Science & Philosophy would Come Back if Destroyed

"Destroy all religious books, and in a thousand years, they won't come back. But destroy all science books, and in a thousand years, they'll all be back-because all the same tests will get the same results."

-Ricky Gervais

While I agree with the sentiment that Ricky is conveying we also have to remember that any book, based on history or fiction, couldn't come back if all was destroyed. I also believe that, while the stories of the Bible would be lost to history, some of the philosophical lessons would come back in some shape or form in similar ways as science would.

"Do to others as you would have them do to you."
-Luke 6:31

The Golden Rule is a simple truth that any future Philosopher could rediscover. Similar to Science, which I agree would come back, Philosophy would also see a rebirth given the curiosity of the human mind.

20 years of Growth and Counting!

I recently came across communication from my early 20s with an ex girlfriend and it felt like that scene in Interstellar movie where the main character was behind the bookshelf trying to warn his past self. In an instant, I could see clearly the growth I went through in the almost 20 years since.

Growth is subtle, we can't really feel it day to day or year by year but it's quite a shock when looking back 20 years. I'm not who I used to be but I'm only better in areas that I have actively worked on during this time as weaknesses doesn't go away on their own.

If my 20s were version 1.0 of me then I'm now at version 1.3-1.5 ... just not quite at version 2.0. While I see improvement, there's still some of the same problems.

"Mastering one's future must surely start with managing one's self."

-Shad Helmstetter

Who will I be in 20 years?

Will looking back to this day, in 20 years, give me the same sort of feeling as I had looking back 20 years back from now? Growth is intentional - my hope is that I will look back and be thankful for the choices I made today.

With The End In Mind

In 200 years from now we’ll all be death. I’m not predicting an apocalypse, I’m just stating the fact that humans don’t live that long (not yet at least). With the end in mind, we need to look into our things to get rid of that which isn’t useful.

The value of most items we collect is unique to us. Your entourage likely doesn’t understand the value of what you own. Your baseball cards collection, for example, may end up in the trash after your passing because the person responsible for your belongings didn’t understand the value of it. While your collection may of brought you joy in your life it will serve no purpose in your death and may be discarded, by someone who doesn’t understand its value, after your passing.

“No one can have everything they wish for, but anyone can choose not to desire what they lack and instead be content with what they have.”
-Seneca

My mother recently showed me a shirt she bought 15 years ago that she never wore as she was saving it for a “special occasion”. What’s the point of carrying around an item for this long without using it? She could have passed away during these 15 years and that “special occasion” shirt would never of been worn.

My dad once said that the more things you have the more things that owns you as you’re stuck taking care of it all. Look at what you own and get rid of the things that doesn’t serve you.

“It's not the person who has too little, but the one who always wants more, who is truly poor. What does it matter how much wealth someone has stored away, how large their flocks are, or how fat their dividends are, if they are still coveting their neighbor's property, and measuring their worth not by what they have but by what they hope to gain? Do you want to know the proper limit to wealth? It's having what is necessary and what is enough.”
Excerpt From
Letters from a Stoic: Modern English Edition
Lucius Seneca

Stop Lying to Yourself

 “A lie, repeated often enough, will end up as truth.” -Dr Paul Joseph Goebbels

The lies we tell ourselves, over time, becomes believable. If we look at ourselves in the mirror, see an overweight person, and either ignore the problem or think to ourselves “we don’t look too bad” then we’re robbing ourselves of our ability to improve.

Be honest with yourself…

"If you are not honest with yourself, you will not be capable of honesty with others."-John C. Maxwell

Honesty starts at home. The lies we tell ourselves are robbing us of our potential. It's not possible to make the right decisions with the wrong information.

We don’t know what we don’t know…

Even if we’re honest with ourselves, sometimes we don’t know what our faults are as mirrors can only show what’s most obvious. This is where meditation and mentors come into play. Spend some time reading/meditating and ask someone you trust to help point out some of your faults - what, they believe, would make you a better person once resolved.

"Self awareness is realizing that you are fighting against yourself. There is no opponent." -Unknown

Forgiveness To Move On

 

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

-Mahatma Gandhi A

The "strong" sometime ask for forgiveness even when they know they're right only because they want to bring the matter to a close. As a kid, I used to believe that adults knew everything and could do no wrong but now that I'm an adult I find that not only it isn't the case but many still think like children especially during heated arguments. 

Asking for forgiveness also comes easier, to a "strong" individual that is in the right, because there's an understanding that adults have internal battles that may be clouding the opponent's judgement at the time of the argument.

“A person cannot be a good protector of their country, a good avenger of wrongs, or a good defender of their friends if they are inclined toward pleasure.”

-Lucius Seneca