Principles of Philosophy: The Balanced Life (Volume I)

By Michael Jean Nystrom-Schut

Not just anyone sits down to write their own personal Bible. The famous one, popular with millions of Christians, was penned by 35-40 different authors, over a span of some 1100 years. As of 1995, it was still considered (Guinness) the world’s #1 best seller of all-time.
In stark contrast, Michael’s 2-volume Principles of Philosophy was meditated, contemplated, drafted, and written - in deep anonymity and solitude - over a daily and nightly 30-month span. His two books come in at over 800,000 words (the same as ten 80,000-word works). With the King James Old and New Testament totaling just over 783,000 words, it is easy to see why Michael views himself as both prolific (plentiful) and loquacious (talkative) when it pertains to laying down thought.
As the Bible is for millions on the planet, Michael feels his principles are also a template - an owner’s manual - a guidebook - for (in particular) how to:
(1) view life on earth;
(2) work on the detail of one’s philosophy and worldview; and
(3) examine and conduct a balanced, meaningful existence on this planet.
The Holy Bible consists of 80 books (39 in the Old Hebrew part, 14 in the Apocrypha, and 27 in the New Christian part). Michael’s Principles (Volumes One and Two) each cover 84 chapters of the basic areas of life as he views them, with 21 chapters outlined each, for:
(1) the mental; (3) the social; and
(2) the material; (4) the spiritual areas of our lives.
A detailed numbering system is in place for quick reference to topics. Each volume happens to come in at 613 entries, making a total of 1226 separate entries in the two books.
By dictionary definition, a “principle” is defined as a “fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.” This is precisely why he chose “principles” in the title. His own personal philosophical principles are what he tries to practice daily. Michael even states they are likely the reason he is still with us in bodily form on the earth, and remains in (relative) possession of his right mind as well.
Since leaving organized religion early on in life, these tenants, practiced in balance, have been what Michael has focused on for several decades. They work well for him. In the course of these pursuits, he says he has come to thousands of conclusions. And they all point to the balanced life. As he insists, for him, it is all about equivalent portions of mind (mental), body (material), relationships (social), and spirituality (God; the Universe). Basically, everything can be summed up within these four primary areas of life.
Michael seems to never hesitate to conclude that he has found his own personal means of salvation in the midst of pursuing his balance of the Principles of Philosophy.
- Tanya Walker (wife)

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Oct 27, 2018
• ISBN: 9781546261643

Michael Jean Nystrom-Schut

Michael Jean Nystrom-Schut is a philosopher/writer on issues such as worldview, philosophy, personal memoir, spirituality, science, psychology, and many other general life issues. He is the author of 36 published and unpublished books, most written while residing in various locations between Central America and Indianapolis, Indiana. Michael now resides in Indianapolis with his wonderful wife, Tanya, their two German Shepherd’s, Teddy and The Bear, along with a large number of other animal, botanical, and biological life.

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© 2018 Michael Jean Nystrom-Schut. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 10/26/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5462-6165-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-6164-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018911450

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Principles

of

Philosophy

THE BALANCED LIFE

VOLUME ONE

ONE:

Mental life

TWO:

Material Life

THREE:

Social Life

FOUR:

Spiritual Life

FIVE:

Appendix

PRINCIPLES OF PHILOSOPHY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Mental life

1.0 Consciousness and the Mind

1.1 Contemplation and Examination

1.2 Personality And The Self

1.3 Logic and Reason

1.4 Reality and Illusion

1.5 Order and Balance

1.6 Attitude and Motivation

1.7 Learning and Growth

1.8 Ego and Hostility

1.9 Emotions and Wellbeing

1.10 Wants and Needs

1.11 Hardship and Ease

1.12 Pain and Suffering

1.13 Pleasure and Happiness

1.14 Curiosity and Creativity

1.15 Interests and Pastimes

1.16 Principles and Beliefs

1.17 Psychology and Mental Health

1.18 Perspective and Outlook

1.19 Worldview

1.20 Philosophy

Material Life

2.0 Origins, Birth, and Life

2.1 The Physical Body

2.2 Health and Fitness

2.3 Hydration, Nutrition, and Elimination

2.4 Sleep, Rest, and Dreams

2.5 Accidents, Infirmity, and Illness

2.6 Age and Lifespan

2.7 Money and Wealth

2.8 Domesticity and the Home

2.9 Mobility and Transportation

2.10 Work, Business, and Career

2.11 Games and Sport

2.12 Anthropology and Archeology

2.13 History and Civilization

2.14 Industry and Technology

2.15 Science

2.16 Evolution

2.17 Genetics, Physics, Cells, and DNA

2.18 Earth and the Elements

2.19 Biology and Nature

Social Life

3.0 Parents and Grandparents

3.1 Siblings and Families

3.2 Friends and Strangers

3.3 Schools, Teachers, and Role Models

3.4 Party, Dance, and Romance

3.5 Love and Commitment

3.6 Marriage and Divorce

3.7 Intimacy and Honesty

3.8 Reliability and Partnership

3.9 Communication and Respect

3.10 Sexuality and Gender

3.11 Children and Grandchildren

3.12 Pets and other Creatures

3.13 Variety, Diversity, and Country

3.14 Language and Free Speech

3.15 Law and Authority

3.16 Ethics and Morality

3.17 Society and Government

3.18 War, Peace, and Schism

3.19 Community, Custom, and Cooperation

3.20 Compassion and Generosity

Spiritual Life

4.0 God and Omniscience

4.1 Religion and Rule

4.2 Atheism and Agnosticism

4.3 Humanism and Equality

4.4 Freedom and Bondage

4.5 Free Will and Choice

4.6 Good and Evil

4.7 Faith, Hope, and Fear

4.8 Truth

4.9 Wisdom

4.10 Wonder and Mystery

4.11 Art, Music, and Beauty

4.12 Significance, Meaning, and Purpose

4.13 Awareness and Enlightenment

4.14 Maturity and Development

4.15 Solitude and Silence

4.16 Spirituality and Detachment

4.17 Time

4.18 Security and Uncertainty

4.19 Death

4.20 Light and Hereafter

Appendix

ABOUT THE BOOK

T his book is designed to provide basic philosophy and information regarding the vast amounts of subject matter covered. It was assembled in the understanding that the publisher and author are not engaged in rendering legal, consultative or other professional services. If such expert assistance is required, the services of competent appropriate professionals should be sought.

