Philosophy of Everything

How we know, what we know?

How we know, what we know?If you want to find out how we know what we know, ask yourself this question: How do I know that there is a world outside me? If the answer comes back to your mind in terms of an external source or authority, then you have not found it. You must look within. What does "I" think about when I say "there is"? Is there something which thinks about itself as being separate from everything else and thereby knows itself to be self-knowing? Or is there no such thing as "self-knowledge," but only knowledge of other things? The latter seems more likely than the former. But if so, why do I feel certain that my thinking is directed toward something beyond myself? Why am I convinced that I am able to see clearly into some mysterious realm of meaning where all questions are answered? If there were nothing behind these feelings, they would vanish with time like dew on a morning's rose petal. They persist because they arise from inside me; therefore they must come from somewhere within me. And if you seek for them in any other direction than within yourself, then your search will end in vain. So let us go back again to our original question: How do I know that there is a world outside me? Here is the answer: By feeling that I exist. In this simple formula lies the key to understanding existence. It is simply felt by everyone who has ever lived—that he exists. There is no need to explain anything further. That is just what it means to be alive. Life is living. This is its very essence. To live is to experience life. Therefore, life is also experiencing itself. Living beings are aware of their own lives. As long as they continue to act according to the laws of nature, they are conscious of themselves in relation to their actions. Thus every action becomes a reflection of the ego, and at the same time a kind of self-observation. We can never escape ourselves unless we become entirely dead. Only then will death free us from the burden of knowing that we are selves.Let me repeat: Every living creature knows his own inner nature by virtue of his behavior. When he acts, he observes himself acting. He feels himself moving and changing. Then, too, there is a consciousness of one's body. The head is always directing the eyes; thus there is a sense of movement between the two parts of the brain. From another point of view, however, the eye sees itself looking out through the window. In short, we are constantly observing ourselves. We are self-aware. Everything leads back to awareness. Awareness is everywhere present. Not only is it omnipresent, it is also omniscient. It is not limited to one part of creation alone. All creatures share it equally. Consciousness is universal.To be sure, most people are unaware of their true identity. Yet even if they knew it, they could not change. For each person is locked into a single pattern of thought. This locks him into the world. Because of this lock, the door remains shut against others. The individual cannot recognize anyone else as a real person. Even worse, he refuses to acknowledge his own uniqueness. A man believes that he is identical with all men. His idea of universality is actually a denial of his own uniqueness. Each man insists that he is unique in appearance and character, yet he wants to deny that distinction of individuality. Thus he rejects his own being. Since he regards himself as one with others, he fails to perceive the difference between himself and them. Hence his characteristic attitude toward his fellowmen.We should distinguish carefully between three kinds of human behavior: First, the behavior of those who know their essential nature. Second, the behavior of those whose awareness is confused. Third, the behavior of those who refuse to acknowledge their true selves. These groups are mutually exclusive.The first group consists of individuals who possess genuine self-awareness. Their awareness is positive and authentic. Such persons do not confuse their natures with those of others. They understand that they are different from everyone else. Consequently they do not treat others as inferior. Rather, they accept each other›s differences without making comparisons. They do not measure themselves by standards of comparison. They are content with whatever they are. They do not demand perfection in order to love. On the contrary, they prefer imperfection over perfect conformity. They are humble enough to admit that they are not equal to others. Nor do they seek equality with them. They desire friendship with those whom they respect. They take pleasure in learning from those they admire. They are interested in the opinions of those they consider wise. With the exception of occasional moments of anger or envy, they are indifferent to praise. They feel no urge to win fame. Fame does not interest them. Most important of all, they reject the idea that they can control others by force. They do not seek power over others. Power is foreign to their natures. Instead they seek harmony. They want to enjoy life together with others.The second group consists of those who fail to realize that they are truly self-aware. They think of themselves as identical with others. They believe that they are all alike. Consequently, they judge one another by criteria of comparison. They compare themselves with others in order to decide whether they are superior