We live our lives looking outward.

And through life we come to know more and more about the world around around us. And somewhere along the way, many of us lose touch with our own selves.
When we look within we are confronted by our thoughts, feelings, desires, anxieties, prejudices, fears and much more.

It seems increasingly difficult to discern our true selves from the storm of notions that divide us from our own essence.
Much of the purpose of philosophy and the meaning of wisdom is found in knowing ourselves.
Only then can we begin to really know happiness and satisfaction.

Modern philosophy distinguishes two types of self-knowledge.

One is knowledge about one’s own particular mental and emotional states.
The other is knowledge of a persistent self, that is, a self that persists whatever the mental or emotional states may be.

Do we think self-knowledge is important?
Why bother to know yourself?
What is the effect of not knowing yourself?
Is wisdom possible without knowing oneself?

People search for an identity. A teenager may want to be like a celebrity.
We may identify with our job, our relationships, even a football team.

But is all this who we really are?
Do any of those identifications last forever?

This pursuit of authentic self-knowledge is as old as mankind. Lao Tzu over 2500 years ago said:

“Knowing others is intelligence. Knowing yourself is true wisdom.”

More recently a great woman sage of India, Ānandamayī Mā, who lived between 1896 and 1982 said:

“My consciousness has never associated itself with this temporary body… As a little girl ‘I was the same’. I grew into womanhood but still ‘I was the same’ . . . in front of you now ‘I am the same’. Ever afterwards . . . ‘I shall be the same.”

She also stressed the importance of being single-minded in pursuit of self-knowledge:

“Acquire a firm will and utmost patience. Precious gems are profoundly buried in the earth and can only be extracted at the expense of great labour.”

The philosophical journey is not then so much a process of self-transformation in which we work to make improvements so much as it one of self-discovery to come to know and amplify and life what is already truly there.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments.
Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool,
though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare

Lately I’ve been considering the subject of love.
From a philosophical perspective. And, by that, I mean in the light of reason, in the pursuit of wisdom, the love of truth. Most of us have experienced love either as a receiver or a giver or both. Even if only in the context of family or friends. Most adults, and many young people have loved, been in love. Love is such an important part of us, part of life, bust mostly we struggle to understand it. It truly is one of life’s great mysteries.

Typically love takes a particular form e.g. we love a person, a companion animal, a favourite piece of music or a place. We might love a particular food, an idea, a belief, a principle, a focus of worship like a god or a religious figure.

Are these all the same love? Or are there many kinds of love.
Or does love bend itself to the form that is adored. Is it transient, temporal, impermanent? Or is love much bigger than mere concepts of personal attachment.

Without doubt the superficial aspect of love does change.
What we once loved may become a figure of contempt or, at least, forgotten.
We fall in and out of love quite regularly. So what is it that came into being and then passed? Was that love?

Something I’ve considered is the example of the mother of a son who has committed a heinous crime. Does the mother fall out of love with her son because he has done something truly contemptible like murder or other violent crimes.
Generally speaking, that isn’t the case. The mother continues to love the son even though she may hate what he has done.
The love itself doesn’t “alter when it alteration finds”.
The relationship may change somewhat but they are still fundamentally mother and son, one of the most foundational love relationships.

When two people fall out of love and choose to end their marriage.
Were they in love to begin with? 99% of the time the answer to that question is yes. So where did the love go?
And when the pain of separation passes and some fond memories emerge, from under the cloud of disdain, and feelings of affection re-present themselves, is that love?

What Mr William Shakespeare seems to be saying is that love is eternal, it doesn’t change.
And yet in our own experience it clearly does.
Was he just a deluded romantic? Maybe the answer is that the essential love force doesn’t change. But the love image or appearance does. Maybe love truly is all around us like the air we breathe.

Consider love as an ocean.
The ocean is always there. Vast and deep. Apparently still or moving. And the movement may take many forms. Waves, foam, storms, spray, vapour and eventually clouds, rain, snow, ice, rivers and more ocean. But all the while it was actually still ocean, just assuming many different liquid, solid or gaseous forms.

