosopher, use his or her philosophy as a seed to grow your own philosophical garden. By using other philosophies to grow your own viewpoint, you will quickly learn what may have taken years or even decades for other philosophers to yearn, learn, and discern. More importantly, by considering other philosophies, you not only help shape your priorities and presentations, you also become a lover of wisdom. In other words, you, yourself, become a true philosopher. There is a very specific reason why I saved this particular post for Day #40 of 40 Days and Two Little Words. In today’s world of near-infinite entertainment on the TV as well as on the phone in our hands, we, as a people, consume massive amounts of information. When we consume this much entertainment, we are actually at the receiving end of a one-way conversation. Essentially, we are the very end of a one-way information superhighway, with our backs to the wall, facing massive quantities of wave after wave of gargantuan amounts of incoming, oncoming traffic. What are we doing with all of this misovercommunication? Indeed, we must also consider what we are permanently stamping into our minds, searing into our subconsciousness, and sending into the very depths of our individual and collective souls. Think about it: when our vehicles need gas, we begin looking for a place to fuel up. [Period] There’s no moaning or groaning; no screaming and yelling; no weeping and gnashing of teeth. We simply stop and add fuel to our vehicle’s tank. Likewise, when you are at your wit’s end… when you’ve had it and just can’t seem to take it anymore… you need to figuratively pull over and LITERALLY fill up. But (and this is a BIG “but”), just like the associated actions you initiate when your fuel tank is approaching empty, when you are mentally, spiritually, and physically empty, you first have to look for a good place to LITERALLY fill up. Once you find it, you can then gorge on your own personal fuel. Consume as much as you’d like. The question is: On what are you filling up? On whom, on what, and specifically why are you purposefully drinking the Kool Aid? Are you listening to friends and family members? Are you seeking advice from (dead or alive) philosophers or finicky people who have no idea what they are talking about or who you really are? In your times of despair, (in what seems to be) a life so unfair... When you need a strong hope on which you can compare... What can you see in your thousand-mile stare? What are you feeding your mind, body, and soul? Is it the good high-octane "fuel" that keeps your spirits high and your attitude higher? Or is it that stinky, smelly, leaded gas that will sooner or later ruin your pipes and pipedreams… and the entire world in which we live? You and I have the same type of circulatory, respiratory, immune, skeletal, and muscular systems. Though we share the same type of (human) system, your subsystems are completely different than mine. For example, we likely have the same number of ears, eyes, hands, and toes... Thus, we are quite the same. And yet, we are totally different… yet somehow still connected. How are we connected? You tell me: What is your connection to me? Better yet, what is your connection to the place where you fill up? Where do you go for food for thought and fuel for your soul? Sadly, some people put more thought into where and how much they pay for gas than what they are truly paying when they pay attention to divisive politicians, ill-informed illusionists, or just plain ol’ negative people. But not you; you’re smarter than that, yes? For you see… you and I are now part of a system of positive information exchanges. We are part of a growing movement of people who dare to become their own superheroes. You are one of the few people who understand that all information is simply data. The most important aspects of our lives are what data we choose to consume… and what we subsequently choose to do with the data that is now a part of who we are. This particular post, Day #40 of “40 Days and Two Little Words” is a risky venture for me. I have given you a part of me. Through all of the previous posts and especially with this one, I am giving you MY data. This is who I am. I consider myself a positive information exchange. Today, I want YOU to understand that YOU, too, are potentially a positive information exchange. Please join me on this quest to grow our numbers. Thank you for reading the last of these Two Little Words. Aloha,   |
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