or inferior. They do not allow others to differ from them. They refuse to accept diversity. To be sure, they are willing to make allowances for those whom they regard as weaker than themselves. "Everyone is equal" is their motto. The third group consists of those who deliberately reject their essential selves. They do so in order to conform to the conventional ideas of others. They are anxious to appear normal. They do not want to be different. They are afraid of appearing eccentric. They are terrified of seeming abnormal. In order to avoid doing violence to custom, they adopt the mannerisms of those around them. Like puppets on strings, they dance to the music of society. In general, the members of the first group are better adjusted than those of the second and third. Those of the second tend to exhibit traits of both types. They are neither completely honest nor totally dishonest. They try to maintain an acceptable position between the extremes of honesty and dishonesty. They are dissatisfied with their lot. At the same time, they do not wish to risk their positions. Nevertheless, they often fall prey to temptation. The lure of wealth tempts many among the rich, while vanity makes fools of poor folk. Still, few of either class attain complete satisfaction. Some achieve personal happiness, but most remain discontented. Many fear boredom rather than success. Others worry about failure. Few manage to discover peace. No matter how hard they work, they seldom get ahead. An invisible wall prevents them from climbing higher.Those of the third type suffer less pain than the rest. They do not seem particularly disturbed by social conventions. Nonetheless, they play the game. Often they lose sight of their goals. Faced with decisions involving danger, they usually choose safety. They assume middle ground in order to preserve appearances. Of course, they don't mean well by this choice; still it works out best for them since avoidance of conflict allows them greater freedom.One may wonder why those belonging to the last category have chosen such a miserable way of life. Usually it is due to lack of opportunity or misfortune. However, sometimes they are merely trying to please others. While seeking approval from others, they pretend that they are satisfied with their lot. Yet deep down they yearn for something more meaningful than popularity. Rarely do they really succeed in finding fulfillment.Most people, however, belong to the first group. They are honest with themselves. They do not envy others. Rather, they seek harmony with others. In addition, they do not envy the privileged few who possess power. Most people prefer the company of ordinary folk than that of the elite. Although they might envy someone else's good fortune, they are not envious of anyone's suffering. They do not feel threatened by the strong. Nor do they feel jealous of those who possess money or influence. In fact, they envy no one. Envy is alien to their natures. They know that they are entitled to their own happiness.Many people are aware of their essential selves. Yet they fail to live up to their potential. They are too concerned with maintaining a respectable appearance. As a result, they never develop fully. Since they are unable to accept others' differences, they reject others as well. Since they are genuinely interested in others, they have friends. Furthermore, they are not afraid to express admiration openly.There are exceptions, though. People who claim superiority are invariably contemptuous of others. Other aristocrats are obsessed with proving that they are nobler than others. Convinced that they are inherently superior, they scorn those beneath them. Meanwhile, snobbish attitudes characterize the upper classes. Noble families rarely mingle with commoners. Nobles prefer associating with one another than with the lower orders.In conclusion, I would like to stress that these characteristics apply only to the great majority of mankind. Among a minority of exceptional individuals, especially in ancient times, we encounter rare examples of extraordinary genius. We find them in the history of philosophy, religion, art, science, medicine, politics, law, and ethics. In these fields, we witness a handful of geniuses whose achievements far exceed those of the average member of the species. Moreover, these superlative personalities were more typical of humanity in earlier ages than they are today. Their number dwindled gradually until they disappeared altogether. Today, we hardly notice these giants. Our culture has become so much diluted that we barely remember that once upon a time there were heroes of stupendous talent.As a consequence of this loss, we no longer appreciate what constitutes excellence. Through ignorance of past greatness, we are inclined to dismiss even the mediocre as insignificant. One reason for this deplorable situation is the prevailing assumption that everyone possesses sufficient intelligence to deal adequately with everyday affairs. Another cause is the decline of education which made fewer people capable of recognizing the truth. Nowadays, it is assumed that everyone can acquire knowledge easily. Education, therefore, tends to encourage mediocrity. As a result, the few exceptional individuals who did not conform to the herd mentality have been forgotten.I am convinced that there will come a day when the world will recover its lost heritage of genius.