When Did We All Stop Considering Ourselves Philosophers?

The Lost Art That Changed The World

People hear the word philosopher and this is what jumps to mind. Icons of the past that changed the world thousands of years ago.

Brilliant thinkers that changed how everything was understood. Ideas that changed the course of history.

This isn’t you. So you aren’t a philosopher.

That statement is wrong. Completely wrong.

Philosophy isn’t about a few brilliant thinkers.

Philosophy is something that we can all do. Most of us DO do it when we aren’t drowning in the busyness we have built our lives around.

Philosophy is our ability to wonder. About life and everything in it

The goal isn’t to come up with answers.

The real intent is this:

It’s about the process of trying to find answers versus accepting without questioning.

The most important ideas in your life will come from your own individual reasoning. They will not come from what has been forced upon you by society.

The beginning of thought is in disagreement — not only with others, but with ourselves

Eric Hoffer

The world today has us believing that for an idea to be good, enough people have to agree with it.

A world of social media tricking generations to believe that social proof is the litmus test for the quality of ideas.

Every disruptive idea started out as something that either hadn’t been done or that people believed couldn’t be done.

Take time to ask more questions.

Challenge what you are being told.

Test for yourself and ask yourself if this is an idea that you agree with. If it’s what you believe for yourself or if you are accepting it because it’s what you have been told is ‘normal’ or ‘right’.

Thousands of years ago, they didn’t have all of the tools, technology or understanding that we have today. This forced people to think more, to look inside themselves and the world around them for answers. There was a willingness to experiment and explore — there weren’t any alternatives.

It’s a gift we seem to have forgotten. But it’s still there.

Ask. Test. Decide for yourself.

Comments

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