“The only good is knowledge, and the only evil is ignorance” ~ Socrates
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom” ~Aristotle
“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth”. ~ Marcus Aurelius
The Philosophers of Old
Above are three quotes from three incredibly prominent philosophers whose wisdom has stood the test of time and who I have always seen as great guides.
Other prominent philosophers include Plato, Descartes, Epicurus, Rumi, Heidegger, Lao-Tzu, Kant, and Nietzsche just to name a few. These philosophers were lovers of knowledge, they loved to study, to learn, and to grow. Their ultimate goal was to become an expert in a branch of science, in knowledge, or a particular way of thinking.
A philosopher holds a particular system of beliefs referred to as their philosophy. The word philosophy is of Greek origin and simply means, love of wisdom. It is comprised of two Greek words, “love” (philos) and “wisdom” (sophia).
A philosopher would live their lives according to their philosophies as would those who chose to follow them. They would make adjustments to their overall philosophy because they were constantly seeking more knowledge in order to expand their thinking and their beliefs.
Philosophers were also seen as teachers and so they would challenge their student’s thinking in order to further expand their knowledge and what they believed to be true.
Today’s Philosophers?
So let’s jump ahead about 2500 years to today. We no longer follow philosophers, social media has created a new term and replaced the word philosopher with Influencer. By the way, the combined number of monthly Active Users on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and X is 6.7 billion, yes billion. That is a lot of influence!
If we were to look at some of the modern day influencers whose philosophies are being shared and learned by their followers you might not be too impressed.
We have: Selena Gomez, MrBeast, Justin Bieber, Kylie Jenner, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, just to name a few.
Did you know Kim Kardashian began as a closet organizer for Paris Hilton and then became famous by creating a sex tape?
It seems pretty hard to believe that billions of people spend hours burying their faces in screens while being influenced by the philosophies of these great minds.
It’s Only Entertainment
Yes, you can laugh it off and say, like virtual reality shows, “it’s just entertainment, it’s not hurting anybody.”
The truth is that by watching and listening to these modern day philosophers you are buying into their philosophy. For some people being obsessed with THEIR philosopher’s way of life has become a big part of THEIR WAY OF LIFE.
Our politicians are no longer politicians, they have also become influencers. That is why you see all the circus stunts so they can post them on social media to especially around election time.
Maybe part of the problems of today is that a lot of folks have stopped using their brains to think, to learn, and to grow and instead follow celebrities, thinking that is normal. Adding to this is the fact that social media has given folks a platform and tricked them into thinking they too are celebrities.
So That Got Me Thinking…
So that got me thinking, what philosophy do I hold about how I live my life? What is it that I value most? Who do I follow? How do I spend my time?
It prompted me to sit down and write 3 short statements of how I choose to live my life, a life philosophy of sorts. It is not complete and I’m sure it will change as I continue to learn and grow and yet here is what I wrote:
- To live my life to its fullest.
- To not waste my time, energy, or resources on things, people, or activities, that hold me back from becoming the greatest version of myself that I possibly can.
- To leave this place empty and in some small way, better than the way it was before I got here.
So What About You?
- If I asked you to write out the philosophy(s) that guide(s) your life, what would you write?
- If I asked you what is it that you value most? What would you say? (for clues look at who, where, and how you spend your time and money?
- If I asked you what is your life’s purpose? What would you say?
Let’s end this blog the way we started, with a quote from Marcus Aurelius…
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength”.
Until next time!
