I enjoy a good deal of philosophy. I consider myself a philosopher, but I don't hang my hat on the title, nor any other title or label out there. To me, a philosopher is one who thinks, who thinks a great deal. Some agonize and allow it to send them down a river of dismal alcohol fueled melancholia where is others such as myself--- I allow it to inspire me, to move me to expand and breathe in the differences in life, rather than shun them. It has etched empathy and compassion deeper into me, while pain and grief originally birthed those softer qualities within me.
Ah sure there are a good bit who with their title, load their antique pipe, pour themselves a snifter or sipper of malt whisky blend and talk over and in circles around those in their company. But there are the ones who listen, gaze into your eyes and see the depth that resides there and doesn't disqualify you as being any less than them but an equal. This is a philosopher. I am aware I am in short company because in the land of all worldliness, it is far more fanciful to throw a title upon your name and put on airs, whilst you chase sleep at night due to running from your own demons--- proud to call out the monsters that you perceive in others.
So, there you have it. We all live in the same world, right? We are all here, but we see this place so differently from one person to the next. Two men can be at the same event, let's take a European football match. Its Autumn, the wind is blowing sideways, everyone is cheering, its begun to rain and their team wins the match! Back at the pub afterward the two men discuss not only the game but the experience at the game. One lad says to the other-- that was the best match I have ever been to! The other says; are you kidding me!? That was awful! Short example here but both men's team won, they both had enough clothes to keep warm, they sat side by side and cheered. What happened?
Two men. Two different up bringings. Two different bodies with different tolerances. One whose feet get cold and all is lost. The other can bear cold temperatures most men wouldn't even dare think of upon their worst nightmare. One had to wait in line for the bathroom and to get food, the other didn't. So ye see, Same experience, same overall outcome-- different personal experience.
The truth is, though we are all one in humanity, as brother and sister, we are all so vastly different, it is foolish to think that because we are the same age or gender or location that we know anything at all about someone else with these same qualities. It narrows us down to a more specific pool of personhood but it is no more alike than me compared to a 7 year old. I'll get right onto the floor and play with them long before I'd sit in a boardroom with you discussing the percentages in failure rates of auxiliary safety straps on deluxe sized duffle bags.
Observation and peering into the depth of a person will gain you far more than seeking to place them into a category that you are comfortable with so you can have a false sense of understanding with something you can't begin to understand in the first place. So, you see, it is the ego of a man or woman that desires to have power and precedence over another, to feel in control over something you cannot control. To have a false sense of understanding, to be able to assign a place to someone, in order to make it feel more organized. Humans are messy, stop trying to organize them. Leave them be. Leave them to be who they are, as they are. Your desire to have them be a certain way is so they your world can still feel comfortable because hey, at least they'll behave and respond in a way that makes sense to you. This isn't love or honoring differences in others. Live and let live. This, is philosophy and being a philosopher. At least to me, it is...
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