The Human Predicament and the Search for Wisdom
As human beings, we naturally ask questions, and search for understanding. We might recall an idea given by a teacher in school, by a family member or friend, or a vision in a dream we had, or a whispering intuition. Where can we find a body of knowledge which might account for our most sublime thoughts and feelings and cultivate our wisdom?
In today’s cacophony of noise, we find a lack of clarity and solid logical foundation for testable truths about who we really are in this period of moral relativism. Stein Ringen writes in What Is Democracy For? that we need something to find the strength of conviction to really apply moral principles as practically authoritative, get beyond lip service to laudable ideals, and do this in dialogue which points toward social harmony. What ideas point to truths we can live by, tested slowly with our own experience? How can we best voluntarily participate with the global family in a meaningful way?
Our current philosophies and scientific technical advances do not really get to the root of our problems. They are heavily rooted in reductionist materialism and statistical determinism. Einstein said we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking which got us into our problems. What broader outlooks and new thinking can replace our unduly limited conceptions of ourselves (who we are) and on what basis do we serve others?
James Tepfer wrote, “Modern consciousness is becoming more global and increasingly concerned with the needs and rights of all members of the human family. The ubiquity of human suffering has forced us out of our sectarian and ideological shells and made us appreciate the importance of human interdependence and international cooperation.” The U.S.Founding Fathers, especially the global citizen, Thomas Paine, wove together the standpoints of impersonal spirituality, universal responsibility, intellectual originality, and self-definition pointing to the great potential in men and women.
This new and ancient thinking suggests that we have an inner life and we have the capacity to cultivate wisdom. The ancient teachings said, “Know Thyself”. Universal truths and their varied, multi-dimensional applications lie within to be realized through inner consideration and outward testing. Krista Tippett writes in Becoming Wise: An Inquiry Into Mystery and the Art of Living that the cultivation of the inner life arose with the Golden Rule found in all religions …”with the startling proposition that the well-being of others beyond kin and tribe—the stranger, the orphan, the outcast—was linked to one’ own,(thus) the question of what it means to be human is now inextricable from the question of who we are to each other.” p.3 and 4. When we identify with a quality in another human being whether positively or negatively, it signals that we have this quality in ourselves, and we are fundamentally interdependent and not separate from all that lives.
Moral interdependence and relatedness, where each suffers for the other yet we all aid others in someway every day, is intimately related to a quest for universal brotherhood and sisterhood which are facts in nature, not an opinion. This proposition can be seen as an hypothesis in the Platonic sense, starting points or positions laid down for the sake of discovering what is in harmony with them, in action, as well as in thought. They are like ideals nourished by the effort to realize them, and they are like vows.
Thus, a first step is to continually reflect upon and remember one’s own golden moments as a child and as an adult. Then one can find the ideas expressed in those moments and live by them. Then with an inner conviction one can forget one’s likes and dislikes and act on behalf of others first. These inner commitments can nourish questioning (including oneself) and ever exploring the edges of thought and action in oneself and others without consolidating a persona (i.e. mask) around any image, dogma, or external lifestyle. Each individual can quietly choose among the banquet of the human heritage a universal idea that nourishes and one can test its application thoughtfully in daily life; thus making the idea more real. As one tests the idea, one can learn from others and sift one’s own experience, cultivate humility from one’s self-devised efforts of self-correction, while kindling gratitude for teachers who inspired us. From this lifelong process, an emerging realization occurs that in an interpenetrating ensemble of correlating ideas and expressions, there is a core, universal, foundational ethic for humanity in motion expressing itself in and through many forms and traditions.
Abraham Lincoln: “All through life, be sure and put your feet in the right place, and then stand firm.”
All of us are members of the Human Family, and based on our self-reflection can assume a posture of self-directed, lifelong learning based on a desire to identify with and uplift greater circles of diversity while meeting needs in our daily duties. We can slowly root out or diminish negative tendencies of our “egos” which consolidate in our comfort zones, “wall us off”, and separate and alienate us.
We can become more “other-wise”, listening and drawing out different perspectives relative to universal principles, perceiving humanity in each and all, for the purpose of enhanced mutual understanding, dialogue, and thoughtful service encompassing more compassionate action. Plato wrote that there is a faculty in our souls which always seeks the truth. Thus, we can cooperate with our inner life through sifting out and instantiating thoughts and actions pointing toward truth, yielding a field of greater trust, non-violence, and social harmony with others. As Dean Inge wrote, “Truth in the inward parts at once breaks down the barriers which separate us from our fellow man.”
As global citizens, as we become more “awake”, expansive, and self-governing, so may our communities. An ethos of lifelong learning and selfless service can substitute for social positioning and material acquisition. We can gradually subtract our excess desires from our needs; thus reducing the multiplication of our wants which over strain our personal relations, our collective life, and all that lives.
Sufi saying: “When things get darker, it is easier to see the light.”
W.Q. Judge “Be a center of harmony yourself and others will help you in spreading that feeling.”
Joesph Miller: “I am drawing the larger circle/Compassing both you and me/Reaching out beyond my boundaries/Serving my neighbor’s needs.”
Thomas Paine: “My country is the world, and my religion is to do good.”
