Practical and fulfilling philosophy

[Sees]

This post may be a "leap of faith."

Lately when looking at suicide, homicide, and mass murder cases, I've been thinking a lot on the prevalence of seeing heavy doses of defeatism, detachment, disenchantment, pessimism, etc. - that can lead to the devaluation of life (yours or others) and remove any idea of the sanctity and enjoyment of life. Things that can eat at people and potentially combine with enough shame or blame to cause moment/s of chaos or pulling your own plug.

Many here talk about the big questions (or at least troll other opinions on them)...but how much would you say your philosophy/worldview focuses on practicality and the "how to" of good living? Is focus on happiness, joy, bliss, serenity, etc. a big part of it? How do you actually combat the negative and promote the positive?

In other words, what the heck are you doing with your philosophy?

 

[LegionOnomaMoi]

In other words, what the heck are you doing with your philosophy?

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio...
"Il n'y a qu'un problème philosophique vraiment sérieux : c'est le suicide. Juger que la vie vaut ou ne vaut pas la peine d'être vécue, c'est répondre à la question fondamentale de la philosophie. Le reste, si le monde a trois dimensions, si l'esprit a neuf ou douze catégories, vient ensuite."
[There is only the one truly important philosophical problem: there is suicide. To decide that life is worthwhile, or is not worth the trouble of living, is to answer the fundamental question of philosophy. The rest (whether the earth has three dimensions, whether the "mind" has nine or twelve categories) follow after.]
-Camus

 

[Sees]

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio...
"Il n'y a qu'un problème philosophique vraiment sérieux : c'est le suicide. Juger que la vie vaut ou ne vaut pas la peine d'être vécue, c'est répondre à la question fondamentale de la philosophie. Le reste, si le monde a trois dimensions, si l'esprit a neuf ou douze catégories, vient ensuite."
[There is only the one truly important philosophical problem: there is suicide. To decide that life is worthwhile, or is not worth the trouble of living, is to answer the fundamental question of philosophy. The rest (whether the earth has three dimensions, whether the "mind" has nine or twelve categories) follow after.]
-Camus

I think it is the foundation, to find and nurture zest for life or as Joseph Campbell would put it - "the rapture of being alive."

 

[Deathbydefault]

Many here talk about the big questions (or at least troll other opinions on them)...but how much would you say your philosophy/worldview focuses on practicality and the "how to" of good living? Is focus on happiness, joy, bliss, serenity, etc. a big part of it? How do you actually combat the negative and promote the positive?

In other words, what the heck are you doing with your philosophy?

I use philosophy as means of questioning values, primarily anyways.
When applying philosophy to bigger issues, suicide for example, I do so by questioning values.

There is no focus on "good living", however you define that, or emotions, for me.
And such terms as "negative" and "positive" exist only in subjectivity.
Example: I feel that people being near me is negative. As is human interaction and basic conversation.
However, I feel that being ignored and disliked is positive.

Same for the term joy: I could find joy in murder, as far as you know.
Bliss may come from gore.
Serenity is synonymous with death.
Good living could come from drug dealing.

 

[Sees]

I use philosophy as means of questioning values, primarily anyways.
When applying philosophy to bigger issues, suicide for example, I do so by questioning values.

There is no focus on "good living", however you define that, or emotions, for me.
And such terms as "negative" and "positive" exist only in subjectivity.
Example: I feel that people being near me is negative. As is human interaction and basic conversation.
However, I feel that being ignored and disliked is positive.

Same for the term joy: I could find joy in murder, as far as you know.
Bliss may come from gore.
Serenity is synonymous with death.
Good living could come from drug dealing.

I'm glad you responded as to provide a good example. These ideas do come up often with people who are having issues.

 

[Quintessence]

Mmm. My brain might not be entirely functional this morning, and this is a somewhat deep topic, but at first brush, I have some tendency to avoid having a dualistic perspective about these things. "Good?" "Bad?" What's that? Go with the flow, man... go with the flow...