The author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly, by the content contained here.

It is also not the purpose of this book to reprint information that is otherwise available to the author/publisher or reader, but rather to complement, amplify and/or supplement other texts available. The reader is urged to review all relevant material and learn as much as possible about life, tailoring that information to their individual situation.

Further, efforts have been made to make this book as accurate as possible. However, there are undoubtedly editorial, typographical and contextual errors contained herein. Therefore, the text should be viewed and utilized as a general guide, and not as an ultimate source of information related to the various topics. Further, this book contains information that may no longer be either relevant or accurate, as much as we prefer to think our words and thoughts about life are timeless: and perfect."

Finally, the primary objective of this volume has to do with Four E’s, - to enlighten, edify, educate and entertain - perhaps even in that order. Personal philosophy and worldview is something each develops and maintains as an individual evolves throughout life. It is the ambition of the writer to amplify these E’s, and in doing so allow the reader to experience a more meaningful, balanced, complete and productive encounter with life.

DEDICATIONS

To Tanya, my human wife; only soul mate, and the ever-present heart and soul of my world,

To my trusty canine companions, Teddy and the Bear, who in so many mystical ways, helped write the book,

To Rene Descartes and his lady friend, Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia,

To Ms. Chanel Parker and my very cool young students at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center, Indianapolis, Indiana,

To our Chyna doll and her Super-brother Cole,

To my children - Andrew, Rhiannon, Angela, Carter, Jo’Tan, London, Dhara…and the many others who quietly know who they are - and to all of their beautiful children and grandchildren,

…and finally, to my writing mentor, Dorothy, 100 in October of 2018.

THE PHILOSOPHICALLY

BALANCED LIFE

MENTAL (MIND)

MATERIAL (BODY)

SOCIAL (RELATIONSHIPS)

SPIRITUAL(GOD)

AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT, AND MORE

V olumes One and Two of Principles of Philosophy represent my 35 th and 36 th books in nearly 50 years of authoring and writing. I am currently working on Volume Three of POP - a youth edition of the Principles. I hope to complete it before my death arrives.

I wrote some pretty good additional books as well, but they were either not finished, victims of the wary wonders of the world of computer crashes, or not deemed worthy in terms of tree loss.

These two here (V1 and V2 of Principles) were written roughly alongside four wonderful friends - a greatly-entertaining wife, two needy, loving dogs and a rather curious bird - who were almost always nearby during the endless days and nights of this latest, two-year (and some) process. I thank them profusely for their companionship, without which I would have encountered an emptiness not conducive to such meaningful, purposeful, interesting passages of precious time.

So….thank you very much, Tanya! Teddy! Bear! Lolita! Love you! Mean it!

OK, so that part's done; after having retired from the business world (for the third time) I determined the occasion had finally arrived for me to assemble my own personal philosophy in book form, doing so while yet my stable, right mind travels a steady course. Thousands of lifetime hours of thinking - on philosophy and wisdom, with introspection and contemplation - have had me deeply immersed, headlong into the effort. When I think about it, I could have been eating (more), or sleeping (more), or God knows what else (more). But no, I was here, writing this love-effort to the several dozen fans and followers - people and animals in the world - who love me and let me know it the most. You know of whom I speak.

Billy, my wonderful brother-in-law, married to my even more wonderful sister Barbie, one day up and brazenly asks me why I tended towards grinding out such pitifully long books. He politely inquired as to whether I might get the points across in a few fewer pages. As usual, he made a good, strong point. I retorted that these two philosophy books (Volume One and Two) should be seen more as reference materials. They should not so much be read like a novel, and the subject matter is more in encyclopedic fashion than anything. I sensed him shaking a dizzy head over the phone with that one.

Truly though, hundreds of samplings (1,226 in all; 613 in each volume) from these 84 chapters and four sections of subject matter here, to me only represent a very small part of what could actually be spelled out when it comes to one's personal philosophy. But thank you brother, for keeping it real with me as always!

I had in mind as I wrote - this being a philosophical guide or manual - a reference piece for my children and grandchildren, nephews, and nieces to cherish (or ignore). They are all precious to me. Though not just my own clan (that would be rather clannish), but all of the young people and old young people of the world as well. When I meet a young person, I almost always feel some type of father-to-child sense with them. We are, after all, family - every one of us. We are interconnected and that can never become separation. This is even true with victim and prey, as hard as that is for us to digest and comprehend.

As I write, a thought springs to mind from one of my true hero's - Epicurus - as he once said, I am writing this not to many, but to you: certainly we are a great enough audience for each other. Yes indeed.

Those who follow us are clearly the future. As a 67.5 year-old person, nearly 90% of all people on the earth are now following me in chronological time - so in that sense as well, I would like to thank my many followers. I would also say, that as we hand the reigns of continued existence over to them, we do so in hopes that their future will be bright, profitable, and at one with the great Universe of which we are all so significant a part. If we think about it, it's really up to them now, you know…

The destiny of the race climbs the ladder rungs constructed by those who came before but is very much dependent on those who are yet to re-blaze the old trails (I know - I mixed metaphors rung and trail). Irrespective of that, it has been this way for perhaps six or seven thousand generations now, so let me send out a deep and caring love to all, wishing the world all the best, and as always, nothing but love.

PS: I would also like to thank myself - the sole editor of this body of work - while also forgiving myself of a multiplicity of stylistic and grammatical infringements and sins to be discovered by the hyper-observant among you, throughout this very fallible, Bible-length presentation.

