Philosophically
Speaking
Deluged daily by a flood of information from
thousands of sources around the globe, it would be natural to assume
people have become obsessed with knowledge. But, the torrential
rain of data seems to have driven us instead to the mindless comfort
of platitudes. like “Everything will work out for the best”
and “Things will get better.” Such vague yearnings
indicate at least a halfhearted hope of improvement, but they are
hardly a call to action. Yet, there’s so much we need to
know, so much we should know, so much we don’t know, the natural
response to this losing battle is surrender. Who can think encircled
by this driving whirlpool of facts and figures, news and breakthroughs?
In the children’s book “The Phantom Tollbooth”,
the hero sees his friend swim through the sea of knowledge and come
out dry. Going with the flow on the information superhighway
can have a similar result. We come off empty handed. Or,
empty-headed.
The only way to make sense of the information glut it is by integrating
what we see, hear and experience according to our personal philosophy,
by applying personal principles to the unfiltered possibilities spun
out in a frenzied, unprincipled universe.
Philosophy isn’t a subject reserved for dead Greeks and Romans. Our
philosophy keeps our life on course. Recognizing what is important,
deciding what principles will guide our behavior, matching behavior
to beliefs, is how to create a successful life.
It requires conscious effort. It takes thought. It means
defining a hazy sense of right and wrong into a value system to direct
how we act and how we treat other people. The way to withstand
the onslaught of stuff and nonsense streaming around us is with the
strength of fundamental convictions. The way to avoid being sucked
into the vortex of unthinking ignorance is to think.
“Garbage in, Garbage out,” describes how computer programs
operate. Without a philosophy, without principles, it can describe
how people operate. Knowledge unaccompanied by principle
releases random destruction like a tornado, only damage is to the
spirit and the trail of ruin runs through generations.
Scientists working on the atomic bomb described soul-searching conflict
with the purpose of their creation. It may not seem as monumental
at the office or behind the counter, but everyone faces equally essential
ethical dilemmas in work and life.
Does decency operate on a continuum? Is there a sliding scale
to integrity? Is it all right to take advantage of someone who’s
a jerk anyway? Is it ok to take credit for someone else’s
work, if they don’t –or can’t -object? Who
pays the bill for a broken heart - or a broken spirit? If it’s
human nature to shine, what if someone else is tarnished in the process? Platitudes
can’t provide enough of an answer. Nothing will work out
for the best until everyone fills in the blanks for themselves.
Headline news rarely features people who know not to take advantage
of others, who understand it’s wrong to benefit at someone else’s
expense. The ones who missed that lesson make big headlines
- for fraud, robbery, plagiarism, pornography, assault, murder and
crimes against humanity.
Even with complete access to the collective knowledge of the human
race, what we do is governed by our personal philosophy, based on
principles that seem right and feel fair. If we don’t identify
them, or if they lay dusty and ignored on some internal shelf, we
abdicate control of our lives. Philosophy isn’t just for
philosophers. It’s the way to determine our place and stance
in the universe.
We should stand up for what we believe, but first, we must decide
what that is.
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