XII/98. How I Fight: Philosophy
The spirit in my spirituality derives primarily from myself.
Everyone has a personal philosophy: its quality depends on its sources and how they have been learned and applied to improve an imperfect life; its value depends on the ability of the person to continuously and sensibly implement it; its greatest meaning is to oneself, but only if one understands that this is done by also applying it to others. We cannot not grow in isolation.
––John Roberts
There are three modes of bearing the ills of life: by indifference, by philosophy, and by religion.
––Charles Caleb Colton
Merzenich proceeded to craft a career that has kept him exploring, and exploiting, the potential of one of the most stunning propositions of our time: We create ourselves, from the inside out, each day of our lives. The idea has echoes in existentialism, with its emphasis on freedom and responsibility, and in Buddhism, which teaches that willed attention can improve concentration and general mental health.
––Katherine Ellison, “The Elastic Brain,” Discover, May 2007
(On Michael Merzenich, Neuroscience Professor, U. of Cal. SF)
One becomes a Buddhist neither by birth nor by a formulaic declaration of faith. Anyone who reads the following chapters and perceives the truth of the teachings, in whichever particular form, may consider himself or herself a Buddhist….Commandments uttered by the Buddha can in no way be equated with the Judeo-Christian Commandments. If ignored, you do not bring down the retributive anger of God against your own person: Such breaches merely signify that the teachings are not yet understood or that the way is still too difficult for the novice. In this light, the moral directives the Buddha taught to lay disciples are a kind of measure of their personal insight, not the mandatory duty of the student of the Christian catechism.
––Frank Rainer Scheck and Manfred Görgens, Buddhism, 1999
In the final third of my life, I have been revising my philosophy, character, and relationships to improve on some persistent weaknesses and to deal with the changes and opportunities of the final years. Montaigne said that “to philosophize is to learn to die.” Our personal religion, spirituality, or philosophy–– whatever you may call it but all those things––is crucial to the peak of life, but also essential to the satisfactory end.
My spirituality is an indispensable, but not overwhelming, core of my overall life philosophy. It is my way of organizing, strengthening, and projecting my mind into a new dimension––beyond the mere intellectual disciplines. It assists me from a different direction, part of the mix, adding substance, not just flavor. The purpose is to increase understanding, to develop wisdom, to broaden and enhance control, to subordinate to something greater than myself, to provide a more devoted reading and involvement in the world for the building and refinement of a long-held but changing philosophy of life. At the end of life, ill and fighting a different war, it retains aspects of the aggression of the fighter pilot and businessman; but it is aimed more at clarifying, improving, and saving myself. The professional fighter has an imbedded philosophy of combat that must be resolved, sometimes alternated, with his gentle humanity.
Over my seven decades, I have gravitated to a patchwork spirituality of my own design that enables me to change and improve in a positive way, makes me happy and peaceful, and gives me the strength to accept without worry or fear the death that lies somewhere ahead. As my life evolved, I found that elements of Christianity, Buddhism, existentialism and other philosophies fit, however imperfectly, with the circumstances and goals of my life. So, selecting from the menu of my readings, learning, and self-examination, I belatedly built a belief system of humanity, freedom, hope, ethics, self-respect, determination, and realism. It works for me and I rely on myself. Each person has the freedom to do the same, and to seek whatever help is needed.
