No matter how impeccable my logic, and no matter how clever my arguments, I’ve never been able to reason my way to a meaningful life…
But if the thinker in me is wise enough, honest enough, humble enough, and courageous enough, his repeated failures to think his way to meaning will teach him many priceless lessons:
He will discover that thinking is NOT the highest function of a sentient mind.
…that thinking and consciousness are not synonyms.
…that getting the “right” answers will do him no good if he is asking the wrong questions.
…that intellect alone is too narrow, shallow, and crude to answer the most important questions in life.
…that his compulsive need to explain everything renders him blind and deaf to the simple truths that are right before his eyes and ears.
…that true knowledge and profound wisdom are the fruit of superior experience, not superior intellect.
…that knowledge without action is a pointless self-indulgence.
…that life doesn’t have to make sense, but it still needs to be lived.
…that he need not solve the mystery of life in order to live the mystery of life–with passion and purpose.
… and that certain secrets of the universe will be revealed to him only after he’s had the courage to leave the convenient, comfortable, safe, and predictable behind–secrets that logic cannot deduce, words cannot express, and thoughts cannot think.
more like this… Existential Humanism
Discover more from Frank J. Peter
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
“Knowledge without action is a pointless self-indulgence.” Perfect line, Frank. Too often, I hear people (climate alarmists, environment alarmists, etc.) blathering because they think that to mere blather awards them a spot on the moral high ground. But when you ask, “What are you going to help the cause,” they have no game. I see people rolling carts out of Sam’s Club loaded with cases and cases of water that probably don’t get recycled, and huge bottles of body wash instead of bar soap that does what soap should do: disappear. When you ask, “Are you composting your food, because food waste is the number cause of methane gas?” you get a dumb look. If each and every one of us were just a little more thoughtful in our own little corner of the world, instead of relying on corrupt governments, I’ll bet we’d see a marked improvement.
Heartened by the resonance and grateful for your noteworthy additions, Michael. Keep on keepin’ on.