I have been thinking about thinking but my problem is how do I begin. Is thinking simply a mental exercise or is it something more? I want to be careful and not over do the exercise. Too much brain strain might cause me to pull something. I would hate to strain a brain string of something and go the DL. I doubt that I will come close to injury of any kind because I am sure that I am not going to work that hard at thinking.
I was substitute teaching this past week in Biology. It was a class of 10th graders (which is as interesting and challenging as it is questionable whether any thinking occurs in this environment). One of the questions in their workbook was about the place in scientific study of prior understanding. The students had a difficult time understanding what prior understanding meant. I am thinking that I just don't know the answer to their questions, but I will think about it and get back to you. What are your prior assumptions? I have some such as, good new is better than bad news, mercy is better than justice and Jesus is better than anything.
I realize that this probably does not make any sense but then neither does the whole worldview thing. I simply don't know if I am a modern or a postmodern thinker. It occurs to me that I may not be a thinker at all just an imaginer (is that a word?) or a want to be. I don't know if I am a Stoic or an Epicurean. Though I do like to eat and when the sun is shinning I like to sit under the porch. Maybe I am a little of each if that is possible.
There is a cooking show on cable TV called "Epicurus." The host cook all types of fine looking and delicious looking food. It is unfortunate that Epicurus himself would not have though much of this abuse of his philosophical school. Epicurus created a close knit community and his followers were very devoted to him, they looked at him as a father figure. The philosophy of "eat, drink and be merry" was not something that Epicurus taught. He did that pleasure was a virtue but for him physical pleasure the least important. It is interesting how those thinkers who come along later can put their own spin of the ideas of others. The name implies that this is the "philosophy of the garden." They were satisfied to spend time in contemplation, with drawn from the world at large.The Stoics on the other hand derived their name from the covered porch in Greek "stoa." They were very much engaged in everyday life, a regular fixture in the market places of their world. We have then in these two school the people of the garden (secluded life) and the people of the market place (actively engaged in politics and life). Activists and isolationist I think.
Sometimes I want to be a gardener and other times I want to be an activist. I just don't know what to think or how to think about thinking. If I sound confused well I am but then most of us maybe all of us live quiet lives of confusion as much as desperation. Welcome to my strange and wonderful world. I am just someone making my way the best that I know how in the world. The journey is long and hard but the end is in sight. Well maybe it is not but it will be in the near future or maybe not (that was just too much thinking).
Well I think I will go have something to eat. Maybe I'll have a good garden salad or is that too much activism? What do you think? Maybe I will just fast and pray. The quiet contemplation of my own garden which is next to my porch of all things. Kind of like Jesus going to a quiet place to pray or going to a grotto for quiet contemplation and spiritual reflection.
Just a few things to think about along the way.
Bob
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