Well here I am again - and on the same day too!
I had time to read a fair bit today - am reading a book called Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. I am sure a fair number of you would have heard of it and many would have probably read it too. Its a highly engaging book so far. The book is generously sprinkled with some very catchy philosophical lines that provide fodder for thought.
Which got me thinking - philosophy, spirituality, discussions on ethics and morality - what prompts us to engage in them? That then shall be the topic of this blog.
The great thinkers of the past - men like Aristotle and Plato, or Confuscious or Gautama Buddha - have all turned towards spirituality and philosophy at a time when their civilizations were at the zenith. Materially there was no want for anything more - but people craved something more, something beyond, something metaphysical and ethereal.
We seem to be at a similar point in modern history today. Technologically we are fast approaching a point where it shall be difficult to conceive anything fantastically different from what we already have or know about. Materially we have all the comforts that we could possibly need. Most of our work is either completely or partially done by machines. We spend less time doing mundane activities that kept our forefathers (and mothers) occupied for most part of their day. Which only means we have more time for other activities - while some use the time to chase pleasures of all sorts, others use it for the 'softer' side of their development - be it the emotional or the spiritual quotient.
Our generation in particular - and here I do generalize - seems to have been brought up with most of our needs provided for. Most of our desires have been met, one way or the other. While our fathers and their fathers had their financial future and the well-being of their families to worry about, we seem to have more time and freedom to sit by the seaside and discuss the state of our civilization and our souls.
The bottomline is this - while our forefathers have all been men of action - essentially because of a pressing need to be as such - we are more driven by the quest for knowledge and higher thinking. We spend more of our time musing over matters that really do not have a direct impact on our everyday lives. While we still do study and work, we do so without any real worry of the future that lies ahead. Our fathers have ensured that we shall lead a life that is considerably easier and more comfortable than theirs has been. Our leaders assure us that global problems are being addressed, and that our security is their first priority. As Tyler Durden says in Fight Club (one of the must-see movies - but more on those in another blog) - "We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives."
Whether this is a good thing or bad is a matter of perspective. One might argue that we shall only end up being fat and lazy with no real drive or purpose. But seen a different way - we may be approaching a point in history where we finally have a deep enough understanding of science and spirituality to be able to converge the 2 paths. We may find that the universal equation Einstein spent his life searching for may be more spiritual than scientific - or a combination of the two fields of study. Of course - I'm only musing.
In conclusion all I can say is that we are in a day and age where we shall find more and more people driven by a search for something beyond the physical and the present. What we make of it and whether we pursue it ourselves is a very individual choice. As always, it boils down to belief and faith. What do you believe in?
Cheers
Afterthought: The very fact that I had time to write this, and the fact that you have the time to read it is proof enough that we all do not seem to have too many pressing concerns in our lives today. :D What can I say - enjoy it while you can!
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3 comments:
There are a lot of reasons we discuss such issues..to fill the silence, to find a common ground, to connect with and understand another person..may be it could be because it makes u feel inteligent..we all have our own reasons.
May be, we still have pressing needs..and may be we occupy ourselves with other activities in order to distract ourselves from those very pressing needs....
take care and keep smiling
Great to know that you have started writing and you do write well, but totally flawed analysis. It is indeed more convenient to think about the philosophical questions when the material wants are taken care of, however the relationship is definitely not one of causuality. Philosophy is the product of higher intelligence, nothing more, nothing less. In other words, we think about abstract things, because we can. The only reason the 'greater' philosophers appear to be born at the zenith of their respective civilizations is that since their civilizations were at the zenith, their thoughts are better documented and preserved. There must have been many other ponderers, they have simply not been documented. The 'meaning of life/ ultimate truth' question is one that humanity as a whole has always asked itself. At no point in time has humanity ever stopped pondering about the universe, irrespective of its material wealth
Also, your views would imply that a lot more people indulge in philosophy these days than did earlier, because we have greater material wealth. Which, to generalize, is simply untrue. And blogging, dude, is not about philosophy, it is about communication. Those who find the time to write/read blogs are the ones who would have found time to discuss similiar things over a cup of chai/coffee at someplace. There are many others whose material status knows no bounds, and they still have no time to ponder.
Also, bear in mind that I'm largely agreed with your central principle - there are hardly any poor philosophers (and those who are, choose the poverty). My objections though are more specific.
Keep them coming.
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