/lit/ - Literature

>>22007173
Wisdom can only be acquired through life. Just reading about it won't work. You're not getting it until you do.

>>22007186
I don't think that's true because there are things which I've read about that I applied and that helped me at least act wiser, which I guess is the same as being wiser.
At the same time, there are many old people who are unwise and young people who are wise. So it can't be just based on time spent on Earth.

>>22007173
Idk why you have a hard on for le stoicism already without reading it. Sounds like youre 17

>>22007210
I have been reading Marcus Aurelius but I'm taking it slow. Your comment doesn't have much substance.

(1/3)

Wisdom means understanding the universal nature of phenomena. Only at the point of universality will ones existence be rightly ordered once and for all without being superseded by yet another mode of being, conduct, and theoretical system giving only contingent gratification and an ultimately myopic view of things. This is why in both ancient and medieval philosophy, knowledge ultimately would have to go beyond the experience and discursive reasoning of the individual mind in order to activate that part of the soul which was itself one with that which is Universal - this is called the Intellect, and is something different than mind. Modern man has a hard time imagining what this could be, since today we are all natural Cartesians with only res extensa and res cogitans.

In order to foster this knowledge then, one should first emulate the way a wise person would conduct themselves, both physically and mentally. If one conducts themselves in such a way to be absorbed and concerned in the particularity and contingency of ones experience, the fertile ground for transcendent understanding will be lacking. The most elementary stage of this would be at the level of developing virtue.

Virtue is separated into civic and purificatory, civic comes first and purificatory is added on top. Civic virtue concerns itself with our most outward conduct of body and speech and especially our relationship with others, whereas purificatory virtue concerns itself with our inward dispositions and the turning away of the mind from contingency to contemplation of what is most universal. Civic virtue is the duty of all but does not necessarily induce wisdom - for that, the purificatory virtue is needed on top, and takes one from the realm of what is merely moral to what makes one a sage.

>>22007387
(2/3)

Civic virtue can be categorised in different ways, but it is fundamentally the development of courage, self-control, and justice. Each of these are virtuous precisely because they take us away from concern and admixture with that which is mutable. Courage, for example, means a fearlessness in regards to the irrational affections of the body. Self-control means to not head blindly into the pleasures of the body and to develop a certain harmony of mind which is not moved by things. Justice means to not be concerned with what merely is pleasing or displeasing according to the affections of the body but to turn the mind towards that which is Good, in the sense of taking you towards the Universal. For some simple precepts here, one can take up not lying, a lack of idle talk, abstention from drugs and drink, and protection from sexual excessiveness, especially cheating and promiscuity. In terms of self-control one should aim to gradually disengage from mere entertainment and instead move towards philosophy, and if one wishes to engage with art it should be conducive to higher understanding. One needs to be aware of their intentions here and to guard against intentions which are based in simple distraction or sensual pleasure. A certain level of development of the bodily discipline and health is necessary here, as well as gaining skill in the duties of running a household. One should amass wealth and indulge in (higher) pleasure to the extent necessary for continuation of life and to abide in comfort - without further concern for riches, fame, or sensual pleasures as an end in themselves.

With this development, one would be well under the way of developing phronesis, practical wisdom, and hopefully slowly discerning the universal nature of what makes all of these things virtuous in themselves, namely, their directionality of turning away from concern with mutable phenomena. One should also slowly gain a higher pleasure associated with contemplation and self-control rather than sensual pleasures. With this as a basis, one can then start to develop purificatory virtue which will allow one to abide in the self-concentration of Intellect and to gain a universal perspective which is able to comprehend all phenomena, and facilitate a harmonious ordering of all things in their proper places. This is what constitutes wisdom.

>>22007203
>that I applied
Yes.
>You're not getting it until you do.

>>22007393
(3/3)

