The golden era of philosophy is dead. The wise words of Aristotle, Socrates and Plato no longer resonate with our twenty first century consumerist society. Whether you are from the school of Confucianism, Existentialism, Empiricism or Stoicism, or whether you believe that ‘I think therefore I am’ (Descartes), philosophy is no longer getting the credit it deserves.
If the musings of modern philosophers such as Kanye West ‘You can say anything on an email as long as you put LOL on the end’ or Eric Cantana ‘when the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea’ leave you unfulfilled, then here is a guide to the Hepworth School of Philosophy.
- Your legacy will be the way you made people feel.
Think about that when the next opportunity arises to let rip with a nasty ‘put down’ that may give you a fleeting feeling of superiority. The aggrieved target of your ‘wit’ will carry around their mental scar like a concealed .44 Magnum waiting to wreak revenge on your reputation.
Similarly, a kind or encouraging word may lead to someone making a lifetime breakthrough. They will look back with fondness and gratitude to that moment in their life when it was you who made the difference. I know which legacy I would rather have.
- It's not whether you win, it’s how you play the game.
Once you embrace that philosophy, you remove the stultifying fear of failure and enhance your chances in the great tournament of life. If you ‘lose on penalties’, then so be it. You will have earned the respect of friend and foe alike.
- A setback in life is the catalyst to your next great achievement.
No one achieved greatness unless they were rocked out of their comfort zone. Look at Churchill, Alfred the Great and three times heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali. The comeback is greater than the setback and with a positive frame of mind you will propel yourself to bigger and better things.
- Leave the world in a better place than you found it.
This philosophy applies to everything you touch, whether it be the environment, your workplace or society in general. The world is not your convenient garbage bin to pollute and destroy or to fast track the next 2% increase in your net worth. Your children and grandchildren will put up a statue to you for being the guardian of their future.
- Don’t stress about things you can’t control.
This is not an excuse for laziness but a gem from the Stoic philosophers. Life is tough enough worrying about the things you can do something about. To waste your precious mental reserves sweating on the cards dealt to you by the cruel hand of fate is a distraction. What will be, will be.
- It takes twenty years to build a good reputation and five minutes to lose it. (Warren Buffet).
Long after you have left this world, your reputation will remain to dazzle your successors. Your reputation is the most precious thing you have and worth more than gold. You want the world to remember your integrity, trustworthiness, coolness under pressure and humility. You must protect ‘Brand You’ like life itself.
- It’s not about me.
Leave your ego at the door. It will only lead to the twin fears of failure and being wrong. Find a cause greater than yourself and grasp the gift that is collective wisdom and a shared sense of accomplishment.
- Don’t let yourself down.
You are only on this earth once, so you owe it to yourself to give it your best shot whatever your ambition in life. Can there ever be anything more frustrating than knowing that it was just within your grasp had you worked a little harder? Don’t let it happen to you.
- Know yourself.
You are a complex human being, different to every other person on the planet. Spend a bit of time getting to know yourself for only then can you project the best version of yourself onto the world. Keep a diary or spend a bit of time in quiet reflection. It will pay dividends throughout your life.
- If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs…
…you’ll be a man, my son!
Rudyard Kipling absolutely nailed it in his Victorian era Stoicism style poem ‘If’. It was written as paternal advice to his son John and is equally applicable to all young women too. Powerful stuff! I wish I had written that poem.
And finally, some philosophy for the internet age…
- Take more out of social media than social media takes out of you. (With apologies to Winston Churchill.)
Some wise advice from the great man that could equally have applied to the deadly e-addiction of our time. I wonder what Socrates would have made of that one!
