It was Socrates who said that
purpose of philosophy is to help each of us become “an excellent human”. That seems like a respectable and reasonable big-picture goal for every person on planet. But what about specifics? How do we become excellent humans? How can we use philosophy in our everyday lives to help us succeed in this most important goal as homo sapiens?
The surprising thing about philosophy is that it is incredibly user-friendly if you take it in small doses. For thousands of years, thoughtful individuals have contemplated meaning of life. Many of greatest philosophers spoke eloquently about challenges we all face today in words that are easily understood and truly inspiring.
Don’t believe it? Let’s start with a few thoughts from Aristotle. The student of Plato, who was student of Socrates, Aristotle lived in third century B.C. But don’t hold that against him!
Aristotle was full of interesting ideas, and he had quite a sense of humor as well. He’s a guy you could imagine sitting in your kitchen, engaging in a memorable conversation over a shared bottle of wine. Think of him as a really wise friend, and use his ideas to help you TODAY to become a more excellent human.
Aristotle believed that everything had a purpose. He stated that our purpose as humans is to think in order to live a good life. That’s it. As long as we continue to contemplate universe and our role in it, we are fulfilling our purpose.
So, to help you contemplate universe today, here are five inspiring thoughts from our friend, Aristotle:
Thought #1: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
What is it that you repeatedly do? Greet people on street, let another car into a busy street in front of you, leave nice tips for frazzled waitpersons, read to your children, phone your elderly aunt? What do your habits say about you? Is that message you want to send?
How can you change your habits or adopt new ones to reflect your desire to become more excellent? What excellent acts can you do repeatedly so that they become a habit? What can you do TODAY to intentionally start a habit that will lead to excellence? Pick something simple and just get started.
Thought #2: “Education is best provision for old age.”
What are you learning these days?
How are you spending your free time? Take a look at how you are including learning in your daily life. Do you read? If so, are you learning from it? Do you watch television? Yes, it can be educational, but seriously analyze your viewing habits and see if you can’t incorporate more learning and less vegetating.
Don’t pick something boring. Choose ways to learn that excite and inspire you. A cooking class through your local community college? A new sport? A stack of library books on a country you’re hoping to visit someday?
Pursue your interests with a passion, and you will always continue learning. Promise yourself you’ll always have interesting things to talk about when you are old—and this doesn't mean ailments and treatments! Learn now how to ignite your own curiosity and pursue learning as a lifelong adventure.