To develop purificatory virtue, the proper beginning place would be to gain an understanding of the universal nature of phenomena at the discursive level. While theoretical knowledge certainly is not enough on its own, as the prelude on virtue would suggest, it is indeed a necessary step. Here one would have to start educating oneself on classical philosophy, namely especially Plato and Aristotle who are the true foundation of all philosophy until at least Descartes, and who most accurately describe this entire process. Some level of Stoics and so on can be helpful too. A degree of refinement of virtue will then be needed where there is a higher degree of at least temporary withdrawal - this means a level of seclusion from company, celibacy, and a freedom from distractions. This will mostly be an inward development and will perhaps not be as visible to others, which is why we go from civic to purificatory virtue. That is why in regards to distractions, this must be done at both a physical level, in terms of temporarily removing oneself from the stimulation of the senses, as well as mentally, in terms of withdrawing from the 'attitude' of desiring or wanting or concern with sensual pleasures or distraction, or aversion towards the discomforts of the body. The majority of purificatory virtue is on this level of refining mental virtue. This is what ones 'meditation' should consist of, and one should otherwise ignore contemporary notions of meditation simply concentrating on an object. With this as a basis combined with theoretical understanding, a fertile enough ground should allow for the higher contemplation of the nature of things as outlined in Plato and Aristotle, in regards to the relationship between the particular and the universal. At this point there will be an ultimate ordering of the soul according to the correctly discerned hierarchical relationship developed through ones purified virtue, allowing for a vision which grants beatitude and a luminous comprehension of all phenomena beyond any perplexity or doubt, since they are comprehended from an all-inclusive viewpoint.

I hope this is a helpful and practical piece for OP or any others who are looking for wisdom. Best wishes to any on the search for truth.

>>22007173
Unironically study NDEs and realize that there actually is an afterlife and that we are eternal and will go to heaven unconditionally when we die. And while the Bible and the Qu'ran convinces few people who do not already believe, the book in pic related is known to convince even hardened skeptics that there is an afterlife. And NDErs talk about how the meaning of life is to learn to love and be kind and thrive here despite how hard it is in this world. And kindness is the highest level of wisdom.

>b-b-but NDEs are dreams or hallucinations somehow
Already explicitly refuted in the literature you likely have not read on NDEs.

Here is a very persuasive argument for why NDEs are real:

https://youtu.be/U00ibBGZp7o

It emphasizes that NDErs are representative of the population as a whole, and when people go deep into the NDE, they all become convinced. As this article points out:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mysteries-consciousness/202204/does-afterlife-obviously-exist

>"Among those with the deepest experiences 100 percent came away agreeing with the statement, "An afterlife definitely exists"."

Since NDErs are representative of the population as a whole, and they are all convinced, then 100% of the population become convinced that there is an afterlife when they have a sufficiently deep NDE themselves. When you dream and wake up, you instantly realize that life is more real than your dreams. When you have an NDE, the same thing is happening, but on a higher level, as you immediately realize that life is the deep dream and the NDE world is the undeniably real world by comparison.

Or as one person quoted in pic related summarized their NDE:

>"As my soul left my body, I found myself floating in a swirling ocean of multi-colored light. At the end, I could see and feel an even brighter light pulling me toward it, and as it shined on me, I felt indescribable happiness. I remembered everything about eternity - knowing, that we had always existed, and that all of us are family. Then old friends and loved ones surrounded me, and I knew without a doubt I was home, and that I was so loved."

Needless to say, even ultraskeptical neuroscientists are convinced by really deep NDEs.

>>22007173
>>22007830
So read NDE accounts and basically all you can about NDEs. Books, YouTube-videos, articles, everything. They will make you realize that there is an afterlife, that there is meaning to life, and that NDErs say that the primary purpose here is to learn to love everyone and everything, no matter what. That it does not matter so much what kind of things we do, but whether we do them with no strings attached, and summon that kindness, love, and compassion on the inside of our own minds as we do it. So the meaning of life then, according to NDErs, is the small things. Whether it is helping someone with their homework, cooking dinner for our family, cleaning the bathroom, or picking up trash from the ground. Whatever it is, if we do it with love, then that is so huge on the other side, it is amazingly huge. So life is like a game where the goal is to summon as much kindness, love, compassion, and generosity as we possibly can squeeze out of our intentions. Which admittedly is definitely easier said than done!

You are playing life on a higher difficulty anon. We are here to learn to shine with love and kindness _in a world where it is undeniably hard to do so_! So are you up for the challenge? You can do it anon. Show us you can do it.

So sure, suicide shoots you directly to heaven and infinite bliss. But at the same time, you were there when choosing to come here. Suicide is therefore like turning off the Silent Hill video game and going out in the sun and playing with your friends. Which is totally fine! But it's not beating and 100%-ing the game, which is to live until death takes you, and being kind and loving all the time along the way.

So choosing to come here is like choosing to go to Harvard. It is not easy, and you have to be somebody to even get to come here. As NDErs say, everybody on Earth is a star on the other side for having the courage and endurance to come to this nightmare hellhole.

So if you really want to become wise, listen to what NDErs talk about and take it seriously. It is the highway to pure wisdom.

>>22007173
Start by determining what wisdom is.