13.12.2008
Much of our daily life is either dull routine, or stressfully driven by
events. What we think, and how we act, is strongly influenced by habits,
by proven responses that fit the respective situation. There are other
occasions as well, of course: where we can freely choose what to do. In
those stretches of time, you may decide to just relax and empty your mind,
or get adventurous; you may also turn to some of the pleasures of the mind
(read a good book, go to the opera).
There is something else one could do: take a step back and reflect.
Move outside the continuous stream of immediate actions and concerns and
identify what the goals and projects behind them are; get clear whether
the restless activity that fills the daytime is really aligned with (and
effective for) reaching these goals; look at the bigger picture and
check if the projects are actually those in which one should be involved,
given what one wants to achieve in the current stage in one's life.
And indeed, perhaps in such moments you are getting to think about that
bigger picture itself: what's important for me, what do I want to do with
my life, and what kind of a person would I like to be? Of course you're not
likely to find clear answers to such far-reaching questions just in a few
hours of thought, and certainly not the very first time. But you will find
that repeatedly taking the reflective stance and pondering them will begin
to make a change in your life: you will start to experience much of your
thinking and acting in a more intense manner, and you will notice that you're
getting better at making decisions that fit with your overall aims.
1) Most of the ancient Greek philosophers (and all the big names,
such as Socrates, Aristotle, Epicurus or Chrysippus) thought that taking this
reflective stance is a normal activity in grown-up human beings, and that
sooner or later in our lives we all enter it for the first time - and then
take it up again and again.
But being normally initiated is not yet the same as getting good results
out of it. Reflecting on the way we are leading our life, and the sort
of person we are, is not an activity that we always and instinctively get
right. Like many other capacities we have, it is a skill that must be
developed; it requires frequent exercise and some guidance; and it will
greatly benefit from studying the concepts and techniques that have been
devised by the masters of the field. And as is not difficult to guess, that
exercise is the study of philosophy; guidance will come from philosophers;
and some of these philosophers are rightly regarded as experts whose
teachings provide a well-founded and time-honored resource for one's study
of the philosophical questions. (Remember: the philosophical questions are
not an abstract science on this view - they are the big questions of your
life!)
I think this very basic idea is still true today. If you have recognized
some of your own experience in my description above, of the typical moments
when we start taking the reflective stance, then you will probably agree.
There may be new and formidable cultural obstacles in our modern world to
making the step into a reflective mode (both obstacles to making it for the
first time, and to repeatedly making it). But I think it remains true that
many of us still get there at some point.
(It's actually not quite clear how big a slice of the population in
ancient times had the opportunity to engage in this important activity -
considering that only a portion of that society had the freedom and
independence to do so, both in terms of basic rights and at least a minimal
amount of resources, including the possibility to spend some time on other
things than just making a basic living. And that certainly applies to our
modern world also, particularly when looking beyond western society.)
2) What happens when someone takes the reflective stance? Some
people may just quickly decide that all this is too challenging and head
straight for the exit. Others will perhaps find more value in it, but leave
it to chance and the play of their moods when they will take it up again.
As a consequence, they reflect irregularly, and with mixed effect (which in
turn doesn't help to encourage them to pursue this activity more steadily).
The resulting improvements are thus short-lived at best. Only those who
recognize that taking the reflective stance brings real improvements to the
way they are living their lives will realize that they have to make sure to
do it regularly and make a sustained effort applying the insights they
gain.
Compare this with the task of steering a ship: imagine someone grabs the
steering wheel and after a few minutes announces that this job is too
complicated for him; then think of someone who occasionally spends some
time and effort navigating, but irregularly, and only "when I've got
a little time" - that's not going to be much better, despite the honest
attempt. Instead of following any determinate course, their vehicle will more
likely be drifting away. Successful steering needs more: knowing your
destination, planning a route, constantly determining where you actually
are, and, most importantly, acting to stay on course.
Taking the reflective stance on your own life is very much like that.
(It's much complicated by the fact that there are so many influences,
both friendly and adverse, which tend to interfere with your perception
of where you are and your decision what to do.) For those who have found
to that insight, there are resources available: looking at the whole of
one's life, finding out what appropriate goals might be, learning how
to navigate through challenging situations - all these are supported by
the capacities developed by philosophical reflection. Not everybody perhaps
needs to study philosophy to be successful in navigating their own life.
Probably some have natural talent, and after all, there is a good chance
of being able to learn from experience (once they have made a habit of
reflection, doing it regularly). But the resources of philosophy are there,
so you might as well make use of them.