Should we think about love as an essence, a force, a kind of ever-present consciousness?
Capable of external or formal change. If we identify with the change then love appears to change. If we remember to consider the essence of love, then it may be possible to see that it hasn’t really changed at all. Ocean is still ocean. Love is still love. It has just changed in appearance and form only.

Maybe that is what Mr Shakespeare meant by “Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle's compass come: Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,”.

Loneliness is a common problem, and it affects the young and the old, the well off and the impoverished. Why is it that we feel lonely when we are more connected as a society than we’ve ever been in the history of humankind?

What is loneliness?
Loneliness NZ defines loneliness as “an emotional state that arises from not having the desired sufficient meaningful connections with others – those people you could rely on in time of need. Loneliness is not related to how many friends or relationships you have, or whether you are alone or amongst people.”

As someone who has suffered loneliness at times, and sometimes extreme loneliness, I have wondered about the condition and the cure.
Personally, I have come to define it as a problem of identity.

If we rely on others, or rely on passing states of our own being, that may result in a form of loneliness.

Statements like:

• I feel lonely,
• I feel unloved,
• I feel alone,
• I feel sad and alone, even when I’m with others,
• I feel misunderstood,

are all common and symptomatic of looking elsewhere, and not finding, that feeling of meaningful connectedness or contentment with our own state of being.
As a philosopher I have examined this through a philosophical lens i.e. a lens that puts the love of wisdom as a starting point for discovery.

And here’s what I’ve found that works for me. You may find it useful too.
1. We, human beings, are a mixture of various elements ie body, mind, emotion, spirit and “essence”, our true self which is “universal” i.e. everywhere, eternal and infinite.
2. As human beings we build a sense of self-identity, who we believe ourselves to be, what we call “Me”.
3. When this identity is nurtured and is getting the “good feels” it requires, we call that “happiness”.
4. And when it is deprived of those feelings, an emotion arises which we might call unhappiness, sadness or loneliness.
5. We tend to forget the “essential” part of ourselves, the life-giving part, the universal part, which for argument’s sake we might call “being” or “consciousness”.

How might we begin to move forward from loneliness with this new understanding?
What I have personally found to be useful is to appreciate that the “identity” or “me” is quite a hungry beast and is never really fully satisfied, no matter what. It always wants more. So simply shifting our attention and awareness away from “Me” to “being” is a great starting point. How to begin to do that?
Find a quiet place, relax for a couple of minutes. Allow the attention to become aware of the demands that the mind is engaged in. Accept them for what they are i.e. regrets, expectations, disappointments, annoyance etc. or “noise”. Then bring the attention to the body. Just rest with the body for a few minutes. Experience it in all its glory and magnificence. And then leave it.

Go within, past the noise in the mind and experience the “being”, the cosmic energy that is the life within.
All going well you might begin to experience a feeling and an insight that you actually have everything you need. Maybe not in the outer world but definitely in the inner world. In your inner world you are perfect, complete and without fault. Full of power, love and potential. And an adult who can live the life you choose. At least on the inside.

So, reflecting on the cure to loneliness? Shift your attention from absence to fullness. Become your own best friend. Accept yourself, your inner self. And accept that your “identity” maybe isn’t all that you desire. But that’s okay, it’s a work-in-progress. By coming to know your inner self, you may find that you ultimately make friends with yourself, love yourself, accept yourself and become your own best friend.

And then, who knows, you may realise you are surrounded by love and friendship and all you need do is move yourself towards it.

So much of life is about acquisition.

Acquiring knowledge.
Acquiring comfort.
Acquiring Love.
Acquiring status and possessions.

Where does all this acquiring lead?

Having acquired, are we full?
If we’re honest with ourselves, the pursuit of acquisitions seems to lead to a permanent state of neediness.
The need for more, more, more. And the real appreciation of less.

Isn’t this especially true when we consider our own identity?
How much of who we are is true?
How much is just something we’ve acquired; to help us feel better about ourselves, our place in society?

This acquired identity often serves to hinder our own inner growth.
How can we be our true selves when our inner spaces are so crowded by acquired identities? Thoughts, beliefs, prejudices, insecurities.
When we begin to examine our inner self, it becomes plainly obvious that what is there isn’t valid. If it were, it wouldn’t change on an almost hourly basis depending on some external or internal stimuli. The true self would be constant.

