Leaning into life's philosophy

You stare into the limitless night sky and a carpet of stars…

Wonder at the clouds as they drift across a celestial heaven

You gaze at a sleeping infant…

Marvel at the tenacity and fragility of a butterfly breaking free of the cocoon

You shade your eyes against the sun disappearing below a distant horizon…

Vibrate with the crash of the waves as they pound the shore

You listen to the wind as it teases the leaves and whispers through the trees…

Or as it howls and whistles playing havoc with the world

You wake in the night to complete darkness…

You tremble as thunder rents the air; flashes of lightning illuminate a darkened sky

It is in moments like these that you acknowledge the vastness and wonder of the universe and question what part you play – you, a handful of stardust—a miscellany of ‘organised atoms that shimmer with fascination and feeling’ – where you fit, why and how should you be. So begins the search for the philosophy of life. From the time of antiquity, philosophers have posed similar questions. The Greek philosopher Socrates is considered by many to be the founding father of Western philosophy. He traversed the marketplaces of ancient Athens, engaging with citizens, artisans, poets and musicians, people from all walks of life, proposing questions—what is virtue, moderation, justice, courage, why do you think that… Through questioning and by presenting a contrary position, Socrates caused people to explore their thoughts and beliefs, enabling him to ponder the meaning of life and, most importantly, how to live a good life – be a good citizen. A proliferation of philosophers over the aeons have used the Socratic questioning approach – considered questions that elicit deep thinking and reasoning to interrogate the cosmos and humankind. Their endeavours, inclusive of the Eastern canons and the ancient Greeks to the contemporary philosophers of today, have fashioned a veritable oak tree of thinking about the universe and the human and non-human life within it. This quest for deeper understandings and new ways of being have provided the impetus for societal change and some of the world’s most significant accomplishments.

Life philosophy – references both moral philosophy and the the philosophy of ethics, where we explore our reason for being and how we should be. In asking what are often referred to as the ‘enduring questions’ – the meaning of life and ‘us’, we delve into the metaphysical and ethical. It sounds immense, but we all have a life philosophy, we may not realise it or refer to it every day, but it lives in all we do. Our life philosophy determines our values; our values determine our decisions, actions, and beliefs.

Our life philosophy also guides our work life – we bring our values, beliefs and learning to our workplaces, and so do our colleagues. It is this ‘interleaved complexity of experience’, this precious multi-hued narrative that provides the substance on which we question, discuss, analyse, reason, and create a philosophy for our learning communities – therefore, a centre philosophy should be vibrant, reflect wisdom and life experience, and burst with energy and light.

Grayling (2023) advises that most people do not dive too deeply into the ‘meaning of life’ questions, ‘they merely answer unthinkingly by adopting conventional views…move with the crowd’. Yet wise voices from our past and present counsel us ‘to know thyself’, ‘knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom, ‘to be free is to be capable of thinking one’s own thoughts’, ‘to drink in the beauty and wonder at the meaning of what you see’, ‘self-knowledge is the ultimate knowledge and it provides us with a route to a happy and fulfilling life’ (Socrates, Aristotle, Steiner, Carson, de Botton). Martha Nussbaum (1998), one of today’s most compelling philosophers, apprises that to achieve educational reform – move our world to a better place, we must ‘cultivate humanity’. Key to this is our ‘ability to critically examine oneself and one’s traditions’. Perhaps if we position ourselves as ‘apprentices of listening’ – to ourselves, to the wisdom of others, and to our ailing world, our life philosophies collectively will create a better humankind and a brighter future for all.

Asking life questions can be daunting. Our self-enquiry will ask us to consider the possibilities and inevitabilities of life, and what we value. This may place us on a path of change – a concept that some find challenging to embrace. Albert Camus, a philosopher who wrote about the absurdities of human existence, posed what is considered one of the most profound questions of philosophy – ‘To decide whether life is worth living is to answer the fundamental question of philosophy’ (1942). On balance, the scales tip in our favour to outweigh any question induced discomfort – we come to better understand what we think about our thinking and, ultimately – us.

Leaning into your life philosophy is an enterprise that requires self-reflection, honesty and courage – it also demands a lean into your vulnerability. Brené Brown, a research professor, storyteller and recognised expert in the study of courage, empathy and vulnerability with a worldwide following of readers and viewers, describes vulnerability as not knowing victory or defeat – ‘it is about daring to show up and let ourselves be seen’ (2020).

And so, back to where the gaining of wisdom – philosophy, the seeking of knowledge and interrogation of life almost all began – Socrates who exhorted, ‘the unexamined life is not worth living….’




REFERENCES

Opening paragraph concept: Ontario Virtual School

Grayling, K.C (2023) Philosophy of Life, Exploring the Great Questions of How to Live. United Kingdom. Penguin Random House

Nussbaum, M. (1998) Cultivating Humanity. A Classical Defense of Reform in Liberal Education. Harvard University Press

Tyler, J. (2018) Apprentices of Listening

BLOG https://www.philosophy-foundation.org/blog/apprentices-of-listening

Camus, A. (2013) The Myth of Sisyphus (Essay Le Mythe de Sisyphe 1942) United Kingdom. Penguin 1st edition

Brown, B. (2016) Daring Greatly How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead. United Kingdom. Penguin UK

Socrates – the unexamined life. Plato’s Apology (38a5–6)

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=plat.+apol.+38a

Popova, M. ‘quoted text’ The Marginalian