How philosophy helps in everyday life

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Philosophy can teach us a lot: look at the problem from the outside, trust ourselves and be bolder.

Take a look at the problem from the outside

Sometimes we hear that this or that acquaintance or friend has suffered a failure at work or in his personal life. Then, over time, failures turn into successes. And vice versa.

As Sergei Yesenin wrote in 1924 in his "Letter to a Woman":

You can't see a face face to face.

Great things are seen at a distance.

Philosophy helps to survive this moment of despair by detaching from the event, an impartial look from the outside. Many expect from philosophy an answer to the global questions of mankind and immutable truths, although the philosophers themselves always remind that philosophy is about the search itself (whether the truth, its purpose), and not about the result.

The word "philosophy" is translated from ancient Greek as "love for wisdom." Wisdom, like not absolute truth, can be different, changing from the moment in time, our inner focus and their co-adjustment.

Do not be afraid of difficulties

Let's turn to the classics. Friedrich Nietzsche wrote a lot about the inner hell and despair into which a person falls. For example, from the essay "Towards a Genealogy of Morality":

"Anyone who has ever built a new heaven found the strength to do so only in his own hell."

If everything went smoothly and smoothly in our life, then there would be no room for growth. Difficult situations, losses help us to look differently at the problem that we are trying to ignore. It is from the state of inner hell that the movement towards qualitative changes begins.

In fact, everyone goes through difficult moments of doubt, difficulty of choice, inner openness in their lives. The main thing is to remember that this is normal, that without these reflections, a person cannot grow. But only if these reflections do not turn into postponing important decisions. In Thus Said Zarathustra, Nietzsche writes:

"You need to carry more chaos in yourself to be able to give birth to a dancing star."

Therefore, do not forget that the destruction of something old must be followed by the creation of a new one. And in moments of extreme despair, remember: having reached the bottom, we can only follow upward.

Trust yourself

Ludwig Wittgenstein, one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century, wrote as a very young man in his diary:

“Do everything in the best way! You cannot do more: and be in joy. Let others be themselves. After all, others will not support you, and if they do, then only for a short time."

This is a parting word from his "Secret Diaries" of 1914-1916, which he kept fighting on the front lines, experiencing terrible hardships and risking his life every day. But it is important to remember this in everyday life: put your soul into your business, rely only on yourself and learn to be happy. This is not a figure of speech - "learning to be happy." This really needs to be learned. And do not forget that we cannot influence most of what happens in the world, so you should not worry about this.

And many centuries before Wittgenstein, Blessed Augustine wrote:

"Love, and then do what you want."

For me, this is a message that you need to trust yourself, your intuition and move forward with kindness in your heart and love for your neighbor.

Don't give in to emotions

The modern German aesthetic philosopher Robert Pfaller, whose works, unfortunately, have not yet been translated into Russian, writes:

“Under certain conditions or other lighting, it is the negative qualities that are extremely attractive. They, according to Kant, cause satisfaction, and satisfaction directed "to the detriment of all the senses."

It is important to remember this as a warning. Indeed, not all that glitters is gold. And it is not always justified to trust your first strong emotions. When the wave subsides, and the mental storm subsides, we will understand that in the veil of emotions we did not hear ourselves and our intuition.

Therefore, it is so important to remember that our perception of the situation, especially the very first one, can let us down. Our senses can seriously distort the picture of reality. Remember that sometimes you need to give yourself time to make an informed decision.

Be bolder

The most prominent philosopher of the 20th century Hannah Arendt once expressed a very vital thought, which I will correlate with all of the above and which I will summarize:

“Respect for the person or institution concerned is essential to maintain credibility. Therefore, the greatest enemy of authority is contempt, and the surest way to undermine authority is laughter."

This thought is important from the perspective of what I already said: human subjective perception is subject to many errors, we are not perfect. Therefore, do not forget to sometimes change the angle of view of the world, climb contrary to the rules on tables and desks, as the hero of Robin Williams advised his students in the film "Dead Poets Society".

What would you say to yourself about this situation if you were a year older, five years older, ten years older? Will it matter then? Some authorities will collapse, someone's opinions will cease to be vital to us: simply because we will become more experienced, mature, fearless. But do not let this thought lead you to empty complacency! Remember that laughter, including laughing at yourself, is what many adversities give way to.