THE EVOLUTION OF JESUS

…and Jesus was advancing in wisdom, and in stature, and in favour with God and men. (Luke 2:52; Young's literal translation of the New Testament Bible)

…and in four distinct ways, Jesus evolved in his life, mentally, and physically, spiritually and socially (Luke 2:52; Michael's literal translation of the verse, and the four ways in which Jesus - and the rest of us - all tend to grow as human beings)

Note to Joey who thinks he is an educated philosopher

If in reading or reviewing this book, and you determine to conclude that what I have written here is not really philosophy, please permit me to inform you that each of us in life has his own personal philosophy…and what you see here; well, this is mine. As such, feel free - Joey! - to remain in your academic silo as a philosophical elitist while I go on attempting to tune my talk to those of a more simple strain. Finally…I know YOU are…but philosophically speaking, what am I? (MJNS).

INTRODUCTION TO V1 0.0.1(V1)

Principles of Philosophy

I f I could wave a magic wand over our nearly eight billion heads, I would have everyone start the quest of living the philosophically balanced life on all levels of being, from the cradle to the grave.

This involves healthy doses of the (1) Mental and (2) Material, and the (3) Social and (4) Spiritual. They are what I like to think of as the Big Four of a Balanced Life.

Equilibrium and symmetry in these vital areas of our lives - which will influence everything within us including our religion, worldview, philosophy, politics, lifestyle, etcetera - all serve us in very special ways. They will not only sustain, but keep us sane.

I happen to know this because it's been working for me for a very long time now. I don't have a crazy twin brother not living the balanced philosophical life to empirically prove my point. I just somehow know.

Many elite philosophers and worldview thinkers in the world rest quite comfortably in their cozy academic silo's. There they share (most often with one another) esoteric though precious shreds and morsels of Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Rousseau, Nietzsche and many modern thinkers in philosophy. Great depth of thought and conceptualization are exchanged. These undertakings are intense, profound, intellectual, and inspirational, while also at the same time - probably for most of us - abstract, ambiguous, provisional and theoretical. Good stuff - way over nearly all of our noggins and thinking caps.

Meanwhile, where am I in all of this? Well, certainly not among them, and actually, nowhere to be found. That is not where I got, and not where I get, my own personal brand of philosophy. And yet…here I am - an avid and excited pursuer of philosophy for these many years.

You ask, where did I go to school for it? Oh, well, I didn't. During my university years (circa 1969 to 1975) I studied mostly theology and psychology. I did take Professor Thompson's Philosophy 101 though - pretty good teacher; kept our attention 3/4's of the time.

So now, here I am, humbly intent in my quest - as a self-taught, amateur, lightweight, philosophical speculator - to share with regular people regular ideas and concepts that may be helpful and useful towards our one special opportunity at living life.

Make no mistake! I am a philosopher for sure, and my official credentials that prove it are my several decades of philosophizing about philosophy. This lengthy volume (along with Volume Two; more of the same) are some of what I have come up with, although really - I am not finished with it just yet. Already Holy-Bible-sized, there is so much more to add. Philosophy is an endless venture. It's an amazing journey into the unknown.

Why philosophize at all? For the love of it. I love the wisdom found in philosophy (philo = love, and sophy = wisdom). I philosophize for me, and I also philosophize for others as well. One of my favorite writers is the most profound thinker, Thich Nhat Hahn, who once wisely declared:

Wisdom is a living stream, not an icon preserved in a museum. Only when we find the spring of wisdom in our own life can it flow to future generations.

Yes. That. And frankly we are not here to confuse others with foggy philosophizing, and nor are we here to hoard our philosophical viewpoints to ourselves. Rather, as Mr. Hahn suggested, it is to be taken in, and then given back out.

For the past two years of the illusion of time, I have thought and written so much about wisdom and philosophy. I now invite you to sample from these (what I like to call) principles of philosophy. They are designed as (thousands of little) suggestions for potential default positions in our daily thinking and living. The two-volume pair contain two sections of 21 chapters each. There are 1200 entries of varying length in total. It is ample stuff to get you started. So much more could and should be added - but I had to stop somewhere…

The books follow an intentionally-loose pattern, but together constitute my own current philosophy or worldview of living and life. Your own might be roughly structured in this way, but will be very different from mine as none of us are the same or think the same.

One might make immediate note about the name of the book/s. I should tell you that I was not aware at the time of Rene's great little book on the Principles of Philosophy (Rene Descartes? small but famous book written more than 350 years ago?). In naming the two some time back, it seemed an appropriate title for the content, and I got a good laugh on myself when I saw that the Father of Modern Philosophy had penned a very short but very famous volume with the same name, centuries before I was here on the earth to personally stumble across the matching title.

So, indignation from some ramparts perhaps? No laws broken and it was an accident. I could have changed my titles but thought about it some more and kept them.

While I am on it, let me say that I do not wish to resemble any intrusion into the realms of existing academic or institutional philosophy (I can hear the collective sigh of relief from all over the world). I gladly leave that to the various article writers, professors and philosophical schools. This book is for regular people who also find value in contemplation of practical principles of philosophy in their personal lives. See it perhaps as a philosophical bible - template - manual - guidebook, for use in daily life, serving as a substitute or supplement for those who find themselves entrenched in (for starters) Religion and Science Schools, and long for something more.

Volume One (here) concerns the Mental, Material, Social, and Spiritual realms of life. Volume Two continues these four areas, adding additional insight and thought to the concepts. These four (4) areas of life - to my mind at least - represent what I refer to as a the balanced life, or if you will, The Balanced Life. The Mental, Material, Social and Spiritual is vitally important to us all. It is this that is the overriding theme of my two-volume set of philosophical thought.

In reading from them, it is my hope that we can see more clearly that a cohesive and comprehensive set of ideas - when taken as a whole - can provide us with a view of life and the world that is philosophically personal. While both books in combination represent my own life map set forth, once again, each of us will apply the ideas herein via whichever means that works best for them. The simple hope is for a reader to gain a better grasp of what their own private map of philosophical principles should or would look like.

