Are we all too quick to worship and follow men who we have labeled as great?

Why is it such a big surprise to us when men, who are widely regarded as great, turn out to be a hypocrite, charlatan, or have so many skeletons in the closet you can hear them rattling a mile away? Why are we so shocked? Aren’t they human too despite the flattering opinions we wish to lavish on these godlike figures?

Admittedly, we can all sometimes become mesmerised and then attached to these shining examples of humanity, which can inadvertently make us forget about our own important role to play in life.

These legendary men, who in most cases take the moral high ground, can sometimes be found guilty of not practicing what they preach.

In a series of six posts, I will try to pull down the veil of perfection that protects 6 great thinkers in history, as I reveal their own, and perhaps unflattering, mortal afflictions.
Read more…

The Thinker contemplates life's pertinent questions

Let me now introduce you to the first of six posts featuring a series of documentaries written and presented by popular British philosopher Alain de Botton.

This 6 part series is an entertaining, practical and psychobabble-free self-help course for the philosophically minded.

Here, de Botton, brings us six thinkers who have influenced history, and their ideas about the pursuit of the happy life.  Here we have then:

• Socrates
• Epicurus
• Seneca
• Michel de Montaigne
• Arthur Schopenhauer
• Friedrich Nietzsche

Read more…

A seated Socrates converses his philosophy to a Muse

In the post ‘Radical Thinking: What You Can Learn From the Timeless Philosophy of Socrates’ written by Tejvan Pettinger, we are provided with some wise advice on how we can use the most important components of the philosophy of Socrates, and apply his principles to positive affect in our daily lives.

Read more…

The Battle between Reason and Passion

The Rafael painting (on the left) of Greek philosophers Plato (pointing up towards the sky) and his pupil, Aristotle (palm facing down towards the ground) seemingly depicts them debating what should govern Man’s affairs: either Plato’s heavenly passion of the Gods, or Aristotle’s earthly reason of science.

This battle of wise minds serves as an example that begins this post with an apparent conflict between reason and passion, as I ask the question to myself as to which of the two should be used towards benefiting us personally and society as a whole?

Philosophy, and Stoicism in particular, can be accused of being, at most part, emotionally cold and distant because of it’s aim for us to invoke the use of reason to override all human emotions.  The elements of passion and reason have been opposing forces ever since the very beginnings of philosophy.

Read more…

This is a continuation of the “Take Courage to Perform Wise Actions Against Fear” series. The first post in the series can be found here.

Continuing on with my advice…

Some Homework to do for the rest of your life:

How do I apply what I have learned about myself towards dealing with certain fears or impediments of the mind?

The best way to go about dealing with inner issues is to deal with them one at a time with a clear mind.  Once you get into the habit of self-observation as I advised you to do during the routine of attaining self-knowledge, you should learn to question every thought and emotion that affects your mind, so to determine if it is contradictory to your personal development in life.

This self-interrogation is similar to the method employed by Socrates to question people about their own opinions and beliefs.

Once false opinions or beliefs are determined they should be discarded immediately if you want to make progress towards “Truth”.  The same philosophy can be used when dealing with negative feelings (false emotions such as  fear) that can impinge on your state of mind.

Read more…

This is a continuation of the “Take Courage to Perform Wise Actions Against Fear” series. The first post in the series can be found here.

Continuing on with my advice…

So what happens after one has struck up the courage to face their fears?

Having the courage to live is one thing, but having the self-knowledge to become aware and deal with any negative emotions before they take root is another matter altogether.  Believe me, it will take great strength of mind and spirit to enter into this war, and there can be no overnight success.

However, you can take great confidence in knowing that it isn’t impossible to develop the self-knowledge and power within yourself to break down the psychological barriers in time (we don’t have that much time to be honest).  After all, you must begin the campaign by empowering yourself  psychologically and spiritually towards becoming a god of yourself – you are both master and creator of your kingdom, in mind as well as in spirit.

“He is a man of courage who does not run away, but remains at his post and fights against the enemy.”

~ Socrates

Read more…