Photo by Amy Grubb, The Guardian
by Luke Cunard
The Guardian, October 3, 2014
The
above-linked article about a young Englishwoman marrying herself grabbed my attention in an unusual way. The
subject of the article, Grace Gelder, regards the novel notion of self-marrying, which she undertook in March 2014, as a pact with herself. That is, a
promise to herself to strengthen her commitment to personal self-awareness and development,
including improving her relations with others, then "somehow enacting that
in how you live your life from that day on."
Such
a crucial rite of passage for acknowledging personal growth and strengthening social well-being, though
universal in ancient and likely prehistoric societies, is now not only
sorely and almost totally lacking in the secular West, it is also gradually
being given up elsewhere in the world. The current high level of personal
discontent and social un- or dis-ease, in the West and increasingly elsewhere,
warrant the reinvention and reintroduction of such a rite.
Such
a renewed rite of passage with its attendant ceremonies and rituals would need to be voluntary. How else could it be palatable to and binding upon the modern, Enlightened individual? Successfully completing the rite would be contingent
upon the initiand having undergone self- or institutional-instruction in such subjects as critical thinking and applied personal and moral philosophy, especially that found in Stoicism and Epicureanism. It would also entail at least a minimal exposure to a significant portion of the world's other
moral philosophies, including the moral teachings of the world’s religions. A tall order, you say? Yes, but something this good could not and should not come easy. Some would fail, others would succeed partially, and still others would succeed fully. Still, this would be a great improvement over the current lack of such a rite and its attendant personal and societal discontent palpable in the ever-growing secular population of the world.
A
public ceremony would give the rite social affirmation and validation. During this ceremony vows would be made based on a credo of humane personal virtues and moral
principles the initiand would choose, write down, and commit to, and thereby be
something to return to for guidance throughout his/her life.
The
effectiveness of this life plan would depend on the degree and quality of preparatory effort and
subsequent commitment and application of the initiand, and the support of
his/her family and friends. Beyond this, society's only obligation would be to inform the
potential initiand of the rite, it's content, and usefulness. There would be no
age limit as to when the initiation could be attempted.
This
is a revolutionary idea especially in the current cultural context of US society where Abrahamic religion and libertarianism are pervasive, freedom and individualism are overly touted, social responsibility and
accountability discounted, and parenting is too often insufficient, totally
lacking, or relegated to institutions such as schools and prisons.
Imagine,
a minimally structured, voluntary rite and plan for becoming and being human
- a set of ceremonies and rituals with a guide for living that a person could choose to undertake him/herself!
In
retrospect I firmly believe I could have benefitted from such before I launched
myself in the adult world at the age of 18. Yes, I may have ignored it but, then again, I might not have. Either way the option would have been available and had I
chosen it there might have occurred a positive difference in my personal
development and accomplishments, and in my treatment of others throughout my
life.
Photo by echiner1/Flickr, The Atlantic
by Lauren Davis
The Atlantic, September 21, 2014
For
those of us who don’t want to start their moral life from scratch but would
prefer a tune-up, there is now an opportunity to address our mature personal and
social dysfunctions through philosophy. In
2008, Swiss-British philosopher Alain de Botton, author of How Proust Can Change Your Life and The Consolations of Philosophy, founded the “School of Life” in
London to promote the practical use of philosophical ideas in everyday
life. His school has expanded to Paris
and Amsterdam and “campuses” will open in the U.S. in the coming year. The
Atlantic writer Lauren Davis describes (link above) how the School works as follows:
The
School of Life is a cozy space that hosts classes and lectures; the
organization also consults with big-name businesses and sells “books, objects,
and tools” to help anyone who walks through its doors make headway in “the
quest for a more fulfilled life.” Its offerings are playful yet sincere;
unique, even if occasionally verging on the overly cutesy. It’s philosophy that
borders on therapy; take, for example, one-on-one classes like “Bibliotherapy,”
or “Visual Arts Therapy,” in which trained psychologists prescribe
novel-reading or painting instead of pills. Or the tongue-in-cheek emotional
baggage tote bag—“the trick is to carry it elegantly,”
...
But
even those who are cynical about the combination of profit and philosophy may
find The School of Life’s non-fiction series substantive. In these short books,
sophisticated wisdom from philosophers and other great thinkers is made
digestible and fresh. Old, powerful ideas are re-explained simply and packaged
between colorful covers. Each is authored by a different writer with a
background in philosophy or an overlapping and related field, like
psychotherapy. How To Stay Sane, How To Find Fulfilling Work, How To Change The
World, and How To Think More About Sex (by De Botton himself) have a
characteristically dry British sense of humor and no-nonsense approach to
topics that are often considered taboo or clichéd. Ultimately, De Botton is
trying to bring philosophy back to its roots—a source of enlightenment and cure
for daily ills, accessible to anyone who can reason and reflect. After all,
Socrates, the bearded, besandled grandfather of much of today’s philosophical
thought, did nothing more than wander the streets observing and playfully
testing the beliefs and behaviors of those around him—no big words or citations
involved.
...
What
these authors seem to be saying is that philosophy does not have to be aloof
and pretentious. It’s as simple and natural as asking questions about ourselves
and the world around us, using logic and skepticism as tools. It’s the process
of looking for meaning and guidance in how to act. It’s curiosity and common
sense, passed down over hundreds of years of human experience. It’s living your
life in an engaged, intentional, contented way—or, more fancifully, in the
pursuit of wisdom. It can, and should, be utterly practical.
Being
central to the personal and moral foundation of humanness as discussed above
regarding a rite of child-adult passage and a school for improved personal and social well-being, philosophy emerges as far more than the professional
intellectual pursuit of mostly white men at universities. It becomes part of that full panoply, that full impressive array, of human
culture as an adaptation that our prehistoric ancestors invented, the ancients in all corners of the world built upon, and that each succeeding generation has steadily improved
upon. It exists primarily to guide the building
and maintenance of persons as members of viable societies. It is the foundation and binding moral essence of a
self-perpetuating cycle of birth, learning, achievement, and death.
In this sense philosophy is much more than a waste of time as some leading scientists have recently portrayed it. It is the storehouse and map for our humanity.