My own view of life (my worldview) in fact formerly looked quite different. While my personal principles of philosophy are more and more solidified with the passages of time, they will undoubtedly evolve more still as our earth-in-motion steamrolls forward. In short, our accumulation of wisdom and understanding evolve and grow as our lives progress.

Consider this: We go out and buy a new car, and receive directions via an operator's manual for the car. It is essentially an owner's guide for the use of that machine. It shows us a quite a few things about what we are getting into, and how to use it. It's good to have a vehicle owner's manual - is it not?

On the other hand, as it pertains to life, there is no official playbook or field guide handed to us at birth, or ever in fact, to help us negotiate through all of what this encounter with life is or will be. Life is a great challenge, and I for one could have used such a manual. I think I would have made far fewer mistakes with one.

You are thinking. Sure, we have/had our parents. Yes, we had/have mentors and siblings and peers and teachers and significant acquaintances along the early road of life. We even had the Bible as a guide. In these modern times, we have the library and the Internet and the television set and the six o'clock news; they all serve to share with us their versions of reality - all suggestions for our own versions. They might provide to us shreds of how we see the world and don't see the world, how we are to live and how not live, how to go about processing all that is life - various things and stuff like that.

As far as I personally am concerned, I have always been and want to continue to be a philosophically-self-made person. This means that I am not going to just embrace the teachings and ideas of just anyone and assume them for myself. No, that's far too simplistic. Rather, I am going to extend myself out into the world and see what the countless alternatives include. I will attempt to try to piece it all together myself, with the help of various books and teachings from a wide cross-section of exterior sources outside of me.

To begin, I presume to know little if anything about life. I happily start out from that point of view. I am an empty vessel, and I intend to fill it properly with a balance of all the wisdom, virtue and intelligence I can discover. As I go, I will live by these gathered principles.

As such, I really don't need to consider the opinions that are set forth to me as the ultimate truth in life as viewed from other points of view. It is clearly more likely that others don't know what's good for us anyway. They declare their wisdom to us from a form of ego (we all do I guess), or perhaps a profit motive, or maybe out of fear of punishment or craving for a rewarding everlasting life. It is important to examine the motives of each person who comes forth and seems to want to impress us with their own brand of Wisdom/wisdom.

As for the philosophers among us, from a professional or academic standpoint, I am not one of you - not one of those.

My own personal library contains thousands of books of various forms of wisdom. By contrast, I have relatively few philosophy books that are really of great help. As I see it, we need more everyday philosophy in writing. Most philosophy books are either a history of or writings a bit more technical than common and daily implementation and usage calls for and requires.

In writing these two books over the past twenty-four months of time, I am not wishing to compete with other philosophically-inclined materials. If anything, philosophy should be accessible to all of us regular people, just like religion (in its many suits of clothing) and science (including its areas of medicine, biology, psychology, etcetera) are. But it is not so specifically accessible. Think about this: Religion, Science and Philosophy are three major worldviews. Which of the three is the most difficult to look up in the library, or find at the bookstore?

I have examined my heart and mind to ensure I am not deceiving myself into thinking I maintain more special means or access to truth than the next one of us. I conclude that I am just a plain old seeker of wisdom, balance, and understanding. I don't care to win the world over or start my own movement. There will be no Michael's Church of the Philosophically Balanced Life. But like just about everyone else to one degree or another, I have something to say about some things as well.

The world is full to overflowing with professional and amateur bull crap experts. They are everywhere. So, am I one of those? What makes my various philosophical musings different or superior to the next ones? Why do I know and they (whoever they are) don't know?

I don't have a straight answer for lots of things. If you read much of this, you might get that I am conflicted, confused and questioning plenty on all subject matter of life. That's what philosophers - even amateur ones, like to do. I am not about to set forth my personal viewpoints as those that are superior to the rest. I might be totally and completely off base in 82% of what I have written here. So if you are wise and can point all of this erroneous material out to yourself, you might have advanced your own cause in life, whatever it is. If not, consider going out and grabbing some more Plato, or Buddha, or Nietzsche, or Jesus.

…As for me, I am content to remain Noah-like, building this little life raft out of my philosophical trees, buoyed by balanced planks from various mental, material, social, and spiritual spheres. This process permits me to stay adrift in the rough waters of life that are the encounters of quiet desperation we all face as guests for a time here on this planet.

In the beginning (my own beginning, at least) the path of Official Religion, nor the rejection of it, ever got the job done for me. I also tried (to no avail) alcohol, drugs, partying, womanizing, accumulation, wealth, materialism and other superficial pleasures as well. Nothing worked or satisfied.

Then, after many years of trial and error, trying and failing, a philosophy of balance (that of my mental, material, social, and spiritual parts) finally provided me with something of great substance; something that I knew I could depend on.

In my experience, nothing else has ever worked.

So…philosophy saved my life. The content of what was special to me is delineated and documented here. I have shared them in these two long volumes of philosophical principle and worldview, in the interest of hoping they can be of help to others as they were to me.

Namaste always. Go in peace with your God.

ONE:

MENTAL LIFE

1

PRINCIPLES OF PHILOSOPHY

PRINCIPLES OF PHILOSOPHY

PHILOSOPHICAL MENTAL

THE WORLD OF THE MIND

1.0 Consciousness and the Mind

1.1 Contemplation and Examination

1.2 Personality And The Self

1.3 Logic and Reason

1.4 Reality and Illusion

1.5 Order and Balance

1.6 Attitude and Motivation

1.7 Learning and Growth

1.8 Ego and Hostility

1.9 Emotions and Wellbeing

1.10 Wants and Needs

1.11 Hardship and Ease

1.12 Pain and Suffering

1.13 Pleasure and Happiness

1.14 Curiosity and Creativity

1.15 Interests and Pastimes

1.16 Principles and Beliefs

1.17 Psychology and Mental Health

1.18 Perspective and Outlook

1.19 Worldview

1.20 Philosophy

1.0

Consciousness and the Mind

1.0.1 Oh, snap! Consciousness: we are aware!

1.0.2 We have come an incredible distance from our beginnings

1.0.3 Who are we? What are we? Coming to know ourselves

1.0.4 It is amazing we are even able to contemplate this world

1.0.5 We are consciousness, and then some

1.0.6 The body has a brain, and the brain has a mind

1.0.7 The mind-body split: Dualism

1.0.1(V1) CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE MIND

Oh, snap! Consciousness: we are aware!

