Tag Archives: personal philosophy

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

The Mystery of Life

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Does human life have a deeper meaning beyond what we know?  That is something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain.  It is a mystery.

This is not to say we cannot define our own purpose and from that create individual and even group meaning.  Following a path, we define for ourselves at an earlier age can become our answer to the question, why am I here?

Living is the Answer

Of course, the mystery begins with the background.  Did the universe come into being by an accident?  Is that even possible?  Can something occur without purpose or motivation?

Perhaps it just is.  The human race evolved over many years and continues to do so.  The outcomes created by humans taken as a whole are both numerous and impactful.  Even astounding at times.

Human creations span a wide multitude of achievements, some could be considered good, while others bad and some just mediocre.  the hallmark of all these things is they are derived through the act of living.

Life is meaning in and of itself

Everything we do, from birth, encapsulates our lives.  Without a specific measure governing whether your life has achieved the purpose for which it was intended, that being a mystery, the answer lies within your own definition.

Each of us must define our own journey and self determine the value of that trip.  Do the opinions of others matter?  Only to the extent they influence your own assessment of success.  The meaning of your life is yours to determine, execute, and assess.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Winning Strategies

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Most peoples lives are structured like a game.  Games are a form of play with rules and different levels of competitiveness.  The goals typically determine how competitive the game is.

Consider, throughout your life you are measured whether through tests at school, or for skills and competency (swimming, driving), performance at paid work or even unpaid work and the list goes on.

Judged Against Others

Most of these tests or assessments are to judge you against others.  That is you are competing against other people and your results determine if you win.

Think of competing for a job or a post secondary education, a spot on a professional sports team.  All these are competitive activities, based on rules and result in winners or losers.

How important is it?

Some of the games we play are not particluarly critical and our desire to win may be low or even non-existant but pretty well everyone gets caught up in a game that really matters to them from time to time.

So, whats a good strategy to win the game?   Before I consider playing to win, I wonder why I am playing at all and if it is the best thing for me.

Do I need to compete to achieve my personal goals and what is the impact on doing so?  Largely over time I have come to the conclusion I am personally better off not playing.

My competitive moments are not against others but against myself. Its not a game because there are no other players and the winning determination is soley at my discretion.

This is not to say I don’t play games, I do, they are only for fun and enjoyment.  My life is not a game, it is not a competition, it is not a series of achievements that enable me to label myself a winner.

My life is focused on my own enjoyment, as long as I don’t impinge on the enjoyment of others.

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

It’s Obvious

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The other day I overheard a colleague saying ” philosophy is often the art of expressing  the obvious”.   Given that obvious things are easily perceived and understood, this sounded like a shot.

On deeper thought it occured to me, the obvious is sometimes hidden by it ordinariness.  Obvious things don’t stand out and thus get ignored.

Leveraging the Obvious

Acting or behaving according to some obvious principles requires a concious understanding and recognition of the concept.  It may be easily understood, but also easily ignored.

Of course, what appears obvious might not be and could benefit from some some analysis and clarification.  Hence the interest of philosophers.

For Example

Check the distance before you jump.  This appears to be a pretty simple, easily understood statement.  Makes sense.  Wait,  is this just about broad jumping or leaping from one roof top to another?

Could this be more of a metaphoric phrase about a possible approach to life.  Checking the distance is about considering the potential  risk and benefit.

Is taking the action, which in the metaphoric sense may be more than jumping (e.g., asking for a raise, investing in a stock, getting married) worth it.

And so, the obvious might not be so obvious, thus enters the philosopher.

Pay Attention

Ignoring or accepting the obvious without thought could be at your detriment.  Is there a deeper meaning?  Can it help craft your behaviour to be more successful?

These are not easy questions nor is the answer obvious (he,he).  Think conciously for a moment the next time you encounter the obvious.  It might be enlightening.

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Relaxing

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The act of relaxing entails engaging in an enjoyable activity so as to become less tired or anxious.  Like a vacation.  Some equate inactivity with relaxation but personally I think it is more about the kind of activity.

Boredom can be stressful.  Being able to occupy yourself in a  satisfying way is associated with enjoyment.  Waiting, wondering and not being sure what the future will bring, can be uncomfortable.

Enjoyment

Taking pleasure in something, i.e, feeling good, enjoying, is a key part of relaxation.  In fact, writing a song for profit or a wrting book or just practicing your profession can be relaxing.  (That is any profession ranging from accountant to swim suite model to doctor and all stops in-between).

Focusing on things that relax you is pleasurable.  A personal goal of mine is to seek maximum pleasure (as long as I don’t impinge on the pleasure of others).  Therefore doing things that are relaxing is something I seek out.

Keep on Moving

Sometimes the challenge is not about avoidance ( i.e., finding ways to not do stressful things).  The greater difficulty can sometimes be finding things that are pleasurable to do.

These can range from playing a video game to planting a garden.  Debating a topic or investing in the stock market.  There are a million activities humans can engage in.

An activity that provides maximum pleasure for one person might be an anathema to another.   For each of us, knowing what relaxes you and seeking it out, is an important part of living your life to the fullest.