Finding solace in philosophy

[Tortured_empath]

There might have been a thread like this some time ago but I was unable to find it.

Does anyone use philosophy as a means of finding meaning and coping with the tragedies of life?
I feel as if it sometimes has been benefitial to my mental health; while it has been more deteriorating at other times.

For me, the two works that were the most helpful in finding my footing in life were:
The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus
Either/Or by Søren Kierkegaard
Both are based on very basic existential ways of thinking; but I found them very helpful for facing the meaninglessness and tragedy of my life.

Have you found solace in philosophy? Would you be willing to share what has helped you, and why? It can be anything from complex religious philosophy to a quote you enjoy.

 

[lilyeehaw]

I like the philosophy of Stoicism.
The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius has some very interesting books talking about his life but also stoicism in general. Would highly recommend one of them its called Meditations :)

A good overview

 

[Alucard]

I also find solace in philosophy, especially in the two books you quote.

In my opinion, philosophy helps to see things more clearly. We must first understand that life is absurd to be able to build a meaning on this background of absurdity.

On suicide, my favorite quote is Schopenhauer's : " He who commits suicide would like life ; only he is not satisfied with the conditions in which it is offered to him."

Cioran, too, confronts himself to great questions :


"La philosophie, en dernière instance, est la méditation poétique du malheur." (Cioran)

 

[Kuolema]

I love reading Sufi poetry and prose even though most of it goes over my head. I've always been fascinated by Islamic civilizations and there is something so beautiful about the way Sufi masters describe union with Allah. It's also reassuring to know that there is more to Islam than Wahhabism.

"It is none other than He who progresses or journeys as you. There is nothing to be known but He; and since He is Being itself, He is therefore also the journeyer. There is no knower but He; so who are you? Know your true Reality. He is the essential self of all. But He conceals it by [the appearance of] otherness, which is "you." If you hold to multiplicity, you are with the world; and if you hold to the Unity, you are with the Truth .... Our names are but names for God; at the same time our individual selves are His shadow. He is at once our identity and not our identity ... Consider!"

- Ibn Arabi

 

[Severen]

Well I pretty much live life based on my own philosophy but I find it essential to study every philosopher because they can teach you some things about life that will drastically improve the quality of your life. Some more than others, of course. So why turn your back on these free gifts unless you enjoy being miserable as much as possible. Philosophy can also help combat all the religious nonsense that was put inside your head since birth. If I did not study philosophers when I was younger, my life today and the way I think today would probably be very cringe worthy, right now.

 

[Tortured_empath]

I like the philosophy of Stoicism.
The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius has some very interesting books talking about his life but also stoicism in general. Would highly recommend one of them its called Meditations :)

A good overview

Interesting. I've always been intimidated by ancient philosophy; even tough people recommend starting with them. But this video makes it a lot more simple. It's almost like the podcast "Philosophize this!", if you know that one.

I like the deterministic perspective very much; that we are only control of our reactions to what nature brings us. It helps when life feels like a living nightmare I guess.

I also find solace in philosophy, especially in the two books you quote.

In my opinion, philosophy helps to see things more clearly. We must first understand that life is absurd to be able to build a meaning on this background of absurdity.

On suicide, my favorite quote is Schopenhauer's : " He who commits suicide would like life ; only he is not satisfied with the conditions in which it is offered to him."

Cioran, too, confronts himself to great questions :


"La philosophie, en dernière instance, est la méditation poétique du malheur." (Cioran)

Yes, absurdist existentialism is definitely the philosophical branches I relate mostly to; especially when it comes to suicide. A quote from Camus that always helps me is: "The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion"

Schopenhauer is also one of the greats, although I haven't read his works. Have you? Would there be any you could reccomend?

I love reading Sufi poetry and prose even though most of it goes over my head. I've always been fascinated by Islamic civilizations and there is something so beautiful about the way Sufi masters describe union with Allah. It's also reassuring to know that there is more to Islam than Wahhabism.

"It is none other than He who progresses or journeys as you. There is nothing to be known but He; and since He is Being itself, He is therefore also the journeyer. There is no knower but He; so who are you? Know your true Reality. He is the essential self of all. But He conceals it by [the appearance of] otherness, which is "you." If you hold to multiplicity, you are with the world; and if you hold to the Unity, you are with the Truth .... Our names are but names for God; at the same time our individual selves are His shadow. He is at once our identity and not our identity ... Consider!"

- Ibn Arabi

I definitely see what you mean, I am also very facinated by the way one succumbs to the notion of god in islam. It definitely has some therapeutic value, almost fatalistic, although it's hard to describe; it is very comforting to let go, especially in the face of tragedy. That text piece sums it up nicely.

Are you well-versed in the texts of islam? I would love to read more like the one you provided.

Well I pretty much live life based on my own philosophy but I find it essential to study every philosopher because they can teach you some things about life that will drastically improve the quality of your life. Some more than others, of course. So why turn your back on these free gifts unless you enjoy being miserable as much as possible. Philosophy can also help combat all the religious nonsense that was put inside your head since birth. If I did not study philosophers when I was younger, my life today and the way I think today would probably be very cringe worthy, right now.

I agree with the first part, the philosophy can improve quality of life. But I don't agree with the last; there are some very benifitial parts in the philosophy of some religions, even though the dogmatic way they are preached is sometimes very harmful. But that is not a fault of the religion itself; but rather it's preachers, wouldn't you say?

 

[Alucard]

I recommend the book 4 of his great work The World as Will and Representation.

It is especially here that we find his famous sentence on life: "Life swings like a pendulum backward and forward between pain and boredom."

 

[Kuolema]

I definitely see what you mean, I am also very facinated by the way one succumbs to the notion of god in islam. It definitely has some therapeutic value although it's hard to describe; it is very comforting to let go, especially in the face of tragedy. That text piece sums it up nicely.

Are you well-versed in the texts of islam? I would love to read more like the one you provided.

Aside from the Quran, a good place to start with Sufism is the Masnavi by Rumi http://www.dar-al-masnavi.org/masnavi.html (best read with commentary), and if you want to know more about the life of Muhammad (pbuh) I'd recommend reading The Sealed Nectar by Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri.

Edit: All that being said though, in order to be a Sufi you have to be a practicing Muslim. You can worship at Sufi shrines as a Non-muslim, but in order to find a Sheikh and actually learn Sufism first hand, you need to be Muslim. It's still a very interesting read though.

 

[Alucard]

Or there is also the philosophy of capitalism, which I hate :


The Universal Declaration of Human Rights shows the contrary, but I'm afraid Varga, in our society, is right...

 

[Kuolema]

This whole page is full of gold: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Open_individualism

 

[Sanguinius]

i don't know if it's philosophy, but once I thought about determinism, I realized that there's nothing like a 'bad' or a 'good' person or thing.
it helps me to feel calmer with my suicide.