(From a letter to a reader)
If you step back and think a little, you will see the main error in your letter. You said you were confused and couldn’t make decisions. You feel compelled to give food to a hungry man who approaches you, but you feel ashamed about this act of charity.
In fact, this error belongs to youth. In youth, we think of ourselves as the center of the universe. Everything begins with us and ends with us. We measure everything ourselves.
A man comes to you and says he is hungry. When you buy him tea, you find yourself immersed in a variety of philosophical confusions. If you were that hungry person, would there be any philosophical confusion? Shouldn’t the hunger be contained? Isn’t there a big difference between getting tea and not getting tea, which is very concrete and mundane? There’s no irony in that, is there? If you think like that, the confusion will disappear.
The mentality behind pretending to be stuck in rare and abstract problems is the desire to show ourselves that we are extraordinary.
We are not unusual here. Our existence is not a rare phenomenon. We are just one drop among the trillions of dots of life on this planet. Therefore, it is best to fit in here. Our lazy thoughts are the labyrinth on the way. Train them to conform to the cosmos, which is ‘the absolute’.
One can enjoy numerous daily pleasures. Existing is itself a bliss. In the smallest things, this cosmos continues to reveal itself to us. I felt the urge not to let go of anything at your age. After that, my life became completely meaningful. I am living every minute.There were no more vague concepts or shabby philosophical notions stopping me from that happiness.
Only two of the philosophical questions are true. One has to do with ethics. Another is the question of conformity with the universe. To understand these concepts, one must undergo proper philosophical training. Otherwise, we will indulge in vague thoughts and fill our minds with the flow of mere words.
Jeyamohan