A bout a year before he died, the famous Roman philosopher Cicero set forth an incredible question. For that time, and even for this time - well over 2000 years later - it is nothing short of an astonishing one.

He simply inquired, Why do you insist the universe is not a conscious intelligence, when it gives birth to conscious intelligence?

Indeed. We humans are, in no small part, because we think we are. It seems so obvious now. But back in the days of Rene Descartes (1596-1650), when he proclaimed, I think, therefore I am, it was a real mind boggler for his French philosopher friends to hear.

If you want to be cool about it, you would utter it to others in the way he did, at the very onset of the saying. It would be stated like this: Cogito ergo sum, which is the Latin preposition for the same.

So, it's I am. And I am aware. And you are aware too. So, here we are, all of us aware! Somewhere early in the process of human life, we have become conscious of our consciousness. If we are thinking right, we tend to see it as a friendly force at work within us. It is also synergistic, for it is not my consciousness alone that resides within me. We have, as much and as often as we care to cultivate it, the Mind of God* as well as the mind of Man - all cocooned within our being.

We are aware, at times, that we can see life similarly to how the Universe must also absorb and distribute information. At other times (often this happens during times of dreaming) we are aware of the collective consciousness, coming to us in the form of many voices and persons busy at work as they invade the unconscious and subconscious parts of our being.

Most of all, we carry about an ongoing awareness that is cerebral thought, and then some. It does not confine itself to simple thinking, which we attribute to the organ of our brains. Something - a thing well over and above our normal thinking processes - is in control of that very personal part of us.

In some manner of speaking, it is obvious – at least as I am able to place my human-centric notions aside for a second – that we are separate and distinct from other species which reside on the face of the planet. Although we are quite clearly inferior in many vital realms of the AK (Animal Kingdom) we can see that we do have a conscious part of us that possesses somewhat of an unlimited capacity to do and to be.

I find this not only philosophically intriguing but quite challenging as well. Our consciousness is an ongoing companion, accompanying us in all of our comings and goings, always lingering somewhere and always hovering everywhere. As we take the time and energy to actively cultivate the practice of staying congruent with it, guess what? We grow, evolve, and reach heights previously thought unreachable, heretofore unobtainable, but of which are now quite easily scaled, and readily understood by us. How about that?

We can be becoming more aware of time, in the deeper realms of our higher being. Our consciousness can cause us to soar to previously unanticipated heights. We must ask ourselves what we are lately doing that causes us to more profoundly interact with other forms of sentient life.

The thrill is to involve the deeper realms of our conscious being. Then, just keep asking those profound philosophical questions.

(*God is differing philosophy and metaphysics to different people. The word God is a Universal concept/term. I will make this disclaimer here and not too often in this book: God is Many Definitions, each and every one roughly-parallel variations of a He/She/It/Them).

1.0.2(v1) CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE MIND

We have come an incredible distance from our beginnings

H aving been conceived in the English year 1950 - over 350 years after the birth of the father of modern philosophy, Rene Descartes, who was the famous I think, therefore I am guy - I conclude that life has been an astounding encounter with consciousness.

My personal philosophy of life originates with how amazingly far I as a human observe my own journey from the beginning of all of this. I am in both shock and awe as I think on this unfolding existence.

Progressing all this way through time, if not to anyone else on the face of the earth, my own evolution as a body of conscious being has been simply incredible to contemplate. I often sit stunned and dazed at the thought of how all forms of evolution on earth magnificently unfold in so many varieties of form. It regularly gets me to thinking some more; back on my own crude beginnings.

We can consider our childhood in those times when our solipsistic self was at the center of the entire Universe. The journey of the expansion beyond self, for me, puts me in mind of the speed at which the stars are moving apart from one another. A billion galaxies of a billion stars each, living and dying all the time, just as our own human star rises, shines and then swan dives into a faded oblivion.

What a trip it has been. What a trip it is. I freely conclude - in my own system of seeing the world - that the understanding of our beginning and growth as human beings is simply a mind-boggling set of sensations to take in and try and absorb. The trillions of (uncuttable) atoms which make us up is a wonder of Nature to behold. This hurtling globe has gone from a small village to a large, moving ball of light. Cities populate every corner of it. People appear everywhere and are (almost certainly) more abundant as a species than ever before. Various forms of life team with multiple expressions of that life. In the darkness of space, it grows larger and larger with time. It expands beyond our comprehension as time proceeds.

The miracle of consciousness is that we can even begin to comprehend a tiny portion of our internal being, our external world, and our endless universe. I am not sure how the dolphins or the recently discovered undersea dinosaurs think about it. I cannot say how the cardinals at my feeder ponder it by comparison. I do not know if Teddy and the Bear (my two best pals) ever deliberate intently as they lay at my feet while I think and write of the wonders of life itself…or rather, do they just meditate on their newly-delivered bone? I simply do know much, so my mind spins with imagination at the very notion of all of this around me. I continuously remain engulfed in what it is and must be, and still, what it may yet become for my mind to still wrestle with and try and behold.

From where we started, we have all come a great distance. It's true even more so since we have no idea where we were in the beginning, nor any idea where we shall proceed in the end.

It's all a fascinating, exuberating journey through time and space. I remain in this condition of awe, just to be an infinitesimally small feature of all there is in life.

1.0.3(v1) CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE MIND

Who are we? What are we? Coming to know ourselves

I f one should inquire, I am Michael, a random humanoid from the lovely planet of Earth. I was at one time just a kindergarten baby, stuck in the gravy, back in 1956.

