Philosophical Thoughts.

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If we look back into the ages of old, we can see threads of great thinkers that built their existence on the very questions of existence itself. The exploration of the self and the mighty mind became a focal point for many influential figures throughout history. But today, at least in the mainstream arena, it has all but vanished. Not to say it has ever been in popular demand, but society continues to pull further and further away from the self, which in turn is wreaking havoc in many aspects, spilling out into the daily lives of millions. The reasons for this are complex and many. And with the mainstream media pushing the narrative to the masses, one has to ask, where is the true freedom of thinking? How can we progress in a manner which will not be detrimental to the human species? How can democracy truly work, if each so called individual has the same moulded mind and or socially engineered belief's as the next person? Do the majority really think independently, or have they conformed to the group think? Can service to others be of use when we don't truly understand service to self first? Not to say that humans don’t have the compassionate nature to help others, or to deeply connect to one another. But if we are not already connected to our self, or have not helped our self, or even know our self deeper than our identity, then how can we really be of service to another? All of these questions extend way beyond the limited visions we receive from any figures in the mainstream world. So, what is so frightening about knowing yourself? Could knowing yourself be a threat? Is this where true freedom and liberation resides? Is this what could solve and answer many problems that have a stronghold on society? Why do these questions (and I can think of many more just like them) never appear before your eyes? Why do we get told to seek for help, and seek out side of the self for all things? It is on constant replay through the echo chambers of the mouthpieces, that speak through the channels of engineered pop culture and mainstream influences. Whilst mainstream media and the like cannot be solely blamed, it does play a role and have a responsibility in the configuration of the society in which it subtly and not so subtly preachers to. So at the end of the day it is the self that is responsible for the self, and once your mind is unshakled from the chains of the movie theatre, you get to be the director and use discernment. Most of the wars you fight are within your own mind, so trusting yourself, knowing yourself, your strenghts, your weaknesses, and everything in-between is key in being able to use yourself to help yourself, instead of placing your trust and vulnerabilties in the hands of others. We tend to place our self-belief inside the delusions of others and live through them as if they are truth.

Another topic that warrants interest is the "inclusion" and "equality" debate. I have seen this integrating in my son's schooling and can see the areas of infection and concern. It seems harmless enough on the surface, and something that warms the heart, but let’s not forget that many agendas do come disguised as the holy saviours in the stories. We need to flip some of these topics to discover multiple angles and the nature of the consequences that can result from them. So we should then ask, what is wrong with being an outsider? Why are outsiders in need of inclusion from the insiders, A.k.a. the majority or the mob, and conform to the mob's rules? Won't the organic nature of man and humanity be at stake if "forced" equality is bestowed upon us?

At one point we were all outsiders, it was the very moment we entered this world. We were true individualist in the sense that we were free of any conforming or reliance on the insiders approval.

Is there an attempt to mould the outsiders into the insiders world, hence destroying the true creativity of the individual. Is this why we are seeing less and less "authentic" art, music and literature? Isn't differences what being an individual is all about? There are ways to connect to others without having the need to conform to an invisible security blanket that supposedly comforts the illusions of the insiders.

This is just one brief angle of looking at this subject and I am not advocating that this is the right way to look at it, but, the angle is there, and worthy of deeper inspection. All issues we face in modern society should warrant deeper insight. We should all take a step back before responding from direct emotional responses, and view it from multiple stand points before making certain conclusions. In doing so, we should then be able to grasp why we believe what we believe and start creating true individualistic and critical thinking.

What I have learned is that we can only be our own saviours. If we "seek" to know our self deeply, (and I say "seek" because I think it is a continuous cycle of knowing, unknowing and then knowing again, and then thinking that you know before finding out you don't actually know, and roating on this feedback loop until you learn how to shatter the various loops of the mind's tricks) then the mind at some point becomes silent in order for you to hear. The self is the way, and the only way out is in. Sound confusing? Being confused is certainly part of the process, and if it were simple everyone would be a seeker of the self. At times it feels as though the more questions you ask the less answers you receive, and the more questions you ask the more questions you think of, and the more you think, the less you know. Oh the joys! The topic of self will always remain philosophical in nature, because of the mysterious elements it is encased by, and the beauty of philosophy is how it can bridge everything and nothing together whilst standning on the outskirts of both.

I find intergrating all aspects of self at once is a contradicting theory, for the belief in one tries to discredit the belief of the other. If we are to use logic, reason and rationality, it will tell us the other worldy, metaphysical higher self either doesn't exist or it wants proof that it does, before it can venture into that territory of belief. If our other worldly, metaphysical higher self tries to navigate through logic, reason and rationality it is greeted with a rather firm headbut. And you could say this is why science and spirtuality do not get along at present. Science demands proof of its existence and to crush it into something measursable, but spirit will always remain spirit and does not need the acceptance of science to validate its existence. Although if we were to tread the path of combining science (mainstream science) with spirituality, humanity would no doubt benefit in ways that have never been seen before.

The world is in need of more philosophical thinkers and the importance of such is rarely spoken of. It has become more about emotion and opinions than about wisdom and virtues. Not to say emotions and opinions should not be expressed, but the balance is tipping very heavy on that side. Some things should always remain in the field of open ended interpretations, which in my view is the epitome of self-evaluation and keeps the discussion of individualism alive, therefore keeping liberty of inner freedom under no restraints.

If we had a more philosophical view of the world and the matters that are crucial in human understanding, it would no doubt be a more sensible world, but, we must first explore the self or at the very least the concept of it. Society can be looked at as a self in itself, it is made up of many selves and acts like a giant mirror, which is reflecting back everyone’s state of awareness or lack thereof. What we see when we look outwards is the projections of our internal state, and we arrange and perceive things as per our levels of understanding them. It is a complex web, interwoven like that of the human body. Billions of cells organising themselves thus creating the totality of the system. My questions for now are,

How can we master something we refuse to understand or even acknowledge?

If the world is reflecting ourselves back to us, who else can we blame?

How can we truly know the others, when we don’t even know ourselves?

How can the argument for collectivism stand if we want to truly remain individuals?

How can genuine diversity work if the sway of the pendulum continues to sweep the minds in one direction?

And,

If freedom of speech is at risk, then too freedom of thought?

~Leya Hunter.