A Philosopher is a lover of wisdom, a medicine for the soul. I took a Philosophy course my first quarter of college, not even 18 yet. It changed my life. It helped me to see that most of our life we ask small questions and we receive small answers. The bigger the questions, the bigger the life.
One of my favorite authors is Eric Weiner who wrote the compelling book, “The Geography of Bliss.” A couple of years ago, I stumbled upon another one of his amazing books, “The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers.” In reading this book, Eric helped me to see it was not the meaning of life most of us aspired to, but instead the desire to lead meaningful lives. He reviews some of the world’s greatest philosophers as a means of curating one’s own well-lived life.
Given the times we live in, it’s easy to feel the weight, not the wonder, of the world, but this book reacquainted me with the value of wonder with no intention other than just being in a state of wonder. He writes, “We often conflate wonder with curiosity. Yes, both provide helpful antidotes to apathy, but in different ways. Wonder is personal in a way curiosity is not. You can be curious dispassionately. You can question dispassionately. You cannot wonder dispassionately. Curiosity is restive, always threatening to chase the next shiny object that pops into view. Not wonder. Wonder lingers. Wonder is curiosity reclined, feet up, drink in hand. Wonder never chased a shiny object. Wonder never killed a cat.”
Thoreau is one of those philosophers he writes about with admiration, “I love the way Thoreau sounds less like a philosopher and more like an awestruck teen.” Couldn’t we all use a little more “awestruck teen” in our way of seeing the world? He also focuses on Simone Weil, Seneca, Confucius, and nearly a dozen other philosophers.
What if Philosophy was meant to be our means of dealing with a ridiculously crazy world. Eric writes, “We can choose to find joy not in certainty, but in its opposite. Once we do that, life – the same life from an outsider’s perspective – feels quite different to us. Find joy in uncertainty and the tumult at the office becomes cause for celebration, not teeth gnashing and an extra glass of wine at the end of the day. Find joy in uncertainty, and even illness, while still physically painful, no longer terrifies. This shift in perspective is subtle, but profound. The world looks different. A reorientation like this is not easy. Nietzsche acknowledges, but it is possible – and what is philosophy but an exploration of heretofore undreamt-of possibilities?”
I’m honored that Eric Weiner will be joining me for a less expensive weekend workshop at our Santa Fe campus, “Untapped Wisdom: How Philosophy Changes Your Life,” April 9-12. I promise we’ll talk about more important topics than ketchup.
-Chip