I had already learned reams of things about myself by then. Compared to a computer from that time, I was a raving genius. Compared to the latest, greatest computer of today? I remain that genius.

Life though was not so easy - back then, or now - and it didn't flow automatically (then or now). I for instance recall being the last in my class to learn to tie my shoe, and I caused the boys to lose that contest, in a boys versus girls battle to first get shoe-tying down. That goes along with an earlier point in the program, where I am told I could not even recognize myself in the mirror. Did not know who it was looking back at me.

Well, as time passed, I drew more and more conclusions about both myself and life. Some of them were accurate, and some were not. At some juncture, I found out I was not the center of the universe. That solipsistic pill swallowed down hard, but I moved on from it. I built on the accuracy of good guesses about life and slowly started on an evolutionary path. Discrepancies were worked out with time, and my (what seemed like a) 1200-piece jigsaw puzzle of life started getting filled in, albeit, ever so slowly.

Those first years are incredibly important to us. There is talk that the first year or two in the aging process freezes us in place for life. Who and what we will be is determined by then. While this can be a depressing thought, it should not immobilize us now, and it well might want to be factored in whenever we spend time with newborns and tiny people.

At some point, for me, self-discovery gave way to other-world discovery. I found I lived in an amazing world of nature, and other social beings. More and more, with time, things external to me would take up my time and energy. While everything came back to me and had an application there, it was fun to study the variances in human beings and just as much or more fun to pick up a leaf and examine all of it carefully! (It still is! There sits a Buckeye tree leaf on my nightstand right now).

Conversely, it seems that others of us rather quickly got over who we are, what we are and became complacent and bored with the subject. Still, others got into who and what all the rest of this mass of life form and existence on and above the planet is all about while saying, so much for Socrates and know thyself. If we are wise, we are accumulating more and more information and data each day of our lives. It is a hobby, a pastime, a preoccupation and a passion to do so. To not lose interest in knowing more and more about life - including things about ourselves but not limited to that - is a way to warrant a long and prosperous experience on this earth.

No doubt like you, I have gone through wonderful times and horrific times while encapsulated in my body-mind. Throughout them - and somewhere early along the way - I came to become enamored and captivated on the minutiae and complexity surrounding me on all of these dimensional sides. I wonder out loud, what is life? Ralph Waldo Emerson philosophized once, Wherever the life is, (the world) bursts into appearance around it, I have personally found this to be so very true. Life is everywhere, and it is marvelous.

Will this continue until I cease to be? I cannot say, although I woke up again today, at 66.67 years of age, excited as hell about it once again.

(Postscript: I am drafting/proofing. I am now 67.10 years old - still excited!).

1.0.4(v1) CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE MIND

It is amazing we are even able to contemplate this world

I am not able to speak for the whole of the animal kingdom. I do know, that of the approximately 5,480+ surviving mammalian species upon the earth today, we humans seem to be the ones doing the contemplating, writing down our observations and thoughts, as we share with other humans how we see this remarkable world.

That is an incredible phenomenon, and if you think about it, we are fortunate to be able to even have awareness of this.

By contrast, while Teddy and the Bear, my two German Shepherds, may contemplate the chances the sunshine of a new day brings them a new toy or bone, or that their master may opt for a long walk with them, or a nice truck ride, I don't know if they give much thought to what's beyond the stars, where they came from or what the meaning of life is all about. If they do, they are not saying.

What about the nearly one million (known) species of insects in the world? I see a tree and contemplate it as such; as a tree. What does the insect see? Do they all see the tree the same? How many ways can a tree be seen? What more is it than merely a tree?

Since we are so blessed, it is a wise investment of time, money, and energy to pursue the hobby, pastime or passion of contemplating the big questions and learning and growing as much as we can as we proceed through this life. I can't speak for you, but sitting around and thinking about everything, reading about it in literally thousands of interesting books, or engaging in a television show or YouTube event that talks about life and the world, is a wonderful thing to do. We build up a positive personal philosophy when we do such things, and it will help us in life.

While we humans disagree about much, that too is one of the pleasures of life. The fact that we can come to different conclusions about the BQ's (big questions) is a fun thing, and should not be allowed to intimidate us in the least. I imagine I value my mind above all else in life. While I enjoy my four extremities generally called limbs, I would sacrifice any or all of them in favor of keeping intact the thinking machine that is encased in my skull. I am fond of suggesting that my 7 5/8th inch cowboy hat covers a brain that is likely larger than the average human organ - probably even including yours! I suggest this because while most of you are lugging around a 3.2-pound hunk of tofu upstairs, I am pretty sure I sport something of a four-pounder. A clue to this being the case is that, due to my large head and huge brain, I often get neck-aches while in sitting and resting positions. Under these conditions, perhaps a good neck brace would suit me well

My wife has a considerably smaller head than do I. It stands to reason I have a vastly larger brain. As I philosophize about this, I humbly conclude that bigger brain does not mean smarter brain. I am quite sure my wife out-duels me in most of the brain compartments. Still more stuff to contemplate…

I won't, however, even consider tampering with this ghost in the machine of mine, because my wondering and wandering through the Universe and the Cosmos is an incredibly entertaining part of nearly all of my days and nights on the earth.

Along these lines, one of the perpetual questions we must ask ourselves as it pertains to consciousness is the one that asks: Is the physical brain the creator of our conscious world, or, on the other hand, is it the receiver of that world?

In any case, we are always-wise to cultivate our powers of contemplation. As we do, the benefits will become self-evident, and you will owe me a big thank you sir for turning you on to such a marvelous philosophy of being!

1.0.5(v1) CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE MIND

We are consciousness, and then some

I n one real sense of the word, we are a self, or a something that is made up of essentially six basic elements. These include matter, liquid, fire, air, space, and consciousness. A fundamental constitution of these six things makes us up…nothing more – nothing less.

We are solid matter, which includes our flesh, our bones, our skin, our hair and our nails. We also consist of liquid, which includes our blood, our phlegm, our bile and other various secretions. There is a fire element to us as well. Not real fire; not the thing earlier incarnations of man first figured out how to kindle and control some 400,000 years ago. Heat and energy make up the fire that resides within the human being.

