|
 Philosophy
and Purpose: We Are All Imperfect
Subject: Philosophy, Purpose, Being, Perfection
The great arguments of philosophy are as old as
man’s ability to think. When man first understood that he was a being, now
conscious of his own existence, he eventually realized that he was something
both in nature and out of nature at the same time.
In nature, he was part of some erratic, chaotic order that he himself had no
control over. Outside of nature, he tried to understand his relationship to
nature and how he would attempt to live in a state of nature with full knowledge
that he was outside it.
Standing outside the natural sphere looking in, man then attempts to define what
is his role, purpose or reason for being. He begins to seek the answer to the
question of “Why?”
The history of man is laden with many whom have tried to answer this simple yet
impossible question. Failure hence has begotten a slew of philosophies and
perspectives that still attempt to answer this question. The creation of ‘isms’
(e.g., existentialism, objectivism, hedonism, etc.) are but niche philosophies
trying to understand our existence. Philosophies seem like fragments of thinking
deposited like sediment over the centuries which have hardened and taken hold
and are now considered niche philosophies.
Each idea, theory, discourse and so forth, aim at again answering that simple
question of “why?” All great wars and subsequent human conflicts have their root
in different arrivals to this very same question.
In order to understand the varying perspectives of mankind, one must begin by
understanding how each individual or group has answered this very simple
question.
If for instance, a man concludes that the reason
‘why’ is that we are all some part of some master plan, which naturally assumes
there was an architect, then he will follow a set of principles that are in
congruent with this line of thinking. Let us put a label on this person and call
him a religious or spiritual person.
At the other extreme of this reasoning, we find
the human who has concluded that life is a natural accident and that we evolved
from a one cell amoeba and that man’s future is the here and now and no
architect ever existed. This type of person we will label the atheist;
does not having any theistic beliefs that there is a creator.
The third archetype is the man wrestling between
the extremes of these two systems; unable to commit to one or the other. He is
not convinced that creation is an accident, but he is neither convinced that
there is one chief architect. We’ll refer to this type as an agnostic.
When we enter into a debate, argument or conflict with others, we are at some
level differing on these 3 archetypical viewpoints. Our conflicts to this day
have their origin in how we perceive our relationship to the world around us.
Our difference with others may very well be better
understood if we took the time to understand their point of origin. All systems
of belief are built up around one of these central tenets. Agreements amongst
all will not likely be forthcoming.
And here’s something to ponder on the subject of
perfection and normality: If man (or woman) is imperfect (i.e., has defects),
and all humans are imperfect, shouldn’t we conclude, regardless of our belief
system, that imperfection is normal. In other words, in the land of blind where
everyone is blind, isn’t being blind normal? In the land of imperfect people,
isn’t it normal to be imperfect? So why seek perfection when 1) we know it’s not
possible and 2) everyone is imperfect anyway so why worry about it.
So let’s stop arguing about who’s right, and
remind ourselves that whatever our differences in what we believe, there is one
thing that can’t be argued, we are NOT perfect beings. We all have our defects,
architect or not. Our imperfections are also a reminder that we don’t and can’t
know it all; that we could ALL be wrong on what our purpose of being is.
Victor
Ps I wrote a great article Fatal
Conceit Redux that expands on the subject of thinking we have
all the answers.
Please feel free to forward this article to a
friend or colleague.
Victor
Antonio G., one of America's top business motivational speaker and author of “The LOGIC of
Success”.
Copyright © 2004 by Victor
Antonio G. All rights reserved. This article MAY be
reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, as long as the author’s name, website and email address are
included as part of the article’s body. All inquiries, including
information on electronic licensing, should be directed to Victor Antonio G.
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