To seek the truth about oneself (and others!) we need to empty the mind of its false and often limiting notions and open ourselves up to the unlimited possibilities of who we might really be. To seek the truth one need not just open the mind but, if possible, empty it also.
So that it might admit greater wonders and glory. A true self-encounter.

Why do we find it so difficult to accept ourselves, our situation, our immanent treasures and celebrate life in the present moment?
Why is there a constant stirring in our breast telling us that this is not enough. That we should do more, think more, ask for more, be more and ideally be it somewhere else?

Do you find that you are almost never content or that the feeling of contentment is fleeting at best and quickly replaced with the question “what now?”.
Well, you’re not alone. And this condition, often referred to as the human condition, is at the heart of much philosophical exploration and teaching.

Can you imagine a state of being in which you could accept and live with the following three concepts:
1. I am.
2. Here.
3. Now.

At School of Philosophy we explore those three concepts on a regular basis.
The aim of this work being that we learn to accept the profundity of the statement “I am” and the wonder it entails.
We bring our awareness to where it deserves to be, “here” and come into the present moment “now”.

In his book “The Creative Act: A Way of Being”, Rick Rubin says of patience:
“Patience is developed much like awareness. Through an acceptance of what is. Impatience is an argument with reality. The desire for something to be different from what we are experiencing in the here and now. A wish for time to speed up, tomorrow to come sooner, to relive yesterday, or to close your eyes then open them and find yourself in another place.”

We cannot be happy when we are a slave to our irrational imaginations and desires.
Our aim should be to train our mind to be here now and treasure whatever is going on in the life right now.
This moment will pass, never to be the same again, that precious moment past. Take the time to be in the present and see what life truly has to offer.
You can even go so far as to plan a possible future while remaining in the present moment.

I am. Here. Now.

In our sessions we discuss various ideas and concepts.

In each session we also discuss our findings from the previous week and we review what we have discovered.
This brings about a greater understanding.

The methodology of wisdom (and not mere information) is:

• Introduction to concept.
• Practice and apply in our own life.
• Review and discuss as a group what we found.
• Understanding emerges.
• Repeat.

As a general principle, it is better neither to accept nor to reject concepts as they are given, but to put them into practice with an open mind.
In that way we can see whether they have any validity or not.
Do they hold water under examination and in practice.

Although the tutor presents the material, a lot can be learned from our observations and the observations of other students.
This is a significant element in the course.

The Philosophical model, going back thousands of years, to a large extent involves pairs or groups rather than individual pursuit.
As humans we learn and practice and learn better in a social context.

We live our lives looking outward.

And through life we come to know more and more about the world around around us. And somewhere along the way, many of us lose touch with our own selves. When we look within we are confronted by our thoughts, feelings, desires, anxieties, prejudices, fears and much more. It seems increasingly difficult to discern our true selves from the storm of notions that divide us from our own essence. Much of the purpose of philosophy and the meaning of wisdom is found in knowing ourselves. Only then can we begin to really know happiness and satisfaction.

Modern philosophy distinguishes two types of self-knowledge.
One is knowledge about one’s own particular mental and emotional states.
The other is knowledge of a persistent self, that is, a self that persists whatever the mental or emotional states may be.

Do we think self-knowledge is important?
Why bother to know yourself? What is the effect of not knowing yourself?
Is wisdom possible without knowing oneself?

People search for an identity.
A teenager may want to be like a celebrity.
We may identify with our job, our relationships, even a football team.
But is all this who we really are?
Do any of those identifications last forever?

This pursuit of authentic self-knowledge is as old as mankind. Lao Tzu over 2500 years ago said:
“Knowing others is intelligence. Knowing yourself is true wisdom.”

More recently a great woman sage of India, Ānandamayī Mā, who lived between 1896 and 1982 said:
“My consciousness has never associated itself with this temporary body… As a little girl ‘I was the same’. I grew into womanhood but still ‘I was the same’ . . . in front of
you now ‘I am the same’. Ever afterwards . . . ‘I shall be the same.”

She also stressed the importance of being single-minded in pursuit of self-knowledge:
“Acquire a firm will and utmost patience. Precious gems are profoundly buried in the earth and can only be extracted at the expense of great labour.”

