Creative Guidance-IASbaba, Inspirational & Educative Articles
Philosophy Vs Reality:
A philosopher searches for answers in ideas, concepts, and words. He rarely explores the nature of reality around him experientially, but he inquires through the process of thinking. A philosopher can get so deep into his thought process that he can begin to feel that his ability to think is his greatest possession. He can conclude for himself that without thoughts, life is simply meaningless, and can even come to a preposterous conclusion like Rene Descartes did and say, “I think, therefore I am.”
A philosopher just surrounds himself with words. He tries to substitute language for reality, forgetting that language is just a symbolic representation of Truth. Language is only meant to point us in the right direction; it can never replace our search for Truth.
Philosophy is not altogether useless, however. Philosophical inquiry can help us to move from certain blinding, ignorant ideologies of life, toward those that are liberating. Philosophical inquiry can even help us break the bondage of our limiting ideologies, belief systems, and concepts of life, but no matter how much time we spend playing with words, we can never get to the Truth that hides behind them.
Philosophizing can bring us to a theoretical understanding of life. The more time we spend with words, the more we will believe that we have a superior understanding of life compared to that of others. Without the experience of Truth that is rooted in love, compassion, and a sense of connectedness with everything around us, philosophizing will always remain empty and meaningless.
Possessing knowledge about something, yet not experiencing it, can drive us crazy. Knowledge that is not rooted in a personal experience of Truth is just madness: This is what has happened to our society. We are suffering from our philosophies, our knowledge, and our intelligence. Modern man is suffering from a severe overdose of thinking. The simple solution to this problem is learning how to be more rooted in the present moment.
“This article is a part of the creative endeavor of Nirvana Foundation and IASBABA.”