 

[Jumi]

I think you're onto something very important here. Everyone should be accepted for their natural qualities and then we will have less of these people going out and killing a bunch of people. When someone is dehumanized by others that's when trouble starts.

Serenity, being content are high on my list. Nature always helps with that. Even though there are bad days, it's better to laugh at your misfortunes than be defeated by them. Animals, even bugs know to struggle. I think people expect too much to be given to them, that's why they don't appreciate life.

 

[Sees]

Mmm. My brain might not be entirely functional this morning, and this is a somewhat deep topic, but at first brush, I have some tendency to avoid having a dualistic perspective about these things. "Good?" "Bad?" What's that? Go with the flow, man... go with the flow...

Not necessarily good vs bad as in black vs white terms, or motionless boundaries with little or no gray areas, but still good...more good, more positive, more beneficial, more healthy, more helpful, etc.

A lot of people seem so lost when it comes to this stuff that they detach, possibly associate with negativity or meaninglessness, and never come back.

 

[Adramelek]

The Setian religion is a philosophy of Life. "Life, Health, Strength!" I sometimes say as a parting 'farewell for now' or "For ever in the Black Flame!" To us death is more at the demise of certain behaviors or lower states of being so that another more refined/higher state of being may come into being (Xeper). I was for about 7 years, a student/Initiate of a school of the black arts called the 'Temple of Set'. I was also an Initiate of a specialized order within the ToS called the 'Order of Leviathan'. This order studied concepts such as the Black Flame, Remanifestation, and the immortality of the soul or psyche, as do other ToS orders such as the 'Order of the Trapezoid', in their own unique ways. Yes, the Setian religion is definitely a practical and fulfilling philosophy of Life.

Reyn til Runa.

 

[Steven Kowalski]

I enjoy philosophy and I know this chagrin that has been raised. At some point, the whole world collapses in, and there is just YOU - sitting in your spot - in a bubble, practically blind and unaffected by time or the scenery or the people that walk by. Knowledge lives in it's own space, and it stays until it is refined, should it not be perfectly stated. If the knowledge is pure and universal, it exists throughout time. The question raised at this point in the person's mind is - if there's this pattern, and nothing can escape it - if this is the way life is - I'm done. It's just the same thing over and over again. Why start a conversation if you'll never see the person again? Why play the same game with the same rules?...again? A philosopher who has truly reached this area wishes to be tortured - that is if they believe that what they do, say, or present is supposed to matter in life. But that doesn't even matter to this person. They know enough to present mastery in their area. The subconscious is wounded. There's always a truth that enlightens though. If there is truly a willful creative power, then why would this being exist if nothing even mattered. It's always a mistake in the wording of the beliefs composed in their thesis. Or it's because of the timeless nature of the knowledge. Or it's because of thinking too far into the future - or the past. Deep time gives deep feelings. To look for patterns to be able to know the outcome, to know God on your virtually infinite level and experience existence as he would feel, crushes a person who confines themselves to a body in a given space at a given time. There's always another day though. It's still composed of 24 hours, but your mood can change on a dime. Philosophy could kill you. It could kill a large group of people. A pen has more potential than a sword.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I learned from George Carlin. Detach yourself and instead focus on the good, and where there is bad, see the good in it. Things like ISIS are terrible, but it is defeatist to let it effect your worldview when it has such an insignificant impact on your life. It would be a different story if you actually have to worry about them, but here in America stupid drivers are far more likely to kill you, and even then they are really only worth worrying about while you are driving - asides from that they pose zero threat to you.

 

[Deathbydefault]

I'm glad you responded as to provide a good example. These ideas do come up often with people who are having issues.

Now that I've been brought back to this thread via a newer member making a post, I must reiterate my point.
What you may define as "good" or "bad" will never be the default setting, and people might think the opposite.
This includes society based and religiously constructed versions of those terms.