Monday, August 28, 2006
Direct Experience
When we are told a loved one has boarded a plane to leave, and have not been there to see the loved one leave, we are cast into a shadow world of delayed reaction and heresay.
Much of life is lived in this way. We get the word from someone else, we hear about something after, we are told what something is like.
Plato would have said we are living in a cave.
Hume, through his skeptical philosophy, simply said we are living in shadows.
This is why people often back up their integrity by the fact 'they've lived through something', or 'they've been there.'
And in my view, this sort of direct experience does lend itself to integrity.
There are those who say it is wise to learn from others' mistakes.
But the rest of us have to live it and learn from our own.
The former is prudent, the latter becomes skeptical.
But in my view, in both cases, wisdom is gained.
When we are told a loved one has boarded a plane to leave, and have not been there to see the loved one leave, we are cast into a shadow world of delayed reaction and heresay.
Much of life is lived in this way. We get the word from someone else, we hear about something after, we are told what something is like.
Plato would have said we are living in a cave.
Hume, through his skeptical philosophy, simply said we are living in shadows.
This is why people often back up their integrity by the fact 'they've lived through something', or 'they've been there.'
And in my view, this sort of direct experience does lend itself to integrity.
There are those who say it is wise to learn from others' mistakes.
But the rest of us have to live it and learn from our own.
The former is prudent, the latter becomes skeptical.
But in my view, in both cases, wisdom is gained.
