We, The Humans-part 1

May 19, 2011 in My Thoughts 42 Comments

“Each day is a little life: every waking and rising a little birth, every fresh morning
a little youth, every going to rest and sleep a little death.”
Arthur Schopenhauer
“Happiness is not easy; It is very difficult to find it in ourselves
and impossible to find it elsewhere”
Chamfort

We, The Humans
By Maya

What Is Who – part 1

The term life wisdom, fully in the immanent sense, is actually lying in art to live life most pleasantly and happily.  That could be called eudemonology, a science of human happiness.

This time I would like to present some thoughts from the philosophical standpoint. Perhaps many who had no opportunity of coming across thoughts and theories of this kind, might find it interesting and in a way a reason to think about more deeply.

Aristotle (Greek philosopher and mathematician-383 B.C.E. – 321 B.C.E.) divided (Eth.Nicom, I,8) goods of human’s life into three groups- external, mental and physical.
When Arthur Schopenhauer, (German philosopher-1788-1860) wrote his book about life wisdom,  he used only that from the theory: division into three parts and declared that what is a foundation in a fate of mortals, could be actually brought into three basic definitions:
These are:

1. What is Who
   That is, personality in a broadest sense. Here is included health, strength, beauty, temperament, moral character, intelligence and it’s development.
2. Who has What
   That is property and ownership in every sense.
3. Who represents What
   By this expression it is meant what is one in the mind of others, thus howone is represented in the mind of others. That is actually impression of strangers, which is divided into honesty, rank and fame.Differences that belong into the first category are those that nature alone placed between people; so it is safe to assume that its influence on their happiness or unhappiness would be deeper and more pronounced than remaining two that are derived only from a human definition.
   So for welfare of a human being, yes, for the whole way of his existence is a major thing what is in him or what is happening in him.  Actually in this directly sits his comfort or discomfort, which is in a first place result of his feelings, wants and thinking; whereas all the external has on it only indirect influence.

   That is why the same outside happenings or circumstances have different impact on everyone and even being in the same environment, everyone lives in a different world.
   Because everyone must deal with his own imagination, feelings and will, outside matters have only influence in case when giving him impulses.
   The world, in which everyone lives depends on his own conception,  then it is led by diversity of titles – according to how one is;  poor, narrow and shallow, or rich, interesting and important.

   “Much deeper roots of our happiness are inside of us, rather then in things.”
   

So as an example someone might envy another interesting things that met him in his life, but actually he should be more envious of his gift of understanding that added to those happenings some importance that was to be found it its description; because the same event, which could in witty head  be pictured so interestingly, would have been in perception of a narrow soul just a narrow scene in ordinary life.

So objective half of presence and reality is in the hand of fate and thus it is variable; subjective are we, alone; that is why it is in its substance invariable. According to this regardless of all changes from outside, life of every individual  has always the same character and could be compared to the line of variations on one topic.

Nobody could be freed from his individuality. Nature draws the irrevocable borders to human character and by his individuality it is already up-front determined amount of his possible happiness.
Especially the borders of one’s mentality strength determine once and forever his ability of a superior ability to delight. If those are tight, no effort from outside could help. No matter what others do for him, he stays in sensual pleasures, merry family life, low sociability and vulgar pastime. Neither education would help to widen his circle, or perhaps only  a little.
Because the higher, most expansive and most durable pleasures are intellectual ones, although we often are mistaken about this in our youth. And that mainly depends on our mentality strength.
From that it is clear how strongly our happiness depends on what we are, on our individuality, although what is being always stressed the most, is our fate, only what we have or what we represent.

So calm and joyful temperament stemming from perfect health and order, clear, lively, keen and correct sense of understanding, peaceful and quiet will and with that a good conscience, those  are benefits that nor titles and nor riches could replace.
Because who is what to himself, what is accompanying him into solitude, what nobody could give or take away from him that is more important to him than all what he could have or be in the eyes of others.
Witty person has even in total seclusion good fun in his own thoughts and fantasies, whereas the dork can’t be devoid of torturous boredom even with constant change of society, games, trips and fun.
A moderate and good character could be satisfied even in a tight circumstances, while demanding, envious and evil one would not be even with all the riches.

As a my favored philosopher Socrates stated when seeing display of fancy goods:
“So many things I have no need for”

For our happiness is than that what we are, personality, the main and the most important. It works always and under all circumstances; at the same time it is not as the two other groups are, subject to fate and can’t be plucked from us. Its value could be called absolute, while values of those others are only relative. From that follows that we could get closer to another human from outside less than we might think.
Only almighty time exercises its right even here; subject to it gradually physical and psychological advantages, however moral character stays inaccessible even to it.

Still, it is in our power to give our unique personality education, develop it to the best benefits and suitability that is adequate for it. Develop and vote for type of employment most suitable for your lifestyle.

As for an example; strongly built man, endowed with unusual muscle power, forced by outside circumstances to perform sedentary occupation with fiddly manual work, or studies and work using his brain, requesting fundamentally different forces, where at the same time his unusual power goes unused, would feel unhappy all his life.
But still more one who is dominated by intellectual forces and must leave them undeveloped and unused, just to perform ordinary occupation that doesn’t need it, or whats more, performs physical labor with his insufficient power.
So to our happiness contribute much more what we are then what we have in terms of riches. Those who spent life only by accumulating wealth would end their life equally unhappy as those still fighting lack of things.
Their inner emptiness, drabness of their consciousness and poverty of spirit drives them towards society consisting  just of such as they are, because “similis simili gaudet” (look for an equal.)
And here always begins quest for diversion and fun and eccentricities. But still, all those outside rich and inside poor end up only unhappy and depressed.
We could see examples of this phenomenon every day.

“Education is the movement from darkness to light”
Allan Bloom

This is end of part 1″We, The Humans- basic division.” “What Is Who”
If you would like to follow part 1 “Who Has What,” tune to it soon.

Regards,
Maya

 

 

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• We, The Humans-part 2
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A. Schopenhauer, eudemonology, happy human life, life, philosophical thoughts, philosophy, thoughts