WHY PHILOSOPHY IS IMPORTANT?

Physical science helps mankind in general. Physical science increases the utility.
Now everyone wants to be practical. We appreciate practical man. Practical man means one who recognizes material needs and who works for his food to the body and who works for every possible comfort to the body. But these are people who are oblivious of the necessity of providing food for the mind.
If poverty and disease is removed from mankind, it would not necessarily result in the society being a valuable society. Goods of the mind is as important as goods of the body.
There are men who never leave the small circle in which they are placed for the fear that his word may not be the last elsewhere. These are people for whom knowledge is a set of prejudices. Habits and desires makes an impenetrable veil between them and the world beyond. For these people Personal and private things become a prison to the intellect.
Free intellect requires to see things without a here and now, without hopes and fears, without fundamental beliefs and prejudices, calmly and dispassionately and it would see things with the sole and exclusive desire of knowledge. Knowledge which is impersonal, contemplative.
Philosophy is to be studied not for the sake of any definite answers. No definite answers can as a rule be known to be true. Philosophy is required to be studied to enlarge our conception of what is possible. It is meant to enrich intellectual imagination and diminish the dogmatic assurance which closes the mind against speculation.

ASSERT TO GOD YOUR FREEDOM.

The recognition of existence of God who is omnipotent and good must be a false recognition because there cannot be omnipotent and kind God when misery is seen in the world. Either no God exists and it is man made. In the alternative he is not omnipotent and good. Either he is good or omnipotent. There cannot exist God who is omnipotent and good in the light of misery seen everywhere in this world.
At any rate we are speaking of omnipotent God. Omnipotent God means he has unlimited powers. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. hence power is bad. Hence we have to reject it from our hearts. It is here that man’s true freedom lies.
The freedom I am speaking requires strength. Strength has to be respected. Let us respect the strength of those who refuse false recognition of facts.
Man must struggle to become free as far as possible from the tyranny of non-human power. The moment you attribute absolute power to God, we think that it has got to be worshiped and It must be given unlimited respect notwithstanding its wanton infliction of pain.
In addition to this Unfortunately in our actions we have no option but to submit perpetually to the tyranny of outside forces. However in thought, in aspiration we are free. We are free when we live, even from the tyranny of death .
If you oppose God on the basis that God is a creation of man and if that ideal grows fully visible, a spirit of fierce revolt and hatred of the Gods would come and it seems necessary to the assertion of freedom.
It is the duty of one and all to keep the evil always in view but always actively hated. In this regard man shall learn to refuse no pain that the malice of power can invent ,to assert man’s freedom.
For all the above what is most important is we should see that our thoughts are not burdened by the load of eager wishes. If it is not so loaded, freedom comes automatically. Freedom is available to those who do not ask of life that it shall yield them any of those personal goods that are subject to the mutations of time. When we loose all eagerness of temporary desire, struggle and strife for petty ends and trivial things which would make the common life day by day, we would be able to enjoy our freedom.
It is the part of courage to turn away our thoughts from vain regrets. The degree of submission to power should be just and right and it is wisdom.
We have to resign to the out world rule of fate but we have to recognize that the non-human world is unworthy of our worship.
Ideas are from mysticism and logic and other essays by Bertrand Russell.

MAN MADE GOD. IS IT TO RUIN HIMSELF?

I was very busy. Sorry that I have not written for long.
If there is God, he must be omnipotent. It is so by the very definition of God.
But we see misery and more misery everywhere. If misery exists in the eyesight of omnipotent God, it means he wants misery to exist. He wants people to be miserable. Otherwise as omnipotent he would have removed all miseries.
It is surprising and in fact amusing that such God who has kept people miserable gets undeserved praise to be worshipped by beings whom he tortures.
He looks at things being bad, he makes it worse by giving hopes to men that future might be better. He gives men strength that enables them to forego even the joys that is possible with the idea that future could be better.
God is omnipotent. So he must be smiling. We have seen people perfect in renunciation and worship. This must be the work of omnipotent God.
The only upright thing for any human being is to be free. Man is free to examine, to criticize, to know to create and to imagine to create.
It is only to man this freedom belongs. It is this freedom which makes him superior. It is this freedom which gives him superiority in-spite of the irresistable forces that control his out world life.
In-spite of this freedom if man is willing to prostrate himself before Gods, without enquiring whether God is worthy of his worship, he is surrendering his freedom and he does not deserve to live.
If a person become so much a slave to God that he dare not even in his heart, think or allow the thought to come that his master God deserves no worship, it is unfortunate.
Tomorrow we shall examine our freedom and what gives us the freedom to say “I don’t care to the God who is omnipotent and gives misery”. What gives us freedom to say “I don’t care to the omnipotent”.