Another aspect of us is air; this is represented within us by breath and wind. We also occupy space. We can in addition conclude that we are constructed of consciousness, which is the sixth and final aspect of ourselves. After that, just what else is there?

So matter, liquid, fire, air, space, and consciousness are what we are. These six essential elements of our being are all of what there is of us. We acquired them all during the course of birth, and at the end of a quick jaunt through life, we will, no doubt, surrender all of them back to the earth. None of these things are permanent and abiding within us, and, thus, cannot truly be spoken of as being who we are. None of them, combined, are of much worth, either. So, what makes us up is pretty cheap to buy, if we were to go to the hardware store and buy it that is. The raw ingredients are available on the open market in a hardware store near you.

Whatever remains after matter, liquid, fire, air, space, and consciousness leave us, is all up for questioning. We only can conclude that these elements are being borrowed in support of us, now, and, at some point in the ongoing events of our time, we will simply forfeit them back. To give them up in favor of just what, we cannot completely say. The significance of them to our lives now is that we incorporate them in carrying on this glorious existence of ours.

These handful of borrowed elements are a Gift/gift, one given to us personally, and for our very private use. They are from the Universe-at-large…or you could say, from God. As such, considering their source, I value them and try to direct them in ways that glorify the existence of my mortal being.

This is something I think we can all overwhelmingly consider worth doing. Wouldn't you say?

1.0.6(v1) CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE MIND

The body has a brain, and the brain has a mind

O ur body comes equipped with a brain, which in most cases does not even come in at sixty ounces in weight. It feels I am told, quite similar to a piece of tofu .

Yet this little organ is pretty much in charge of the rest of us. Our brains come with a voracious appetite; what is it they wish to consume?

Remarkably (and contrary to what is most often said about it) the raw organ itself is not that which does the thinking for us. It is more of the mechanistic housing capacity for thought. That's because this brain of ours is occupied and inhabited…by a mind.

So, there is the machine, and then there is the ghost which inhabits the machine. They are hardly the same thing. We can somewhat understand the segments and aspects of the physical territory (the brain) but when it comes to the mind, it's filled with mystery - even to those (especially to those) who study it intensely.

Those in science who study such things are much more frequently inclined to talk about the body in terms of Materialistic Monism, or Physicalism. While most experts in the field agree with a non-dualistic approach to mind-body, recent advances in the budding understanding of areas such as neuroplasticity has much to say otherwise on these matters.

My philosophy on the matter is that we don't know. As such, Monism and Dualism (regarding mind-body matters) is a free-for-all and remains up for grabs. We all, however, maintain our own opinions on such matters, and are free to share them. Since no one really knows - who knows?

As a human being, our body and mind will take a long time to discover effective ways to work together throughout our lifetimes. Slowly, in their own unique ways, the body-mind will discover how they can better work together in harmony and synchronization, as it is best for them to do so. As a being in life, mind over matter (our body being the developed matter) is one of the goals of a disciplined and orderly life. It will take some doing to get it to happen, but for some of us, both personally and philosophically, it has happened to no small degree.

For most of my own life, I viewed the mind as one thing, and the body as something else. In reality, a more accurate picture of this is that we have a mind-body, or, a body-mind – take your pick; whichever we wish to call it. Our body-mind is an inseparable tandem to be reckoned with, once it is tuned into its purposes and intentions on earth. We will (and already have!) evolve to great levels of being, as our consciousness undergoes many cyclical changes and expansions.

This excursion through the spaces and gaps of life will be (is) nothing short of amazing. For me, it is more and more the case as time passes. Before it’s over - when it is all said, and all done - we should have had the privilege to travel many places in our minds. And in the end, we are not quite sure what happens to it; it seems like such as waste of gathered wisdom and experience to have it die, right there alongside the body. That is, however, what appears to happen. At least in one form; in one version of the tale.

This is the conclusion of its fate with most scientists, although some quietly and not-so-quietly beg to differ. If some sages and saints are to chime in and be considered, the brain dies - the mind lives on. In some fashion I suspect you and I will carry on. Certainly not like me or my personality…that likely will be permanently laid to rest. If the body-mind does carry on after death, it will be in a way we are unable to comprehend with the limitations of our current mental processes.

We are a massive assembly of atomic energy. The ancient Greek philosophers somehow nailed that one. Wow, they were smart. It's why I follow philosophy. As this swirling mass continues to constitute who and what we are for now when we die, the atomic energy does not die in us. It continues. It no longer swirls as us. But swirl on it does. So, when we die, we experience a massive re-distribution of immortal atomic energy. Trillions of atoms find new homes. They were once our atoms, but now, they are returned. They are returned to where you say? Well…

I would say that where we were before we were, we are, once more, there. Consciousness? Off mixed in with stars I assume.

I do confess that while it remains all very unclear to me, as a mortal, with the use of my mortal mind, the possibility of consciousness being more than we can imagine is intriguing. For now, we are simply left to carry on in the processes, which is something that we gladly do for as long as we can.

We have no other alternative than this, and yet, what a consolation prize! To have the capacity of consciousness! To be able to contemplate!

1.0.7(v1) CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE MIND

The mind-body split: Dualism

B eing real with ourselves begs the question of just what are we? We are a mind-body organism of sorts, and it's funny how we tend to view our bodies as one thing and our minds as quite another when in reality they are in one sense, inseparable.

Or are they?

As it pertains to meaning, purpose and essential use, in divorcing them we limit our ability to allow the body-mind (mind-body) to work in the harmonious fashion that it is intended to do.

The mind and body are not split, but we split them up along the way, perhaps as part of our need to intellectually analyze, to divide and conquer the mysteries and intentions of our world and gain the greatest amount of value from our assessments of it.

