Philosophy-A way of Life

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Philosophy-A way of Life

People have been afraid rather suspicious of the term philosophy as well as the so called philosophers without realizing the fact that they are literally pervaded by it. Everything around us run on some or the other philosophy. It may be human, an organization, an institution or even a nation. Philosophy is how we live life, it is how we look at things and behave with beings around us in our day to day life. Consider a simple man who thinks living comfortably in life  along with his concept of little morality is enough; he looks at things and interacts with beings around with this pervading concept in his mind. This is his philosophy. Similar philosophies can be seen around us all the time. For few, life is meant to enjoy and consume, thus all things around him are either objects of consumption or means to obtain those objects. For others life may be that which brings sorrows through all quarters. Thus life is a big stage of sadness with bouts of happiness. For few others it may be just the opposite. Even when a person declares that he doesn’t believe in their being a  philosophy of life, he is rather stating his philosophy of life. Thus we all have certain philosophy of life inside us through which or rather according to which we live. Philosophy is like the soul  which is experienced by all of us everyday yet a topic hardly discussed.

Now the question arises, if philosophy is so much eternal then we do not need to bother about it just as we do not bother  about the existence of air although it is the most important constituent for us, in being alive. It is here that we realize the difference. Existence of air or other eternal objects are things about which we can’t do much rather anything. We can just observe them, know about them. But philosophy of life is an evolving  thing. It is made by our thoughts and undergoes through rapid and major changes with changes  in our thoughts, with our learning and our experiences. It is what defines our being and our approach towards life. Thus it is something we can work upon.

How do we enter into this beautiful world of philosophy made so dreadful by our inhibitions ?The first question that we need to ask ourselves is -what do we think is the aim of our life? Most of us have never faced this question, or we have been able to avoid it by diverting or presuming to know the answer. But how many of us can answer this in a definite manner. There may be various aims for different people. It may be acquiring unlimited wealth which is of course for enjoying things, acquiring good  fame such that people may know you or even a bad one for the same sake, doing things so that you may be remembered always, acquiring power or position such that you get command over others, serving or helping other people, etc. etc. Indeed all of these appears to be the aim of our lives, but still there is always one of it which is our chief aim. This can be known when we are given an option and we choose one amongst them. Few people may choose wealth over fame while it is often seen that people leave wealth or rather spend wealth amongst others for fame or good name .Thus wealth is the chief aim for one and fame for the other.

Arriving at the aim of our lives is not an easy task. When we do not have money ,wealth  seems to be the most probable aim of this life, but people who have wealth often speak of  the uselessness of it if they do not have what they desire, usually things like fame, loved ones etc. Thus it is an ever changing entity. Mostly people seems to consider aim of their life as that which they are lacking. Thus the process of finding your aim in life involves a deeper reflection into your inner self. It involves the process of going beyond your basic instinct of trying to achieve what you do not have. In a way the process also involves thinking that all the things are achievable or already present and now what do you want from life? There are various other questions that has to be faced in this process. Whether what you think is the aim of your life is actually fit to be so? Is it all that you would be satisfied with even when other things are not present? What things are you ready to sacrifice for it? etc. etc. Once this aim of life is fixed we move on to the next level of thinking which involves thinking upon the ways of achieving this aim, deciding the best or the most affective way etc. However all these shall come much later. First we must have a fix idea about what should be the aim of our life which shall decide our way of living it. Hope to continue later…