personal philosophy

everyone should have a personal philosophy. i think i have been developing my own ever since reading heinlein's job: a comedy of justice, when i was 21, borrowing liberally from the dean.

i can't say i have a reason why anyone other than me might be interested in my personal philosophy. i offer it none the less, like this blog, obsolete by math but filled with heart and soul.

my personal philosophy borrows from eastern thought in promoting virtue and right action. i also think it is important to maintain a macro-oriented, holistic and big picture view of one's life, (which is probably not the norm in our society.)

in youth we should come to recognize the flaws and inconsistencies in our fathers. some of us may rage and some of us may have little reason to rage, the point is to figure out, some time perhaps between 16 and 40, that our fathers are real and human and imperfect. and since they are imperfect it makes sense we would be upset about certain things.

the trick is not be paralyzed by that dissatisfaction. limiting that which renders us unfocused or less effective in our endeavors makes a foundation for taking responsibility for one's life, so we seek to conduct and command a life we can be proud to base our parenting on, so we grok the brotherhood of man in such a way as to feel a part of the massive organism humanity, so we gain meaning through doing and interacting and touching and growing and perpetual learning.

in our primes, (40 to 60?) having acquired balance we should learn to forgive most if not all transgressions of our fathers. as sons we come back to the middle, understanding the complex nature of life, having flaws and inconsistencies of our own.

and yeah, it seems to me life comes at us in 20 year segments. from 0-20 we confront the physical world, learning how to use our bodies and getting a sense life. from 20-40 we enjoy our physical prime but develop interests in headier subjects, climbing maslow's pyramid through love, competition, avocation, work, worship, self-awareness, aesthetic sensibilities, subtlety, taste, interaction, dynamics of every variety, dynamic in every way. youth, mournfully adored in our society is certainly a fun and interesting time of life. this segment represents the physical apex, or adult prime, of life.

as we are mental creatures, the 40-60 segment represents the overall prime of life, the mind being more firmly attached to our essence as well as more enduring. if one has a life's work, it should be accomplished in this period. (and one should have a life's work.)

60-80 should be about coming to grips with our nature, including the temporal aspect. it should also be about sharing wisdom

for me, in the early part of this third, prime segment, being a new father, i am interested in parenting as a life's work. i also feel like i have developed this certain world view, my own credo if you will. it borrows liberally and loosely from any number of traditions but it is in itself akin to a belief system.

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  we should always seek to be noble.


• noble, or right, action, begets nobility.


• the absence of nobility is the absence of value by measures.


• humanity is evolving.


• evolution has been utterly positive for humanity.


• anything that pushes forward the envelope of evolution is noble.


• that which detracts from or impedes evolution is ignoble, even if it creates a beautiful and demonstrative reaction.


• right action is its own reward.


• karma is less a law than an inevitable outcome.


• a light heart does sleep well.


• a heart engaged in deceit beats tensely and feeds upon itself.

these are of the main tenets, off the top of my head. it is not as if i am organizing a new religion. rather, i find religion obsolete. still, if all peoples could all agree on a similar set of basic values, i believe we would see the evolution of belief.

at the same time i wonder about people who do not construct and order their beliefs and values. i suppose some take them all from an institution or a book. others may rely on their own conscience to know what is right and wrong. many likely bend these things regularly making convenience the ultimate law.

as for me, i take pride in my morality, which may sound ridiculous but here's the bottom line: if i was in any way uncomfortable with myself in that way whatsoever, i would make a change, (which happens occasionally.) it is important for me to think on the important things in life and the big picture.

i also think it is worth talking about these things.