“Give all your attention to the task, and don’t look back. Ask yourself in moments of contemplation, ‘how could I be better? How could I serve better?’ ”

While living in these strange and turbulent times, we must continually remind each other – as a community of philosophers and seekers – to reflect on the flavour of our age and to discern the appropriate tonic for the ills we all endure. This is a tall order during a time when our cultures are inundated with more ailments than we know what to do with, but even so, we can surely agree that each of us must commit ourselves fully to the task of philosophy, for when folly is rampant, philosophy is the cure. In order for us to commit to philosophy, however, we should answer two questions. First, what is philosophy? And second, what would it mean to commit ourselves to her? If we can answer these questions, the path will be clear.

Cultivating wisdom

The standard response to the first question is to explore the Greek roots of the term philosophy, which came from philo, meaning “love”, and sophia, meaning “wisdom”. But what is wisdom? And what would it mean to love wisdom? Personally, I’ve always found the Stoic definition of wisdom to be useful: wisdom is the knowledge of what is good, what is bad, and what is neither good nor bad. Hardcore Stoics among us may have already climbed the next step on the Stoic ladder: understanding that the only good is virtue, the only bad is vice, and everything else is neither good nor bad. So to practice philosophy is to love (to seek out, to embrace) the knowledge of what is good, what is bad, and what is neither. But isn’t there a hole in this definition? Where’s the practice? What’s the path? Are we to simply sit around loving our knowledge that virtue is good? Surely not. The Stoics constantly reminded us of the necessity of philosophical practice and constant improvement, and I’d like to add to their instruction a helpful phrase I recently heard.

Seeking better ways

A few weeks ago, I had Rocco Jarman – an Australian poet and philosopher – as a guest on my podcast. Somewhere during our winding philosophical dialogue, he said something that grabbed my attention and taught me a profound lesson; “if the way is not always seeking better ways, it is not The Way”. Let that sink in: if the way (the path we each walk) is not always seeking better ways (not perfect ways, just better), then it is not The Way (the Universal Way). As far as I can tell, this is precisely the task of the philosopher – to seek better ways, and thus to be in Alignment with the Universal Way, or as the Stoics saw it, Reason. The True Seeker must be dedicated to the task of finding and acting out better ways of being in all aspects of their life, including their learning, health, relationships, community contributions, vocational paths, and spiritual pursuits.

But we have one more ingredient to add. What would it mean to be truly committed to this path of seeking better ways? Let me call upon another profound teacher in my midst – Lucius Annaeus Seneca who wrote, If you wish to enjoy real freedom, you must be a slave to philosophy. The man who submits and surrenders himself to her will not be kept waiting: he is emancipated on the spot, for the very service of philosophy is freedom. - Seneca, Moral Letters, 8.

I love this passage, for Seneca points out the true joy that comes to the philosophical seeker: as soon as you commit yourself to serve philosophy, she will free you. Why? Because if you truly decide to be a slave to that question of what would be better, then you cannot help but be free, for doors will immediately open to you as you ask this question, and those doors will reveal paths that will serve the betterment of you, your family, your community, and our world.

And so, I leave you with this encouragement to truly commit yourself to philosophy – the path of always seeking better ways. Give all your attention to the task, and don’t look back. Ask yourself in moments of contemplation, “how could I be better? How could I serve better?” And most importantly, commit to following through on your deepest insights. In a time such as ours, the way forward is surely forged best by those who decide to seek knowledge of what is better, to wed that knowledge with action in the world, and in such a way, to be a humble slave to philosophy.

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Simon Drew is an Australian poet, musician, philosophical mentor, and co-founder of The Walled Garden Podcast and community. His first book, The Poet & The Sage, is available now at thewalledgarden.store.

 

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