Autobiography - Part 5

NOTE: I will indicate the new inclusions (which may also be current thoughts in italics and blue to differentiate this writing from its earlier incarnation. Those in italics and green are comments made by my grading professor. Those in italics and purple are comments made by my Humanities professor whom I shared this paper with.)

Unable to describe REALITY, and delving into the occults or the paranormal (or philosophical) I am well aware of the warnings of Boorstin that I will make myself “a sitting duck for my more profound philosopher-colleagues” on the one hand and those who are more prone to accepting “modern materialistic Scientism” on the other. Schumacher even went as far as to warn that I would be considered by many intellectuals as being “mentally deficient.”  Regardless of the possible opinions of others, I am convicted in my belief and feel strongly that what I have is an insight of glimpse of REALITY.  I do not profess to possess complete TRUTH or KNOWLEDGE. As with many others, I am still in search of that. Neither do I claim to be able to offer solution or solutions to the problems of the world through my philosophy. As with Schumacher’s and Boorstin’s books, my conception and theories serve not so much as the answer to the questions as yet unanswered as they are but stimuli [I think that this is a wise approach to such questions. I also think it is wise to have some external project(s) so that you “come to the surface” and do something also] perhaps to arouse one into making that “journey into the interior” (Schumacher). For I believe that no one can offer us solutions or answers, for all solutions and answers lie only within ourselves; all knowledge is accessible to everyone equally.

This perhaps is the only area where I do not see eye to eye with Schumacher. Where he sees the world as composing of a hierarchy of humans (not including the animals) with some possessing more “adequatio” (as he calls it) than others, I see all humans as equals; all have the same access to the SOURCE of TRUTH, KNOWLEDGE or LIFE. [I pretty much agree with your criticism of Schumacher here.] [equals] [just and unjust] Thus it is that no one is greater than another; all serving out his/her purpose. And therefore, while we need to help one another in order to reach the SOURCE, we CANNOT offer the solution of the WAY to anyone (unless of course that one seeks the WAY himself/herself).  So it is, if one searches for the TRUTH, one will ultimately find it, but not without having to make that journey inwards. [You have set quite a premium on this “journey inward;” must everyone do this – even though no one is greater than another?] [That is what I believe since I believe that the TRUTH lies with-in and not with-out each of us.]

The journey into the interior is but the journey into oneself (or one’s Self). Without the journey into the within, we cannot hope to understand the without; as we all know, we “can understand other beings only to the extent that ‘we’ (you) know ‘ourselves’ (yourself).” Yet the understanding of the without is but an attempt to understand the within (sounds contradictory or paradoxical, even complicating, but I will touch on these again later).  I will attempt at this point to list a number of quotes; although they might appear irrelevant and seem not to have a relationship one with the other, their importance may be seen in my explanation below as I go deeper into my philosophy.

From Schumacher:

“Socrates says: “I must first know myself, as the Delphian inscription says: to be curious about that which is not my concern while I am still in ignorance of my oneself, would be ridiculous.”

“From Alexandria, Philo Judaeus: … until you have scrutinized yourselves .. we may perhaps believe you when you hold forth on other subjects …”

“From ancient Rome, Plotinus: Withdraw into yourself and look.”

“From Medieval Europe, the Theologia Germanica: Thoroughly to know oneself, is above all art, for it is the highest art.”

[I sometimes think that we make dichotomies in order to confuse our “selves.” One conclusion of what you are saying here, for me, is that thinking and talking about the “inside” and the “outside” is merely a convention, a useful way to talk about all this stuff. There is a danger, I think, if we ‘reify’ the inside-outside material.

“From Swami Ramdas: See within – know thyself”

“From the world of Islam …: When Ali asked Mohammad, ‘What am I to do that I may not waste my time?’ The Prophet answered, ‘Learn to know thyself.’

“From China …: He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.”

To be continued …

Peace,
Syl