The philosophical journey is not then so much a process of self-transformation in which we work to make improvements so much as it one of self-discovery to come to know and amplify and life what is already truly there.

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."
— Abraham Lincoln

Life has a way of slipping by unnoticed, as we trudge through the routines and obligations that fill our days.
But what if we could hit the reset button and approach each moment as if it were our first?

Imagine waking up to a world brimming with possibilities, where every sight, sound, and sensation is a revelation waiting to be discovered.
This is the essence of living anew—to embrace each moment with a sense of wonder and curiosity, as if experiencing it for the very first time.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."
— Søren Kierkegaard

It's easy to get caught up in the past, dwelling on regrets or longing for what once was.
But true liberation comes from letting go of the past and embracing the present moment with open arms.
This is not to say that we should disregard the lessons of the past; rather, we should use them as stepping stones to propel us forward on our journey.

"Be present in all things and thankful for all things."
— Maya Angelou

Living anew is about cultivating mindfulness and gratitude in everything we do. It's about savouring the simple pleasures of life—the warmth of the sun on our skin, the laughter of loved ones, the beauty of nature unfolding before our eyes. By staying present and grateful, we can infuse even the most mundane moments with a sense of purpose and joy.

"Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life."
— Seneca

So let us cast aside the shackles of the past and seize the opportunity to live anew.
Let us approach each day with fresh eyes and an open heart, ready to embrace the beauty and wonder that surrounds us.
For in the end, it's not the years in our life that matter, but the life in our years.

The philosophers of Ancient Greece and India did not regard philosophy as just an intellectual or academic subject.

To them it was about how people lived and the quality of their lives.

Pierre Hadot (1922-2010) wrote extensively about Ancient Greek philosophy. He said:
“Philosophy was a mode of existing-in-the-world, which had to be practised at each instant, and the goal of which was to transform the whole of the individual's life ...Philosophy was a way of life, both in its exercise and effort to achieve wisdom, and in its goal, wisdom itself. For real wisdom does not merely cause us to know: it makes us "be" in a different way ... Such is the lesson of ancient philosophy: an invitation to each human being to transform him or herself. Philosophy is a conversion, a transformation of one's way of being and living, and a
quest for wisdom.”
Pierre Hadot, Philosophy as a Way of Life, ch. 11

In modern times, a common idea is that philosophy is an intellectual, theoretical pursuit.
Hadot is re-establishing philosophy in its original form.

Is philosophy relevant to how we live today in the modern world?
Is there any point in seeking wisdom? And if not wisdom, what would be a truly worthy goal to be universally enjoyed?

The author Marcel Proust wrote:
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”
Marcel Proust, Remembrance of Things Past 5/2

What does it mean to have new eyes?
How can philosophy help me to have new eyes?
How might new eyes change what is seen and experienced?
To live with fresh senses. Where every experience were as though for the first time?
Where nothing is ever stale. Every experience, every relationship, every idea as if truly fresh.

The word ‘philosophy’ is derived from two Greek words: philo: love and sophia: wisdom.
Thus philosophy is the love of wisdom. So what is wisdom?

Philosophy is not just for academics. It is open to anyone.
Do we know anyone or have we heard of anyone whom we think of as wise?
What is it about them that makes us think they are wise?

What qualities do they have?

This need not be only public or famous figures. It could be anyone.
Focus on the qualities of wisdom rather than the particular people.
The dictionary definition of wisdom is ‘experience and knowledge together with the power of applying them practically’.

It is possible to be wise about particular things or activities. We may, for example, call a doctor wise.
That would mean he or she has experience and knowledge of medicine and is able to apply these practically. The same might be said of anyone who has acquired a mastery of any particular subject or activity.

The idea of Philosopy is not to be a wise doctor, or a wise anything else, but to be wise people.
When we use the word ‘wisdom’ we mean . . . the knowledge which will enable a person to live truly and happily.
The activity that the knowledge relates to is life itself. Wisdom is the knowledge that can enable us to master the art of living.

We spend a lot of time mastering many aspects of life - professional life, family life, skills, jobs, sports, etc.
But what about mastering life as a whole?
Living artfully and happily.