Proper wisdom is not simply knowledge or understanding, but acting on that understanding and living a certain way based on engaging in right-actions. Right-action is based on moral truth. At the highest level, philosophy -- the love of wisdom -- is ultimately the love of right-action and the love of moral truth.
True philosophy is based in moral truth and determines our conduct in life to act rightly. What other form of love of wisdom is there truly? Is the love of wisdom to act foolishly? To act immorally? To act amorally? A way of living not based in moral truth is not a philosophy but an ideology that leads one astray into foolishness and suffering, be it for ourselves, others or both. The “love” of wisdom to behave and conduct our lives in a way that is conducive to producing rightness, and reducing wrongness, is how we heal ourselves and the world from its current condition.
This is why I equate “spiritual” with moral, “spiritually” with morally, and “spirituality” with morality. This a main goal of a path of truth and “spiritual” journey. It’s about creating a more moral world where our freedoms and potentials are not stifled by immoral behavior from ourselves or others. The more moral we are in aggregate the more freedom will manifest in the aggregate. We are what we do. Know thyself to become wiser.
We can remake the falser conditioned versions of ourselves into truer selves. From lower selves to higher selves. From unrealer selves to realer selves. This is to remove the conditioning into falsity and recondition ourselves in truth instead. To unlearn what we have learned automatically through being exposed to information yet not really thinking about it to determine its veracity. To instead voluntarily choose to learn more accurate knowledge about the world and ourselves (self-knowledge).
Knowledge and understanding can be used irresponsibly to influence, manipulate and deceive others to behave in falser ways and create falsity into the world; to keep people ignorant and under forms of control. Or it can be used responsibly for good; to elevate, expand and evolve consciousness. We must know the truth in order to not be deceived, fooled, conned, manipulated, hoodwinked, bamboozled or tricked.
Accepting the idea that there is “negative” information you should not learn – information that you should ignore, deny, reject or refuse to acknowledge -- prevents you from embracing the truth in all its beauty and horror, light and dark, positive and negative, good and evil. Refusing to look at the shadow, darkness, “demon” and negative that dwells inside each of us -- i.e. consciousness, psyche, mind and “heart”, or “spirit” -- will halt the journey and path towards truth. This denial or refusal prevents us from getting to the “heart of the matter”, to the core foundational root causal factors of our current condition.
The only way out of the problems we have created is by confronting them. In the end, the source of the problem is us, humanity as a whole, that chooses to live in a certain and create what we create as our human way of life. The only way forward to overcome a problem and correct it, is to face it and go through it, not ignore it. The only way to overcome the darkness is by shining a light on it. Knowing ourselves by looking in the mirror, into the “heart of darkness”, allows us to face that which needs to be transmuted, sublimated, transformed, healed or purified.
Turning our backs to the hard uncomfortable truths is not a solution. We can and need to learn and develop the wisdom to know what the right-action is to take. We can learn from our mistakes, correct them, and become new, truer, higher, realer more authentic potential versions of ourselves. We can continually self-renew who we are. We can change for the better.
Empower yourself with the care, courage and willpower to face the truth. Care for moral truth. Accept the personal responsibility and take the time, energy, effort, dedication, determination and persistence required to learn and understand what is going on in the world and in yourself. We can heal ourselves and the world. Truth takes time. Healing takes time.
Love the Lao Tzu quote, so true. I’m pretty sure that if people spent even half the time and energy they currently spend invested in two-party politics, rather on improving themselves, seeking self knowledge and raising their consciousness out of fear into love, that the world would be unrecognizable (in a good way) in a matter of days. People don’t understand that the true point of power in the world lies within themselves, in the present moment.
The truth indeed has the power to set us free. Thanks for the great post on the subject.
This is so true. Even if you beat some opponent it still doesn't mean you've created something o value. The focus should be to make more better things.
Eg. Instead of complaining about Twitter we have @dbuzz on Hive.
You're welcome. The world could change in short order indeed. Not instantly, but with some time and enough people doing the inner work, it would have a significant impact.
Well said my friend!
Curated for #informationwar (by @aagabriel)
Delegate to the @informationwar! project and get rewarded