How To Be a Deeper Being --- The Philosophy of "Kli" and "Tochen"

I'd like to suggest the idea that our understanding of reality is compromised by our unwillingness to focus on the functional and the practical. The difference between a childish person and a mature person, for that matter, is the ability of the latter to distinguish between kli and tochen, and focus on the tochen rather than the kli. The manchild, on the other hand, might even get overexcited by the kli, and underestimate the value of the tochen. Of course, I will now lecture you on what they are and why they matter.

Kli and tochen are both words in Hebrew. Kli is a device, a medium, a tool, etc. In the reality beyond our experiences, the kli is nothing more than the carrier of the tochen. Tochen literally means content, but can also refer to words such as essence, depth, purpose, etc. The philosopher, for that matter, is a person of tochen, and very little, if at all, of kli. I suppose that philosophy is nowadays irrelevant in the eyes of many, because they may focus more on the former rather than the latter. This could also explain why the world is getting increasingly shallow.

In the name of reality, we need to understand that the kli is nothing without the tochen, even though the kli represents the tochen. For instance, cars attract a great appeal in the eyes of people due to their luxury, aesthetics, and comfort. However, the reason I never bothered learning about cars is because they are just vehicles, just means of transportation. That is their tochen. If they deliver what they were built for, then they fulfill their tochen, which isn't very much, is it? It isn't.

Pure beauty is a form of pure "kli". Beyond asthetic appeal, it has no "tochen". Thus, a deeper person will minimize its importance. They wouldn't, of course, get so anxious about it. That includes physical appearance. For many it is extremely important. They are called metrosexuals. Of course, women can be metrosexuals as well. It's just that the term is usually attributed to men.

What metrosexuals might fail to realize is that there is no need to be so obsessive about their appearance. You don't need to do much to look good. And once you look good, there is no need to resume pampering yourself. This is still good than not having a sense of hygene.

I'm bringing this up because the whole point of the "tochen" is to focus on the functionality of an object or feature, in the general framework. After all we do not live in a vaccum, and the grown, rational adult is well aware of that fact, while the manchild isn't.

The manchild might as well do things because they feel like it, even when they can harm their intentions and goals in the long term. The manchild might be a metrosexual, for instance, because they are too shallow to realize that there is far more to this reality than pure beauty, that doesn't necessarily mean anything beyond itself.

When we eat food, many of us may do it because it is tasty, and not because it is healthy. Some of us may even eat despite not being hungry. This is because we may overestimate the "kli" (taste) over the "tochen" (nutrition), and thus may suffer from health problems such as obesity and diabetes. In reality, the taste of food is secondary to its nutritional value.

The taste only helps to make the food more edible and easier to swallow. It is the nutrition that sustains us and keeps us healthy.

Therefore, it is important to be mindful of what we eat and to choose foods that are both tasty and nutritious. This will help us to avoid health problems and to live a long and healthy life.

Hence why, as well, hunger is the "tochen" while the appetite is the "kli". We don't need appetite to eat. We need to be hungry. And when we prioritize appetite over hunger, we may feel compelled to eat even more than currently. I'm speaking from experience, here.

The same goes for music videos and music in general. A deep person does not care for "ear candies"; they care for a piece that is more meaningful than that. They would focus not only on the sound, but the message as well. They may even disregard the video itself if it is nothing more than something cosmetic. The same goes for art, by the way. They look for the meaning, not the overall feeling. For the feeling can deceive and bias our perception, and therefore deserves to be less relevant in deeper eyes.

A true deep person is, of course, not pretentious and not a pseudo-intellectual. They seek depth and "tochen" because they want to live. Because they find meaninglessness in the glorified shallowness of the "kli". They seek the "tochen" because they want to live a life that is filled with "tochen". With purpose. In a sense, they might as well seek to be deep, because they want to survive beyond the bare necessities of food, water, shelter, and money.

How can the desire to continue living be pretentious, when we have the choice to depart from this world voluntarily?

Since I felt great sadness when observing and contemplating the "kli" over the "tochen", I slowly began realizing my place in this world. As a philosopher. As one that is compelled to not only find depth himself, but share it with humanity for years to come. It is only when focusing on the "tochen" that I can feel genuine accomplishment in this sad and empty world.

Why sad and empty, you may ask? Because the joys it provides are nothing more than temporary delusions that tell us that we are doing something meaningful with our lives.

And should philosophy itself remain boring in the eyes of many, and not something that gives purpose to the "kli" that is our lives, then why should we even live? Why should we live in a world with little purpose? No. To avoid despair and to contribute to lives, we must seek and embrace depth and purpose.

Yes... philosophizing gives me peace of mind. Makes me believe that hope is something that is deserved. For me and for others. Because depth, itself, is deserved.

Because without them, we might as well be bodies with dead people residing within. By the way, I think you should know, dear readers. I will not be writing about video games anymore myself. That's because of the rationale of this very article. They are merely toys -- tools made to play with. They were made to deliver fun.

And we are not here to be entertained. We are here to learn and be enlightened by philosophical insights. If I will want to write about a story, I will seek a more suitable form of media. One that's there primarily to study, and not to be enjoyed from (primarily).

Yes, you have my word... For the most part. I may deem some media as exceptions. I enjoy honoring media I grew up with by writing articles in their name. It's the least I can do for accompanying me in my solitary childhood.

Hail Philosocom.

Ms, Hali Bash-March's Feedback

I got to say that I dont agree with this way of thinking as you can claim everything has a value or as you call it "tochen", and part of those tochen are the experiances of life.

For example some people value greatly the feeling of speed on the road or a certain way the car flow as it goes on the road. They enjoy they feeling the car gives them as they drive that other cars mignt not give them.

So for them to this kli there is tochen, even though in your example you clamed cars are nothing but a tool of transportation. The same logic can be said on beauty as not all beauty is a tool for attraction.

Some people putting effort in their beauty as a form of art or exploration. So i claim that every Kli can be potentialy a Tochen, but it depends on your choise to view it that way, meaning awarness is important.

Another important thing that I do not agree with is proclaiming art has no meaning of its own, only from its message and ideas it passes on. The world is full of beauty and art is a form of exploration to that beauty.

Certain sounds and colors are important and failing to see them makes life null and depressing. Some of the Tochen of art is just appreciating the existance of life and the universe around us.

So, my claim remains the same -- every Kli has Tochen that depends on how you view it, and its not that the Kli is not important, because they are one in the same, the only thing that changes is your perception of the Kli and what meaning or depth you give it. So, generally i think its great to be able to see depths in the world but i do not think that they are dependent on the Kli but rather on your perspective.