What is the result of this dualistic dilemma? When we are a body, and also a mind, we isolate our care and treatment as having two parts: the body part and the mind part. This is the beginning of a great deal of personal torment and struggle for us. In viewing them as if they can be treated differently and distinctly, we fail to act on the connection and interdependency that exists between them.

There is no doubt that in any realistic view of personal healing, we are generally free to heal our individual selves from a variety of what ails us. From the common cold, to broken body parts, to damaged hearts, we are healers already - though we don't often know it. Some parts of us are capable of an instant healing impact while others incorporate the miracle of time to see healing unfold. But the paradox of parts is misleading in the first place, because of the nature of interconnectedness of all the parts.

In reality, a healing miracle is a healing miracle, and it takes the full cooperation of the body-mind to pull it off. When everything within us begins to work together as one, aspects of separation and isolation drop from our patterns of thought, and we position ourselves for the greatly unanticipated. Then, while medical doctors dabble in endless chains of probability statistics, we are free to indulge fully in the knowledge that we have an unlimited capacity to heal ourselves. Trained medical people – with the backing of logical reason – are taught to figure out how many people out of one hundred, say, will survive a particular type of cancer, and for how long. This is all very fine, but it does not apply to those who see the parts as pieces of a Whole, and who thus understand the great natural capacity the human body has to heal itself. These miracles will continually take place inside of our bodies, as they will in our minds, and the distinctions will become less ambiguous due to a growing understanding of the complete connection. Remember that doctors tell us most of our illnesses are in, where? Right…in our minds.

Put succinctly, as we wiggle our big toe, is it because that toe conceived of strong urges to start wiggling itself? No…rather, the mind said to the brain, wiggle, and since the toe and the brain and the mind have a special relationship already in place, a wiggling of sorts begins to take place between mind, brain and toe, toe being part of the body. This happens so quickly as to manifest instantly on the external scene, and is due to the interconnectivity of mind and toe, and serves as verification that they are inextricably linked.

Are the big words helping? Hang on. This will be made more clear as we go. Am I a doctor? No. I philosophize; it's often more confusing work than doctor work.

Where was I? Oh, OK, we cut our finger. Bleeding results. As we bleed, what mechanism is in place that will eventually stop the bleeding? Does the mind say to stop bleeding? Or are there factors at work in our body that has the ability to turn off the spicket? A cooperative effort of the inseparable mind-body results in the stoppage of blood. It is lifesaving and mechanistic; it is in place within each of us as we function as humans.

We have the power to think with our entire body because the intelligence that saturates our being does not live solely in the brain or the mind. Do you recall the great Einstein suggesting he thought with his whole body? Coming from him, we might want to consider what that might have meant.

So the two function together, inseparably, and it takes no advanced degree to instinctively grasp this. While some wish to isolate the various parts, the reality is that the mind and body are not two things, but rather, they are one entity as a mind-body, or body-mind. Here, in this wonderful arena called the human being, physical and non-physical elements magnificently collide, and create energy, force, and spirit, while moving in the direction of whatever intent is chosen.

To know about this collaboration and how it manifests is an important reality to embrace. Think, thus, in terms of this oneness of body and mind, and not in the separation (weakening) of individual parts. Synergy (one plus one is more than merely two) comes when forces are at work in concert together. United elements survive. Division kills momentum.

The mind and the body are simply one within each of us. So, there is no real duality of mind and body in this sense. Treat them as one, and see it more for what it really is: not dual, but rather, singular. (Note: I realize that I contradict myself when I also talk about the brain being separate from mind. While I consider that the human mind/body (body/mind) work separately, together, I also think that mental consciousness is like a ghost, and the non-material ghost lives in a physical machine called the brain.)

1.1

Contemplation and Examination

1.1.1 Less learning; more contemplating…

1.1.2 Wondering why we are here…

1.1.3 It was Socrates who said, the unexamined life is not worth living

1.1.4 What shall we think?

1.1.5 We follow in the direction of our thoughts

1.1.6 What we place our thoughts upon is what expands in our lives

1.1.1(v1) CONTEMPLATION AND EXAMINATION

Less learning; more contemplating…

R ene Descartes made this profound statement once: In order to improve the mind, we ought less to learn, than to contemplate . What could such a thought possibly mean? Are they not about the same thing?

No. Learning is accumulating knowledge. Some of it will stick in our minds, much if not most of it, will not. Deeper than mere learning, the contemplation of those thoughts and ideas goes much further and penetrates the mind far more deeply than mere learning can do.

Imagine preparing to toss a steak on the grill. That can be called learning. Cooking it up to a status of well-done is contemplation. There is the thought (the steak) and there is the contemplation of the thought (cooking it).

I read somewhere recently where the TV was looked at (in America, at least!) five times more than any form of spiritual thinking was taking place. This is a strange comparison and is also shocking, in that while television can be a good thing if used properly, does it really compete with the deeper things of life, let alone one of the deepest things of all - our personal spirituality?

…If you are not getting the point about this, just contemplate on it some more. We can wait.

OK, we couldn't wait, so just so we know what we are talking about, contemplation is defined as thoughtful observation; deep consideration; personal reflection. By comparison, learning is broken down as knowledge acquired by study; acquisition of skill; training and practicing of the mind. Do you see the difference? We do both, but should not leave out the contemplation aspects of life, which is the point I think my friend Rene was aiming towards.

As we think about what we are learning, we deepen the messages we have gained from them. We are creating new brain pathways to understanding that which we have accumulated in our heads.

Contemplative matters matter. We should all strive to learn that.

1.1.2(v1) CONTEMPLATION AND EXAMINATION

Wondering why we are here…

T here are different ways to view the delicate matters of our existence. We are here for a purpose…are we not? Is it all by intentional design..or is it by accident?

Life is planned…or is it just randomness and happenstance? We all conclude the answers to these questions on an individual basis. I like to think that it is all for some reason, and to some degree, I operate out of that frame of reference.

Digging more into it, being of European descent, it has come to my recent attention that I have emerged from one of seven possible mothers. They are the mothers of all European people and, if I were genetically tested, they could likely tell you