My Philosophy

A few thoughts on why I write my Essays and Observations.

If you expect my analysis of the post modernism or essays about the deconstructionists, this is the wrong address. While I carry a true love of wisdom (which is the old Greek meaning of the very word philosophy, if I'm not mistaken), I seldom find philosophers wise - at least the modern ones. On the other hand, Lao-Tzu, some 2600 years ago, was certainly on to something.

Modern philosophers would undoubtedly attack and dissect Lao’s quote. Let’s face it – how does one define “wisdom”, “intelligence”, “mastering” or, for that matter, “yourself”? There would be many perspectives and all of them valid. But all that, to me, seems over-intellectualizing the very meaning of his thought. Deep in our hearts, we all know very well what he meant and we also know that he was right.

But in today’s atmosphere of relativism, many people would question my statement – how did I even dare to say that something or someone was right? And what is “right”, right?

I once attended a panel discussion with Salman Rushdie, Gore Vidal and the Czech writer Arnost Lustig, a Nazi concentration camp survivor, who's recently teaching creative writing in the USA. Lustig reported that he was stunned with the way his American university students refuse to take position or form an opinion, in the fear they would not adhere to relativism, that they would insult someone with a different opinion.

Is this how far we got with political correctness - to intellectual lameness among those who should be the cutting edge thinkers? Are these kids really only worried about their political profile and their ability to launch a cushy job with a major corporation after they are out of school? It sure seems that way, because otherwise, I would think they’d be in streets, protesting, by now. God knows there’s a lot to protest against – although the US President claims to be talking to God, so I guess they think it’s just fine.

It’s November 17th, 2005 today, 16 years after our Czech students got beaten protesting the communist government. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this. If people like Salman Rushdie, Gore Vidal or Arnost Lustig were not willing to take a position, stand behind it, even suffer for it, where would we be? There are people like Vaclav Havel or Nelson Mandela, who never had problem saying they were right, when they were, but ended up in jail for what they were saying. Nothing relative about that.

From this perspective, I love the Buddhist teachings. They clearly state that this world is a mirage and our entire reality can be questioned, but at the same time, as long as we are here in this 3D world of ours, here are the rules of what’s right to do. And DO, in my view, is the important word here. I find all philosophies useless if they are just an exercise for the mind.

I tend to adhere to the first of definitions of philosophy - love and pursuit of wisdom by intellectual means and moral self-discipline. Now, there is a task! Let’s try that one – “moral self-discipline”, huh? Shhh, I said try - who said we need to be perfect from the get go? No, really, I think wisdom can be found all around us - in laws of nature, old scriptures, little children, cartoons or ancient proverbs - if we only try.

So, here is my little offering - ideas, observations, philosophies, opinions which may be discussed and disputed. It's an honest search for what works and what’s seems right. If compiled, my thoughts would probably end up being a self-help book rather than great work of modern philosophy and I wouldn’t mind it. After all, there is nobody else but us to navigate this world of ideas - we indeed need to help ourselves. Yet there are many ideas, techniques and stories which can spin us in new directions and I’d like to contribute to this with my writing.