THE EXAMINED LIFE?

Plato tells us that during Socrates’ trial for corrupting the youth of ancient Athens, the famed philosopher, ever the scold, made a statement along the lines of:

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

I’m sure this went over well with all his fellow Greeks scraping out their meager existence on the not exactly fertile plains of their homeland.  But old “Socrates”, like all radicals, had to speak his truth, consequences be damned.  Possessing the natural temperament of the more Aristotelian “golden mean” type (enough with the ancient Greeks already, you blowhard!), I like to imagine Plato misheard what Socrates said, possibly because it’s famously hard to enunciate after a generous dose of hemlock.  Maybe Socrates actually said:

“The unexamined life is not very fulfilling.”

To that I say, unequivocally, right on brother!

I believe we can experience a more fulfilling life if we take the time to examine more thoughtfully the things that matter.

THINGS THAT MATTER?

My interests encompass many subjects both large and small.  The true, the beautiful, the just, the good…as well as why the best cookie, hands down, no argument, is oatmeal chocolate chip (Grandma Granger, blessings be upon you).   Historians note that Thomas Jefferson organized his vast library into three main categories: reason, memory, and imagination.  These roughly translate into the subjects of philosophy/science, history, and arts/culture.  When I think about it, those subject headings encapsulate quite nicely my interests.  I suspect they might end up roughly describing the kinds of things regularly mentioned, highlighted, mused or meditated upon in this blog.

A NOTE ON TONE

We seem to have devolved into a world wherein a bumper sticker mentality prevails (twitter: curses be upon it). “Thinking” 140 characters at time is not conducive to thoughtfulness, and it leads to a lot of shouting and posturing, and, frankly, it gives me headaches.  What passes for debate is simply a lot of juvenile name calling.  Character and motives are constantly attacked while underlying ideas are never addressed.               

This blog is my refuge from that world.  I’m hoping it might be yours too.

That being said, good natured humor, irreverance, and cleverness are always welcome and encouraged.

WHY?

 “You have a lot going on in that (crazy/pea/delusional…take your pick) brain of yours” is something I have heard often from friends, family and many others over the years.  This is true.  Unfortunately, as friends, family and others are apt to also mention often, “you don’t say much.”  Also true.  So, what to do with all this “stuff” in my head?  This blog is my outlet.  It is my chance to dust off the mental furniture in my attic.  We all need to do a mental spring cleaning if we are to pursue the examined life seriously.  Exposing our ideas, particularly our biases and blindspots, to the light of day, and possibly to the reasonable critique of others, is a prerequisite for the examined life.

Now, some people prefer to accomplish their mental spring cleaning by “talking things out”, as it were.  God bless them (and the people listening!).  I find I need to write.  The exercise of expressing one’s thoughts in words can be exhausting, but it is often exhilarating.  It is also immensely clarifying.

“IF YOU CAN’T EXPLAIN IT SIMPLY, YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND IT WELL ENOUGH.”  

Albert Einstein

In order to write clearly, one must put in the time and effort to think clearly.  If I don’t know why I think what I think, how can I explain it to another? How can I hope to convince another, if that is my aim?  How can I defend my point of view from attack?  How can I be open to seeing it another way?  Sit down sometime and try writing an essay on any topic. I’ll bet by the time you’re finished you will be a hell of a lot more clear about what you think about that topic and why.  Who knows, you might have changed your mind about it, too.

 “HOPE IS A GOOD THING…MAYBE THE BEST OF THINGS.”

Andy Dufresne

So, if you’re still reading, maybe you’ll check in from time to time.   I hope so.  Maybe you’ll want to respond to something or add your own thoughts.  I hope so.  Maybe you’ll introduce me to an interesting idea or drop a bit of knowledge on me, or maybe I’ll do the same for you.  I hope…