YOU HAVE OBSESSION. IT WILL HUNT YOU.

There was a person who believed only in Hari, he did not like Hara. But he had one idol of Harihara wherein one face was of Hari and another face was of Hara.
Every day when he has to perform pooja, he used to block the nostrils of Hara lest Hara would take the perfume of the incense he would offer, he would block the ears of Hara lest he would hear his chanting, he would put some mud or such on the eyes of Hara lest Hara would see him doing pooja. This is how he performed the pooja. He was expecting that Hari would come and bless him.
One day Hara came before him and told I am absolutely pleased with the faith you have in me. Please ask me for any boon.
The man was perplexed. He asked I have never offered you pooja. I don’t want you. In what way you are impressed?
Hara answered “No devotee of mine ever had as much faith in me as you had. The pains that you took to close my nostrils and so on every time you did pooja, is absolute indication of your absolute faith in me. I am extremely happy that there is one person who has so much of faith in me”.
If you are obsessed with anything, the thing with which you are obsessed would certainly hunt you one day.

YOU HAVE MORE FAITH THAN REQUIRED. YOU ARE EXPLOITED.

Two pilgrims were going one behind the other. There was a small water channel that was flowing. By the side of the Channel there was an idol of a Devi. The first person took that idol, placed it across the channel, walked on the idol of the Devi.
The second pilgrim who was following him saw that, felt very bad. He came. Took the idol, made it stand, took his shalya, dipped shalya in water, cleaned the idol using his shalya, made namaskaram and jumped across the channel.
Devi was very angry. She cursed the second person “you go without offering me coconut. You have unwanted courage to disrespect me like that. You shall have misery for three days”.
The second pilgrim was astonished. He asked “Oh Devi, pardon me. I did not have a coconut. Excuse me, at any rate you did not curse the man who ill-treated you by walking on you. Why are you selecting me”.
Devi answered “I have jurisdiction only on those who have full faith in me”.
Our dealings with any person should be with full knowledge as to how much of faith we should have, in whom.

ARE YOU AFRAID? NO ONE CAN HELP YOU.

There was a very powerful saint who loved a cat very much. One day the cat went out and came back running, perspiring as if being hunted.
The Saint asked the cat “what is the matter? Why are you perspiring?”. The cat answered “there is a dog outside”.
The Saint converted the cat into a dog and told “now that you are a dog, go out, play with the dog”.
The cat went out and came back running, perspiring as if being hunted.
The Saint asked the cat “what is the matter? Why are you perspiring?”. The cat answered “there is a dog outside”.
The Saint converted the dog to a Tiger and told “now that you are a Tiger, go out, the dog will run away, enjoy”.
The cat went out and came back running, perspiring as if being hunted.
The Saint asked the cat “what is the matter? Why are you perspiring?”. The cat answered “there is a dog outside”.
If you have fear in heart, no one can help you. Fear comes from within. It is impossible for any outside agency to remove your fear.
It is only an attitude not to be afraid that would help.

SOCRATES

Socrates never asked that he should be accepted. Socrates is saying, “please leave me alone – just as I leave you alone. Please allow my freedom. I don’t trespass on your life, you should not trespass on my life.”
He was told “It is very simple. Leave Athens. You can make your home in any other city, and wherever you are you will find disciples, friends – about that there is no question.
“I’m not going out of Athens because it is a question of choosing between convenience or life, and I choose life – even if it brings death. But I will not choose convenience, that is cowardly.”
“Then do one thing: remain in Athens, but stop teaching.”
“I am going to continue teaching the truth.”
“Then we are helpless, because the mob, with a majority, wants you to be poisoned and killed.”
“That’s perfectly okay. You can kill me, but you cannot kill my spirit.”
By spirit he means his courage, his devotion to truth, his way of life.
He died joyously.
In fact Socrates asked again and again, “What is the matter? Ask that man; it is getting late.”
The poisoner asked Socrates, ‘Why are you in a hurry?’
‘I am in a hurry because I have lived life tremendously, totally; I know it. Death is unknown; it is a great adventure. I would like to taste death.’
You cannot kill such a man.