Today, in this newsletter, I want to talk about something I'm passionate about. That something is the study of philosophy.
Now I know it sounds bizarre - when you think of philosophy, you probably imagine an old, bearded man wearing a white robe staring at some scroll in a dusty old temple thousands of years ago. This is completely understandable but just hear me out.
When you're a kid, if you ever had a question about something, you could always ask your parents because they knew everything. As you got older and you reached adolescence, you probably began to feel that your parents were old and simply didn't understand you so your chief source of counsel may have morphed into your friends or an older sibling. Maybe you even felt you didn't need any advice because you knew everything.
As you reach a certain point of your life as an adult, you will probably begin to realize that you don't in fact know everything, your parents weren't as old and misunderstanding as you thought them to be and that no one really knows what the hell they're doing. Life is confusing and challenging - it's rare that anyone has the right answer all of the time and finding someone who can give you an unbiased opinion that is helpful and who won't judge you for your problems is not as easy as it sounds.
This is where philosophy comes in - philosophy can be defined as "the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline." Oxford Languages
Philosophy, in my opinion, is a toolkit that can help you during your toughest moments and the great philosophers of times gone by, can serve as your mentors in life and give you advice that has stood the test of time.
Plato and his Allegory of the Cave
Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher uses an example to describe the immense value of studying his Theory of Forms (i.e. his philosophical works). In his example, he describes a group of men who live in a cave with their back's to the caves entrance, with chains holding them down which force them to face the cave wall. These chains stop them from turning their heads away from the cave wall or rising up from the caves floor to walk out of the cave into the world outside.
The men are watching the shadows from the light of the caves entrance dance on the wall and from these shadows, they draw their conclusions of the nature of the world. When they see a shadow of a horse dancing on the wall of the cave, naturally they are certain in their beliefs that they have just seen a horse galloping right in front of their eyes but unbeknownst to them a puppeteer is standing behind them, using a wooden frame of a horse to project this shadow onto the cave walls and fool the men in front of him, who know no better.
This is what life is like for those who do not study philosophy.
To learn philosophy is to break free from your chains, stand up, turn around and walk out of the cave into the light of the world and see it for what it truly is. Bit by bit, you strip away the layers of your ignorance and the true nature of reality emerges before you. You were blind, but now you see.
My first introduction to a philosophy was the philosophy of Stoicism which I learnt of via a fantastic Ted Talk on the subject. I've shared it below if you'd like to view it for yourself - when I watched this video, I was hooked after listening to how Nelson Mandela had used one of the most famous works of Stoic philosophy, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, as a guide for navigating the challenges experienced during his time in prison on Robben Island. I thought to myself, if it's good enough for him, then it's probably good enough for me!
"While we may not always have control over the events affecting us, we can have control over how we approach things."
A simple concept, but a powerful one.
When you look back at human history, there are countless examples of great men who have led lives inspired by the great philosophers of human history. This list by Ryan Holiday, author of The Obstacle is The Way and many other great books within the realm of stoicism, shows examples of how stoicism can be found in the lives of many well known individuals throughout the world.
If you'd like to read a lovely book that can serve as an introduction to Stoicism and how to apply it in your life in a Modern World, I can highly recommend the book A Guide to The Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B Irvine.
It's an absolutely phenomenal book and serves as an excellent introduction to the world of Stoicism and it's value to those who follow it.
Why you should care if you haven't figured it out by now
I can speak about Stoicism because it's the philosophical waters I've dipped my toe into but I suspect what I'm about to say will apply for many other philosophy's as well.
Stoicism is your compass when you're lost at sea and the storms of life are raging around you. It will guide you in the moments when disaster strikes and leaves you stranded without aid from others. It will be a source of comfort for you when those around you are in a state of panic and you are wrestling with your own fears, because in the depths of your mind, you will hear the voice of Epictetus whispering to you, "We suffer not from the events in our lives, but our judgement of them."
As the great Mike Tyson once said, "Everybody's got a plan until they get punched in the mouth."
Stoicism and philosophy will give you a plan, even after you get punched in the mouth by life.
AR
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