I love questions like this. Because when we consider these topics that are existential or"bigger than us", it forces us to question our lives from an outside perspective. It allows us to step outside of our comfortable reality, if only for a short while, to return perhaps with something new. Whether we then decide to incorporate what we have learned by deliberately choosing to form new habits, is another question all together. This, as we have all probably heard is because humans don't like change.
However in a world that is constantly changing, by means of a monopolistic global society that seeks to remain the same or at the very least sustain itself, it is easy to see the ironic tragedy that seems to underline most of the worlds problems today. We are in essence, distracted by our ambitions, in an effort to grow, we seldom remember to remain steadfast in our original goals. Distracted by novelty, the status quo evolves at the same rate as new ideas are born, and at the discretion of the social medias that spread information around, or rather their algorithms. However, one would think that there would be a set of ideals that any one person could adhere do, on the basis of them having been tried and tested, that in an ideal world where everyone would adopt them, we would all live happily ever after.
But what are those ideals? Who decides what they are, and can't we all test them out to see for ourselves their respective merits, if any? I think so, and my own personal journey on the world wide web has brought me to many philosophical channels, a lot of which talk of the benefits of Stoicism, how the ancient Romans spoke of Honour and Justice, and being accountable for ones life through ones own choices. I found a good article about stoicism i will link to just in case some of you want to read more on it (article). I found an interesting quote by Epictetus in it, one of the founders of Stoicism:
“It is not events that disturb the minds of men, but the view they take of them” ― Epictetus
This idea represents a fundamental view of the world in which everything that happens, we can view in one way or another, thus altering the path of subsequent actions, and so on and so forth. Moreover, we can only change what we have the power to change, namely, our thoughts and our actions. If we can manage to control these two important aspects of our lives, and steer them towards the greater good, we are well on our way to living a stoic life.
“The only thing that isn’t worthless: to live this life out truthfully and rightly. And be patient with those who don’t” — Marcus Aurelius
In the spirit of argument, it is worth noting that people might hold different definitions of what the 'greater good' means to them. However, I think it is safe to assume that most human beings understand the difference between good and bad. It is something that translates beyond language barriers, as a person from any country can perform an act of kindness that can be understood by anyone else. Therefore, I vote for everyone finding out what are the principles and ideals that they align with in their lives, be it 'seeking Truth', 'doing what is right', 'pursuing your passion', and to stick to that decision. Because we each are unique in our own way, and we each have the power to steer our lives towards that which we find most rewarding, and nobody can take that away from us! This is the blessing of being human. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and I believe all humans have the responsibility to be answer for their actions. What i mean by this is that for example if you throw trash out in the street, your are responsible to go pick it up. Or if you own a company that pollutes the environment, you are responsible for protecting that environment and fixing what damages your business process unnecessarily caused.
This leads me to my next theme for becoming, which is after all a process that is ongoing for us all. A theme that I have thought about for most of my life. Systems thinking, is the process of considering things outside of their direct contexts. In my previous example I considered a business that pollutes its surrounding environment. Through a systems thinking approach, the business would have considered the environment before having proceeded with it's polluting practices. In effect, many businesses are operating in an 'Ostrich mode', in which they deliberately bury their heads in the sand in order to avoid extra short-term costs. There are limits to the systems approach, as we are all operating under the same set of assumptions and limits (limits to our knowledge), the sum of which has led to the world as it is today. As Rumsfeld said, there are known knowns (the cumulative knowledge of humanity), known unknowns (what we know we don't know), unknown knowns (what we don't know we know) and unknown unknowns (what we don't know we don't know).
Rumsfeld chart source (statement origin )
Is it not then safe to assume, that since the objective practice of the scientific method has bestowed upon us the ability to analyse the world on an objective basis by means of cause and effect, that we have the responsibility to address the causes if we don't like the effects? Or at the very least start to question the assumptions that the causes are based upon? I want to clarify that I don't pretend to know more about life than anyone else, I am simply putting things together as I have come to see them for myself. I believe that if we can all come to practice understanding the principles of life in our daily lives, how our actions, be they on the personal or systems level, purposefully or not, are ultimately done by choice, someone else's or our own: are subject to certain effects (whether we like them or not). By so understanding how the cyclic pattern of cause and effect operates, and understanding the agency and potential impact of our role as a part in the context of the whole, and in the outcome of our lives, we can start to take responsibility and regain control of the health of the planet. This is something I am constantly thinking about.
I will end my article with a quote from one of my favourite books by Alan Watts:
“What we have forgotten is that thoughts and words are conventions, and that it is fatal to take conventions too seriously. A convention is a social convenience, as, for example, money ... but it is absurd to take money too seriously, to confuse it with real wealth ... In somewhat the same way, thoughts, ideas and words are "coins" for real things.”
― Alan Wilson Watts, The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety
I hope that my ramblings may have brought some value to anyone that took the time to read it! I must admit that it is not easy to write about a topic as large as this, or to practice philosophical ideas. However, if we are willing to: be aware of the present right now, question our assumptions, and have the willingness to change, i believe we can do anything!
And so, journey before destination, my friends.
Peace out,
Dizzybee