(For more on being a philosopher and being stressed, click here).
(For more meta-philosophical criticism, click here)
Forgive me for this shorter piece; I've worked today on other important matters, regarding this site, its future, and its succession, and so on. It was stressful stuff: I talked to a lot of people, which left me quite in shock due to my solitary nature.
Being a philosopher can be very stressful, even if the goal at hand is to find and share wisdom. It is stressful because the truth might be scary, and when it is scary, it hurts. A certain someone I knew eventually left me due to my insights. The love of wisdom might also reveal uncomfortable wisdom.
People who want to become philosophers should understand what they might find. Why? Because what they might find might be disappointing, might be sad, might be grim. The fact that wisdom might be a desirable thing doesn't necessarily mean that its effect, upon retrieval, will be mentally good.
Sometimes, philosophizing requires a certain sacrifice of one's mental health. Some of the possible truths one may find might be difficult to accept, let alone tolerate.
Sometimes, a philosopher will be met with mockery, because such identification is often associated with pretentiousness. This is a stereotype, nothing more.
When I want to seek the truth through contemplation, there is nothing necessarily pretentious about that, if my intent is sincere. I might be wrong, I might sound controversial, but ultimately, to be a philosopher is to SEEK, and not necessarily to fall into the depths of great self-importance.
I see myself as a public figure due to my role. I don't lead anyone and I do not necessarily know better than anyone else. I write to the public, to people across the world, and thus, I am a public figure. I don't really like being referred to as a "brother" by others, because it makes me feel uncomfortable.
This is why I sometimes use the title of "Mr.", because I want to respect others just as I would like to respect me. I know I can't prevent you from calling me your "brother", but philosophy is an important subject, and thus we should treat the relevant agents with a sense of basic formality. I don't mind being archaic, because one of the purposes of this site is to make philosophizing relevant and accessible to the world, without the demand for monetary gain in return.
Philosophy can also be frustrating, because of how easy it is to disagree with one another. Such matters could easily turn into a loophole of frustrating debate with no end, and that's why I prefer avoiding philosophical discussions; I am an exhausted man.
I have defied my former master intentionally, the philosophy professor who introduced me to the art of philosophizing. I did so because he chose to sink into anonymity.
I disagree with this approach when you're philosophizing regularly, because it has the potential to speak to the HEARTS and MINDS of people! Death, morality, religion, love, purpose, fate -- all are relevant topics, and all are in a sense philosophical as well.
With the age of computers, it became easier to insult contributors, without really caring about the consequences of their actions. I, in the end, am on the internet because I want to contribute. Philosophy is the love of wisdom, and those who don't enjoy or "love" my writings, have no obligation to read my writings. I want people to read my writings by their own will, because they, like me, are lovers of wisdom.
Despite of the complexity, the hardship, and the exhaustion that may follow, a true philosopher is one who sticks to the end goal -- to seek potential wisdom and share it with others. That is, really, all I want in life, and that is why, I gave up on suicidal thoughts.
The potential to enrich people's minds; The power to convince them that this esoteric art is indeed relevant. Such things bring joy to my mind, and that is, essentially, why I am a philosopher. My quest for my own relevance is the quest for making philosophy relevant in general. I am merely a pawn of a "religion"; a "religion" that preaches: "Dare to inquire!"
There is much "heart" in philosophizing, that goes under the radar. How could someone philosophize accordingly, without the very genuine will, the "love", to do so? That is the "human" part that goes unmissed in academics and in other snobbish cliques. Logic is essential, no doubt about that, but the "heart" is the very reason as to why philosophy is called that way!
It is the heart that wants to know what it currently doesn't, the human desire, to stay away from ignorance, and dare to better understand this existence we came into, without necessarily our permission.
Don't we have the right to inquire? The right to try and figure out by asking questions, by logic? There is no pretentiousness, in a genuine desire for greater knowledge! For greater awareness!
Finally, my articles might not be correct, but mistakes are a part of learning, and thus, a part of philosophy. I find it unethical to lie, but I have no intention of ever doing so on purpose, since lies keep us away from the very truth we're trying to seek!
See, therefore, my articles as points for further contemplation, and not necessarily as a "Torah from Mount Sinai." You might know better than me, and vice versa. I am only an "authority" by my lifelong dedication to the craft. Remember this: The more we learn, the more we become aware of the size of our own ignorance.
