A collection of practical tools from diverse schools of philosophy.
Table of Contents
- What Happened, What You Made It Mean
- Choosing Meaning
- Authenticity
- On Telling the Truth
- Collected Thoughts
What Happened, What You Made It Mean
Imagine two separate circles that do not touch.
On one, “What Happened.”
On the other, “What You Made It Mean.”
The common man spends his days collapsing both on top of the other, as if they were one vicious circle.
And yet to the enlightened man they are separate, distinct, and at no point will he allow the two to touch.
An event is an event. An action is an action.
And then he sees the meaning his mind attaches to them, separate and distinct.
A rock is a rock. A man is a man.
The divine comedy is that man is a relentless and unyielding machine of meaning making in a world without inherent or intrinsic meaning.
Choosing Meaning
Set aside for a moment that perhaps there are no gods to give your life meaning.
In such a world, where does meaning come from, who invents it.
Does a rock carry innate meaning, does it invent meaning, or is it the man that encounters the rock that is the one to give meaning to it.
In a world without meaning, what can the enlightened man do.
Invent meaning and purpose so that he may live into it through action.
Not because he has to.
But because he chooses to.
A rock is no longer a mere rock.
Perhaps a rock that was once labeled an obstacle in his path, may be turned to the rock he will carve his masterpiece.
Such is the nature of choice.
Authenticity
Authenticity is what is true.
Inauthenticity is what is false.
Get real where you ain’t real.
Where you are pretending, and what is it that are you pretending.
What is it that is truly at play underneath the surface you hide so well.
What is the impact on you.
What is the impact on others.
A man cannot proceed forward until the obstacle is cleared from his path.
Now that the path has been cleared, what new possibility will you invent in journalism journey ahead.
What actions will you take to walk the new path.
And from now on, get authentic where you ain’t.
On Telling the Truth
“If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll fucking kill you.” – Oscar Wilde
Socrates and Jesus spoke the truth.
Be like Socrates and Jesus, but make them laugh.
Collected Thoughts
- Your behavior is your responsibility, and that behavior carries a large influence on the attitudes of those you interact with.
- People prefer the sugared lies that deceive them, than the bitter truth that would do them good. How can I make truth more palatable?
- Learned Helplessness: a psychological condition where a person comes to believe they have no control over their situation – even when they actually do- because of repeated exposure to stressful, negative, or painful experiences they couldn’t escape or change in the past. This helpless behavior is an instinctive response one can learn to overcome.
- The foundation of philosophy is self-knowledge, therefore it should be our first subject of study in pursuit of the practical. Change comes as an outcome of observations, observations that root out ignorance and gullibility.
- Those who do not keep their agreements, will be the ones who tell you why they think agreements are stupid.
- What we resist, persists.
- Denial > Anger > Bargaining > Depression > Acceptance (Success), Resigned (Failure)
- Insight without action is a tragedy.
- Are you attached to the outcome, or committed to the process that would produce the outcome regardless of outcome. People can tell the difference, and respond appropriately.
- “Some things are within our power while others are not. Within our power are opinion, motivation, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever is of our own doing; not within our power are our body, our property, reputation, office, and, in a word, whatever is not of our own doing.” – Epictetus
- In part or whole, I am the cause of the poor or undesirable parts of my character. These parts of my character depend upon me. And so they are my responsibility to change.
- Many a wise face would look foolish without a pair of glasses.
- What attracts attractive people? Being attractive. So be attractive, don’t be unattractive. And what is the most attractive thing you can go to work on? Your philosophy.
- Treating symptoms, not the root cause, only prolongs the suffering of the patient.
- The internet is a full contact sport. Enjoy the arena of ideas and your sparring partners.