Wednesday, November 7, 2012

The Divergent Paths of Philosophy and Society


“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead
Throughout history all the great societies had great leaders and thinkers at their helm. Rome, Greece, Colonial America, and Great Britain are just a few good examples. Rome had Marcus Aurelius and Augustus. Greece had leaders like Pericles and philosophers such as Socrates and Aristotle. Colonial America was founded by, in my opinion, some of the greatest thinkers in human history; men such as Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and John Adams. Great Britain has had its share of great contributors to human thought also, with people such as John Locke and David Hume.

Almost invariably, the great civilizations were founded and continued by people who had taken the time to subscribe to some set of philosophical ideals. These great men used axioms and principles to form a sort of moral framework through which to live their lives. Whether conscious of it or not, every person has formed what is called a paradigm for themselves over time. A paradigm is simply a way of seeing the world. In other words, it is the context or filter through which a person perceives the outside world. A large amount of the general populous has no idea that this exists. Some others know about it, but choose not to make any actions of change. Only a very select few- including those that are listed above- figure out the secret to getting the most out of this life. That secret is simply realizing that paradigms exist and understanding that the greatest power known to man is the power he has to change his own paradigm.

Paradigms are malleable and can be adjusted and tweaked. Once a person understands this, he can begin to shape the way he sees the world into whatever is desired. If a positive outlook that is motivated and forward-minded is the goal, then it can be forged with desire and force of habit. Over time momentum is built through habit and repetitive practice. That is how lives are changed, and virtually the only way.

The worry: the leaders of this great country have moved away from pursuing this philosophically constructed worldview and are now focused much more on bureaucratic bullshit and getting re-elected. It really is a shame. A brief review of the history of all great societies will reveal a scary fact: the fall from grace and loss of power is inevitably aligned with the leaders moving away from having a philosophical foundation and toward greed.

With that being said, the United States of America is a very young country in the grand scheme of things and it is certainly not too late to right this ship! This generation has an opportunity to become enlightened and slowly edge out the old powers-that-be while realigning the government with moral and philosophical ideals. The only way for this to happen is for many citizens to start forging their own framework which includes becoming educated on important issues. This framework can only be created slowly by systematically overhauling the paradigm that has been inadvertently adopted up until this point.

For you that want to impact the world for the better, this is a quest that you must undertake and one that will be lifelong. The ball is in your court now. Take the reigns of your life and lets change this world!

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