Making sense of life's complexities
There comes a point in life when we become increasingly aware of the uncomfortable fact that there are more questions than answers. And at this point, we face the important life task of grappling with the big questions of life, in our own way and on our terms. This is the point when we realise that the answers provided by our parents, the educational system, media or religious figures don’t quite address the issues as we experience them. Or at least life is more complicated than we initially may have thought.
This challenge requires curiousity to understand life, as it is, not how others interpret it and the determination to work out solutions that make sense for us personally. On the one hand, it can be exhilarating to grapple with the fundamental issues of human existence and pursue the range and variety of questions that have been the focus of inquiry throughout history. On the other hand, it can also be a daunting and bewildering experience. It may ask us to rethink and jettison our established beliefs and existing opinions, beliefs and opinions that have become an integral part of our personal identity.
This challenge requires us not simply to attain greater theoretical knowledge and understanding but to achieve that level of insight and wisdom which changes us as individuals.
Meeting and overcoming this life challenge:
Increasing your Intellectual Power |
Knowing where to start |
Keeping it real |
||
Increasing your Intellectual Power
Life can be simple if you want to live it that way. Maintain the belief
that you know everything that matters, and anything you don’t
know isn’t important. And keep your life horizons limited to
your current experience. Alternatively, accept that it is the complexity
of life that makes life so fascinating. But how to manage that complexity
to ensure we don’t feel overwhelmed?
“He that cannot reason is a fool. He that will not is a bigot. He that dare not is a slave.”
Andrew Carnegie
Thinking with Clarity
We can either take our beliefs about the world, what matters and how
things work from our parents, teachers, peers or the media. Or we
can develop our minds to think for ourselves, to see things as they
are not as others want them to be.
“Thinking is what a great many people think they are doing when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.”
William James
http://www.criticalthinking.org: articles, books and other resource on how to use your mind
http://www.thinkingmanagers.com: clear and concise articles on business, management and life
http://www.csicop.org: the site of the Skeptical Inquirer; a welcome breath of fresh air, separating fact from myth in the face of pseudoscience
The Big Questions
There is no shortage of things to think about. But what really matters?
What are the fundamental questions that need to be asked if we are
going to make sense of life’s complexities and ambiguities?
“Ask big questions. Don't be afraid to make mistakes; if you don't make mistakes, you're not reaching far enough.”
David Packard
www.shadowsinthecave.com: a series of forums for meaningful discussion and debate about important stuff
http://www.wisdomhousepress.com: an engaging and impartial guide for those who want to make up their own minds about some of the big questions of life
http://www.shef.ac.uk: “Submit your philosophical question to Pathways and “we'll see what we can do to help you think about your problem more clearly.”
Knowing where to Start
You can rely on your intellectual capability and willingness to explore
life from first principles. A difficult and demanding route. Or you
can “stand on the shoulders of giants” to draw on the
insights of who have others who have grappled with the big and fundamental
questions of life.
“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.”
M. Scott Peck
http://www.edge.org: inquiry into and discussion of intellectual, philosophical, artistic, and literary issues
http://www.thoughtware.com.au: the basics of a true philosophy are childishly simple
http://www.philosophynow.org: a magazine of ideas; free stuff but also a subscription service
The Books that Matter
Books won’t provide any solutions to the specific life problems
we face and have to overcome. But accessing the library of the world’s
greatest thinkers may provide you with the insights to inform your
thinking and fire your imagination.
“Of making many books there is no end and much study wearies the body.”
Ecclesiastes
“A single conversation across the table from a wise man is better than ten years' mere study of books.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
www.anova.org: from the ancient classics to the masterpieces of the 20th century, the Great Books is an introduction to the ideas, stories, and discoveries that have shaped modern civilization. A compilation of over 240 great authors and their works.
www.greatbooks.org: a forum and resource for people of all ages to read and discuss outstanding works of literature.
www.interleaves.org: the “100 Most Influential Books Ever Written”
Big and Important Thinkers with Something to Say
There is no shortage of opinions. Each and every minor celebrity is
invited to comment on the big issues of the day. Who has thought
big thoughts and generated important insights worth further reflection?
“It is the mark of great people to treat trifles as trifles and important matters as important.”
Doris Lessing
www.harley.com: from Harley Hahn's Internet Yellow Pages, highly selective but useful listing with other links
http://www.epistemelinks.com: links to over a thousand resources on over 450 philosophers throughout history.
http://www.synaptic.bc.ca:
idiosyncratic listing with discussion groups and useful book references
Keeping it Real
Life is to be lived in the real world, not in an abstract world of
theoretical speculation. We can dream but life has also to be faced,
as it is, not how we would like it to be. This is not an acceptance
of the status quo and the belief that we live in the best of all
possible worlds. It is the realisation that we need to engage fully
with real life experience.
“If this life be not a real fight in which something is eternally gained... it is no better than a game of private theatricals from which one may withdraw at will.”
William James
The Simple Life
Life is complex. And perhaps we make it much more complex than it needs
to be. Perhaps we need to cut through the “stuff” which
builds up around us, the unnecessary and irrelevant that gets in
the way of what is important and meaningful.
“I've not got a first in philosophy without being able to muddy things pretty satisfactory.”
John Banham
“The trouble with simple living is that, though it can be joyful, rich, and creative, it isn't simple.”
Doris Janzen Longacre
www.simpleliving.net: an overview of the simplicity movement, highlighting some of the best resources for simplifying life
Existential Living
Much of philosophical thinking is now caught up in semantic hair-splitting
and the definition and redefinition of terms and premises. Philosophers
talking to themselves. Existentialism is that philosophical stance
which grapples with the real issues we thought philosophy was addressing
but isn’t.
“Existentialism is about being a saint without God; being your own hero, without all the sanction and support of religion or society.”
Anita Brookner
http://www.tameri.com: recommended reading in exploring existentialism
http://www.questia.com: fantastic subscription resource accessing an enormous range of articles and ideas
Philosophical Life in the Real
World
Do we keep searching for the ultimate insight, putting life “on
hold” until we have the complete insight? Or do we get on with
the business of living, accepting that we need to make important life
decisions when we don’t know the questions, never mind the questions.
"I've gained no wisdom, no insight, no mellowing. I would make all the same mistakes again, today"
Woody Allen
http://lifesinsights.com: real people sharing their personal insights and life wisdom
http://www.utm.edu: extensive list of noteworthy films that deal with philosophical and religious themes
http://morrisinstitute.com: bringing the wisdom of the ages into modern life in a way that matters.