Mind

Living in black, white… or shades of grey?

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Funny someone once threw words at me, asking me to act “naturally” and not make a big deal out of living. Two words, dude: define natural.

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I’m still in the process of putting together a worldview and a philosophy of life. I don’t recall when I decided to embark on this journey, but I have come to know that it is an essential stage in the course of development.

For some reason, some people tend to use that squishy thing trapped inside the skull, others tend to put it aside and do some experimenting, and still others switch it on and off as they please. People are oceans apart when it comes to how to live, but they all have one thing in common (I hope), and that is to answer one little, yet fundamental question “Who am I?”.

We have three types of people, broadly speaking.

Well, what is the normal way to go about life’s journey? That’s an easy question. Do what everybody else does! If most people around you use their brain and act rationally, then that’s the norm. If people tend to experiment and try things out to see what works for them, then that’s another norm. And finally, if people tend to use their brain at times, and try things out at other times.. then, you guessed it, that’s another normal way to live.  

So basically, the definition of the normality of a human life, in this context, is the extent to which he or she fit into and adopt environmental or social conventions.

If we take it up a notch, we might inquire about the nature of the human being, or the natural way to live. And that’s when it gets tricky. The so-far-attained truth is that nobody knows! There’s no answer yet. Knowing the nature of the human being is the very motive of “knowledge.” This simple inquiry is what originates humanities and social sciences, and much, if not all, of the problematic philosophical debates. Is the human being a thinking thing? Or a rational animal as Aristotle suggested?

Do we have absolute control over our lives? Do our experiences shape our lives? Or do we shape our experiences?

Are we merely realizing our capacities? Are we blank slates? Or a little bit of both, a part characterized by innate dispositions, and another part in need of experience to be activated at all?

Black, white, or shades of grey?

I think the picture is starting to expose its three dimensions. But as I mentioned earlier, there is no right or wrong answer. And it’s even possible that these are not the only routes to go about living.

It’s really up to you. There’s only the answer you formulate. Consider the following questions:

How do you view yourself now? How do you like to view yourself in the future, looking back? How do you like to think about the nature of the human being? How do you like everybody to behave or think? What is your ideal? Does your definition of the ideal contradict your reality? Can you enact your own definition to what’s left of your life? Or would you passively confirm to the external, cozy norm? Are you likely to think of your actions as experiences? As choices? Or a matter of contingency or self-serving bias: as experiences when they turn to mistakes, and as choices when they turn to success?

How you answer those questions should give you an insight on your current philosophy. You could choose to reflect and change. Perhaps you’ve been too rigid and rational, too passive and inactive, or swayed too heavily by what comes in your way (i.e. easily impressionable, or going with the flow). 

Remember: make a choice, commit to it, and act on it.   

Here’s a snapshot to my own view and ideal:

I’m now certainly neither white nor grey. To elaborate on that, as a child I might not have had the choice to be black, so I did use to be white, and needed to experience many shades of grey up to a certain stage in the course of my development. But I have come to a point where I believe a decision can and is ought to be made.

So yeah, I like it black. I find the idea of a “thinking thing” very attractive and I’d like to think of myself as one. No I’m not a passive recipient of external stimuli, and neither do I need experience to realize what’s right or wrong. It’s all up there. That squishy thing between my ears, inside my skull is what creates this life I’m living and what is responsible for my choices and their consequences. Sophrosyne (reason, self-control, moderation, and self-awareness), to me, characterizes the very essence of a human being.. so why not at least try to fulfill this prophecy during my lifetime?

Again, I wouldn’t know if this is natural or not. But one has got to start somewhere, even if it’s from a mere belief or ideal, and work towards fulfilling it. I guess.

On Happiness for No Reason

We all go through the common shower ritual of spending 98% of the time thinking about the meaning of life. Maybe our freedom is unlimited that each one of us defines life but objectively. Some do think that it is an absurd and empty question, and that we live the answer.

I haven’t found an absolute answer yet. However, happiness is major component of it.

Aristotle called happiness the goal of all goals. It’s what we’re truly after. It is the core aim and drive of everything we do.

Epicurus’ philosophy was concerned with the attainment of a happy, peaceful life, portraying a healthy dosage of friendship, freedom, and thought. He emphasized that these elements are just enough to make us genuinely satisfied. But then again,

Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little.

Dismissing occasional greediness, this makes perfect sense to me. Once we have these needs met to the right degree, voilà! Happy person (?).

All the necessary and materialistic components aside, I would like to turn to something more intimate.

According to Marci Shimoff, real happiness is defined as an inner state of peace and well-being that isn’t dependent on circumstances.

I like to view happiness as something internal. Something intangible, yet concrete; a state of the soul, rather than the body. Something from the within that could manifest the without through a smile or an act of kindness.

Some days I wake up in a genuinely happy mood, wearing a Duchenne smile on my face all day. I think to myself, I am happy for no reason (dreams aside).

Many think that the reason for being truly happy is to have no reason.

But as obsessive as I am, I ironically ask “Why?” or “Where did this feeling come from?”

It’s not like I won the lottery.

But I do sense some sort of an inner voice inside of me that gently whispers “You’re ought to be authentically happy today.”

As insufficient an answer this may sound, the words of John Barrymore left me convinced.

Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.

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Happiness for no reason could possibly be a bundle of positive actions and emotions residing at the back of our minds. It could be as simple as an act of compassion or a pleasant memory that, on one of those days, happened to come for a visit, uninvited.

Maybe, after all, there is a reason for being ‘happy for no reason’.

It’s just that we choose not to know that reason so we don’t ruin the ecstasy.