It is good that you do not accept everything on face value but consider this; you evaluate through your limited wisdom and vision of the world and beyond. You say the bottom bears treasures, but as all treasures and harvest originate from the good earth it is only through proper use; understood through high thinking could a good harvest be obtained. A farmer lets his lands lie fallow to reap a harvest latter on. A philosophy of long term gain. You practice Kaizen also a management philosophy. You like hands on business another philosophy appropriate to a business of your nature and present operational capacity. Think in terms of Shell Global over 180 countries and nearly 10,000 legal entities engaged in many a diverse field employing over 500,000 in various capacities; what business management philosophy then?
As for overcoming hardship resulting in pride perhaps you should reread the comparism of Gengis Khan, Hitler and Ghandi; try to reflect a little further. We have discussed in brief high thinking and low living but you still questioned such philosophies. Consider this, if everything you encounter is measured against your own life experiences what do you see? Before Columbus science said the world was flat. In the 19th century people called you crazy if you thought of manned flight. Science is ever trying to catch up with philosophy and especially religion.
Faith healing is taken as hocust pocust, yet many that modern medicine has pronounced incurable are walking healthy in defiance. Where is science now? Realise that while science and logic has a definate place in life; science is limited by its present state of advancement and new grounds are being gained daily debunking past scientific boundaries; boundaries you place on yourself when science is your only guide. Imagine travelling beyond the speed of light, science fiction today but tomorror? Logic is a systematic method to arrive at some conclusion for a given situation given past experiences. What if you had derived a incorrect conclusion from your past experiences and how wide are your past experiences? Is your logic sequence impartial and not clouded by emotion or other factors?
Philosophies that are trully worth taking as pillars in our life provide support in times of uncertainty. Example: Offer up all good conducts and avoid all evils. If a business deal with obvious detriment to society reaches you offering you immense riches what then; think back to the 1997 Asian Financial Crises. What would you have done if you were in a position to prosper on the misery of millions?
Philosopies are indeed never to be taken in its literal form blindly without regard to the circumstances of each. Sages of all ages bestow wisdom according to the potentials of the people to whom they address. As we have discussed about the Buddhist patriates who had written verses on the nature of the mind; right and wrong is really dependent on where you stand and at what level is your spiritual development. As a mongol I might sing praises of the Khan who could deliver me from a nomadic life to one of comfort, but as one of the conquered nations I would spit on the Khan's name.
"Without the good ingredient for those who in charge, the staffs at the bottom can bring you to Holland, man…. So does knowledge and philosophies." Do you see the contradiction? The men in charge's good ingredients, what is that but another management teory another word for philosophy; work ethic perhaps another reflection of philosophy; to inspire and direct those below as the Lotus flower inspires those mired in defilement to rise above it. A man is modern because? He has science? or He has culture and moral character? Philosophies if understood for its principles and applied in appropriate cases would yield a utopian society.
Sadly, almost all people abuse the principles of philosopies of the sages; twisting the literal words to justify their abhorent acts. As the word "Jihad" is often abused. Jihad as I understand it, is a personal struggle for spiritual improvement with nothing to do with killing anybody. Even you my friend; took an excerpt from the discussion between two sages, just latching on the last sentence's few words without doing what you profess; of discovering the context that it was said. Realise that as two sages discuss philosopies mundane people often drown in their depht if they wander in without adequate preparation.
Care should be taken not to discard and discount concepts we are not yet able to fully comprehend. Reflect on ourself more, do not shine your wisdom light on others but turn it back within; do you understand yourself, your actions and motivations behind those actions? Are you truly a master of yourself or a slave to an illusory image you hold to be yourself? A glimpse of high thinking. Sages of old leave the mundane world behind and cultivate in isolation for proper self reflection brings out wonderous enlightenment that those not on this path will not yet be able to comprehend. If you tell a poor farmer that the fertiliser he is using is killing the environment what would he say? If we tell the consumer to pay a little more for vegetables grown without chemicals what does he say? Each would respond according to their situation in life guided by those values and philosophies that they live by; those pillars of life that grant us a means of reference to make sense of our surroundings.
Mundane philosopies are really only there as means of reference to make sense of what we perceive amidst us. A father might tells his son upon seeing a begger:
1) "Study hard and get a good job or you'll end up like that begger" or
2) "Take pity on those less well off then yourself and practice generousity" or
3) "Careful you don't waste money on these syndicates trying to cheat our sympathy" or many other options and the child in question develops a sense of reference when he next perceives a begger.
Can this reference change? Yes, when this child encounters what he accepts as fundamental contradictions to those ingrained values. Example: He sees a friend made bankrupt through uncruplulous business partners and rendered to begging to continue living; values 1 & 3 may be overturned completely. These are mundane philosophies meant only as terms of references in our life to be used as the appropriate situation arises.
Then there are higher philosophies, transedental philosophies that go beyond life and even death or at a lower level just deals with death. These would not be discussed here as it is not the appropriate forum; conditions may arise in the future for its discussion but not in the near future.
Suffice to say, philosophies in its many forms and many names forms the pillar to the life of each person. Each of us adopt a certain stance in life deemed beneficail to ourselves. In a cultured and tolerent society, it would take but a little maturity to accept diversity in philosophies.
A progressive society would welcome any new concepts and ideas and readily discuss and debate it without any prejudice. What we do not understand or find we are presently unable to accept or adopt becomes part of our knowledge and when the time is right to manifest in our lives.
The greatest science cannot eradicate crime, morals can. The best logic can be put to criminal use but good values might prevent such abuse. Great philosopies challenge us to be more than what we are today, are we up to the call?
Man is unique among earthly beings as he has an intelligence bestowed with self awareness but is cursed by an ancestry steep in instinctive responses towards self preservation. Progression from a savage to one of cultured refinement is not in science or fancy cloths but by high thinking... philosopies.
Written by B.C. KHOO
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