by Tom Karlin

Created on: April 08, 2007   Last Updated: May 08, 2007

As long as opinions and knowledge are worshipped in our society we will continue to ignore the importance of self discovery. Philosophy, yours or another's is a matter of perceiving the world and forming an opinion on how one should live their life. Any perception based on thought is based on the past knowledge or past experience. Therefore what relevance does it have to the present? Philosophy, meaning, using observations and forming a postulation how we should live must always be in conflict. Our lives are constantly changing. One minute we are joyful and happy, the next moment we could find ourselves deep in despair. That is what we experience in life. Events are affecting our behavior all the time. This is how we live our lives, we experience joy and pain. Naturally, we want to avoid the pain and pursue pleasure. Do you need a philosopher to explain this? I don't think so. You may not think of it in these terms, but that's how most of us live our life; trying to achieve a state of happiness. Do you see this in yourself?

So what role does philosophy play in our daily lives and decision making, and does it have any connection to truth? Your perception could be entirely different than mine, so we automatically have built a wall between us. This is what opinions are; a conflict. If philosophy is based on opinion it must breed conflict. If one's mind is in a state of conflict, can it observe what truth is? How is any opinion, whether you call it modern or religious philosophy, going to help you deal with life's reality? How is any collection of theories going to help you deal with the pain of losing your husband, wife, or child for example? Words aren't going to change how you feel emotionally. Escaping the pain by believing in a certain doctrine isn't going to change the fact. Philosophy may give you temporary comfort, but it can only mask the truth because it is based on past experience. There is only one true way to deal with life's changing events, and that is to experience them first hand. Then you will you will reject what is not truth. Then you are the expert, and not dependent on words spoken or written by others, who are more than eager to tell you how you should live your life.

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