Practical Philosophy

[sources of philosophy] [what is philosophy] [what is an axiom?] 

A practical philosophy is a set of wisdom rules we use as a map in our search for the treasure, the Pearl of life. This map, our practical philosophy, not only serves to guide us on the safe routes but it also keeps us from evil. Evil is that which leads us away from the Pearl, the things we think and/or do that that leads away from The Way.

We humans need a practical philosophy, which we can use to steer us through this maze called life. We need a set of rules, a set of truths, and a set of examples to help us navigate the high seas of this exciting game. Without a good practical philosophy we easily steer into trouble and face severe hardships that are most probably unnecessary experience for us. This, however, does not mean that a good practical philosophy will keep all hardship from us. We MUST experience those hardships that help us grow as persons - but we should not venture to experience a whole set of unnecessary experiences. In this respect we can start understanding the Lord's Prayer, the way St. Thomas prays it, and the way we are taught to pray when we say, '...lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil'. We need temptations to make us stronger as we learn how to withstand it, we need tests, and sometimes these tests are hard. Like the athlete preparing for the contest in the arena our training must sometimes be hard to toughen us, strengthen us, and prepare us to meet the ultimate foe--ourselves--in battle for the ultimate prize, the Pearl.

What is Philosophy?

The word philosophy comes from two Greek words, 'phile' which means affection and, 'sophia' which means wisdom. Philosophy is thus a state of mind. It is the state of mind, which has affection for wisdom.

What is the difference between wisdom (sophia) and knowledge (gnosis)? Knowledge can be learned and taught from books while Wisdom can only be learned from experiencing the results of knowledge applied to various conditions. Suffice it to mention that knowledge is a male/yang word and wisdom is a female/yin word - they are two aspects of the same thing, together forming the whole. Some of what you read in this course is new information to you, and it adds to your knowledge base. However, to have the knowledge means very little in eternal terms because the soul, your mind, dies soon after the body dies-and the knowledge dies with it like the information on the ROM chip in a PC is destroyed when there is no more current to keep it alive. Knowledge becomes eternally yours when converted to Wisdom, and this can only happen when you live out the knowledge, when you live it and you become convinced of it in your inner sanctum, then the knowledge becomes wisdom, which is a divine principle. God adds to your wisdom during mystical encounters and by divine revelation. Knowledge is added by learning and observation, during this lifetime only.

What are the Sources of Philosophy?

Human minds are often a major source of idea-sets we sometimes think of as philosophy. Some human philosophies are very popular and have adherents worldwide. Today=s philosophy of Materialism (which states "You are defined by what you own") is finally on the wane. Its popularity will probably be overtaken by the philosophy of Indivuduation, which holds that the individual person is ultimately important (and states "You are defined by yourself").

These two are good examples of philosophies of human construct and both harbour the typical human error of selfishness and greed. While we can make some good remarks about these systems of thought which currently govern our societies we cannot discount the wholesale damage it is inflicting upon our human condition. We are experiencing the tragic demise of the family, the errors of capitalism, the over-individuation of society and its resultant loss of healing values. A balance needs to be struck sometime soon.

The typically African philosophy, I speak as a born and bred African, of "Proof of Power", holds that one can only claim as much for oneself as one can take and protect. This philosophy states, "You are defined by the power you prove to hold". In the Materialist system a person earns respect proportional to that which s/he owns - and in the Individuation system a person earns respect proportional to the uniqueness and degree of privacy and individual lifestyle s/he manifests - in the Proof of Power system, one earns respect proportional to the force of power held over others, and which one can display.

Some of the other popular philosophies of the past were Marxism, Marxist Communism, and Chinese Communism.

We do not have to buy into temporal philosophies of human construct. We have always had access to the Eternal Philosophy, which God provides for guidance in the quest of life. This Philosophy has been handed down through the ages of humankind=s existence to serve all seekers. The source of this Philosophy is not a human mind but the Mind of God. Humans relay this one unchanging message from generation to generation and the Truth is ever present with us. One problem with this mystical philosophy (revealed in mysticism) is that the person who receives the divine message has to translate the experience of the immutable to human language-and necessarily a language which is bound to the limitations of words (made by humans), and the prevailing culture and frame of reference of the people the message is to be delivered to. Later on in this course it will become more clear how, in masterly manner, Yesu our Saviour conquered the immense task of bringing the message of Light to the whole world.

This Catechism deals with the major points underlying the Divine Philosophy which states, "You are defined by your essence" We are in essence eternal spirit, children of the One Spirit, we are endowed with the potential for perfection--we are a spark of the Divine Spirit.

What is an Axiom?

An axiom is a concept accepted totally as fact. It is a non-negotiable fact accepted to underlie all things. It can also be said to be a Truism, fact or maxim. Here is the central axiom of the Tradition.

"All that is and is not results from One Eternal Source, which we refer to as God"

Here is a secondary axiom:

"Created as spiritual beings endowed with qualities similar to that of our Creator we necessarily flow from the Source, experiencing creation, and back to the Source - in order to learn about the Source"

These are central axioms of this Tradition. These are accepted as final, as fact, and are not debated or rationalized especially because the human mind is not at all capable to rise to such heights, as the pot cannot fathom the potter.

Once these axioms are accepted without reserve, then and then only can one venture to digest the mechanics of life as explained below.