In Search of True Virtue

By Maths

In search of true virtue is written in the spirit of engagement, and not indoctrination. It is intended to engage the reader, rather than dictating to the reader what ought to be. As life is full of mysteries and speculations, followers and conformers are bound to get the short end of the stick. This book is a culmination of multiple and diverse schools of thought, ranging from music, gymnastics, mass-media, philosophy, politics, religion, social sciences, mathematics, relationships to love, and many more related subjects of human interest. All these above-mentioned disciplines have inspired this noble crusade to seek true virtue, for without it - there is no hope for humanity at salvation. The book's key argument and submission is that, if something is upright, it is upright, and if something is tilted, it is tilted, it does not matter the amount of noise one can nake in contestation of that premise. The book is more a social and spiritual movement aimed at conscience, and sparking the nerve to re-examine our loyalties and allegiances in life. This book is not just a semi-literary work intending to pass some few good comments, and leave things at that. The idea is for people to get into the habit of observation, analysis, reflection and examination. In all we do, we ought to return to ourselves and ask this question - is this the best I have to offer, or was that the best I could do? The book intends to facilitate discourse with regard to spiritual engineering from a social and partly philosophical perspective, and not from the traditional-religious perspective. Enjoy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Mar 9, 2012
• ISBN: 9781467889780

Maths

Potata Matthews Mothiba, popularly known as "Maths", is a young adult who was born in South Africa, Limpopo Province in Mankweng. He is inspired by the indomitable drive to die standing, rather than living on his knees. If he is not writing he is reading, and that is the order of his life on this planet, while on his crusade to search for true virtue. The quest to make friends with wisdom is what keeps him going through all tribulations and jubilations in life. Self-study has been at the heart of his persona ever since he could remember. Maths Mothiba is a voracious reader and confident in his depth of knowledge, especially regarding matters and affairs relating to being, and the whole of human existence and experience. He has and still is self-studying disciplines ranging from politics, philosophy, religion, basic economics, and social sciences as part of his drive to befriend wisdom. Regarding formal or liberal education, he has studied Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Freelance Journalism and Creative Writing. He is a non-conformer and his inclinations together with stances, are borne of thorough examination, analysis and observation based on reason - be it on subjects like religion, politics, sociology, philosophy and any other topic of interest. He is an advocate of tolerance; hence he firmly believes that tolerance equals co-existence. His understanding of existentialism with regard to reason is in brief based on engagement and deduction. That is to say - he believes that all is but ideas, which is why he holds that it is imperative to engage all ideas borne of credible research, and then make his own deductions. Post exhaustion, if he cannot defend an ideal to the latter, he simply will not co-opt it into his vault of reason and convictions. Lastly, he is a private, genuine and non-vindictive humble person.

Book preview

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

The basement analogy

Love is all

From knowledge to greatness

The un-civilisation of our civilisation

Until the last moment

Governing mankind

Change

Comprehending tolerance

Fallacies of ignorance

Confronting confrontations

The pursuit of nothingness

At the rhizome

All is two

Fallacies of capital

Paper class

Conclusion

Bibliography

About The Author

Preface

Philosophers have been of little or no use to masses of men and women through generation, theirs was to speak to, and with themselves through their intimidating depth of knowledge. As a result, the common man consistently paid oblivion to philosophy, as he felt it was not talking to him, but to those wearing spectacles. Instead, masses of men and women paid regard, and allegiance towards their unwavering respect for money; hence its language is the easiest language to comprehend ever—the power to purchase that which you since aspired. This book is an attempt to bridge that gap between philosophy and the populace, as they reciprocally balance each other’s being in principle. I firmly believe that without philosophy, which is the love for wisdom, there is no hope for mankind to be reconciled with their maker; hence their lack of wisdom would impede them to strike the difference between their true bearer, and popular quacks.

In search of true virtue is written in the spirit of engagement, and not indoctrination. It is intended to engage the reader, rather than dictating to the reader what ought to be. As life is full of mysteries and speculations, followers or conformers are bound to get the short end of the stick; that is to say—rather create your own path, and write your own script, guided by your inner voice which is the conscience, instead of following the road which you have no idea where it will lead, or end. The book is meant to inspire, inform, educate and entertain, while according the reader the latitude to decide his or her own path, based on reason and not perception which is yet to be tried.

There is nothing more suppressed in this world than human expression. All systems are designed to ensure that mankind is encouraged to conform to popular perceptions and prejudices, regardless of their strengths or flaws. Any attempt to examine force outside Sir Isaac Newton’s law of motions will be rubbished, simply because already there are mechanisms, and institutions which are ran based on that premise. Thinking outside of the box, or in one’s own patterns, is a cause for discomfort to incumbent authorities and therefore, tacitly discouraged. Scholars are, because systems of liberal education ratified them; meaning—you only become a soldier by following your commander’s instructions to the latter, failing which you will never be ratified a soldier.

In search of true virtue is a culmination of multiple schools of thought, ranging from music, gymnastics, mass-media, philosophy, politics, religion, social sciences, mathematics, relationships to love. All these above-mentioned disciplines have inspired this noble crusade to seek true virtue, for without virtue, there is no hope for humanity at salvation.

If something is upright, it is upright, and if something is tilted, it is tilted, it does not matter the volume of noise one can make in contestation of that premise. The book is more a social and spiritual undertaking aimed at conscience, and sparking the nerve to re-examine our loyalties and allegiances in life. It is not just a semi-literary work intending to pass some few good comments, and leave things at that. The idea is for people to get into the habit of observation, analysis, reflection and examination. In all we do, we ought to return to ourselves and ask this question—is this the best I have to offer, or was that the best I could do? Often we blame circumstances given the chance.

For long we have been victims of circumstances, without the know-how to confront them, and as a result—circumstances always triumph over human spirit, and that is incorrect, because man was accorded dominion over all things under the planet earth. Circumstances will always be there as long as life prevails, mastering them is an imperative. We need to be mindful and take pride from the fact that there is nothing as powerful on earth than human spirit. The world and its people have a tendency of explaining and not defining things, thereby leaving us wondering what the true definition could be. The little wisdom that we possess only deliver us to a point of interpretation, whereas the challenge is to change what is not working, instead of interpreting and reflecting on why it is not working. In search of true virtue aims to address, and put into perspective popular mysteries and speculations presented to us by creation.

Acknowledgements

First and always, I would like to thank and commend the wit of Athens, especially those who walked the planet earth during the age of Socrates. For I have absorbed and adopted from their exchanges, the wealth of knowledge regarding existentialism. Some in my social circles and beyond have accused me of being a Greek mythologist, not good enough an African. My counsel of defense was—there is uniqueness in all of us, and that can only be sourced from our sub-conscience; hence it is the storage port of all things recorded from time immemorial. Upon such recordings, some of the clips we agreed with, while disagreeing with others; that is to say—our ideological sway has got more to do with the inherent struggle, which is playing itself out in the sub-conscience, and less to do with our diverse countries and continents of birth. From the wit of Athens, Socrates in particular—I learnt syllogism, justice and humility. Socrates has taught me that in all I do, I must never in any account disregard my vault of reason—for the whole process of life is by far based on building reason. To Plato—I owe the idea of liberty of thought, he never prescribed for people what to think, all he did was to encourage and inspire them to think, which is why to date, there is no ideology called Platonism.

Second and not last, I would like to thank my friend, partner and soul-mate, Lynette Naidoo, for she tacitly taught me that indeed—love is the pursuit of the whole, which is why I dedicated a topic to all those who have qualms with love, to at least give her another chance, the topic is called love is all. Sonu, your presence and untold contributions has seen me growing and