Category: Philosophy

Philosophy and the Sub-conscious

We live in a world today where we are constantly tempted by external forces pulling us in the wrong direction. We are beholden to short term gratification and lack the ability to make the correct choices. We are constantly being manipulated by big business marketing, sleazy politicians, and constant stream of manipulating news. In a world filled with so many predators, weak minded people, degenerates, fabricators, freeloaders and the like, how does one maintain a path of moral righteousness ensuring success? Without a moral philosophy, people can easily head down the wrong path in life, or be swept away into complete nihilism. That is why philosophy matters.

Back in 300BC, Greek Stoic philosopher, Zino, stressed the importance of finding a life’s purpose. People need a reason to get out of bed in the mornings. In a world of limitless possibilities and options, one needs to have a reason for being in existence so they can find the strength to move forward and deal with the challenges of their day.

Having a solid philosophy ensures that you are making proper short term decision to ensure your long term success. Many of the reasons why people fail to achieve their goals not because they lack motivation. Motivation will only get you so far, but because they lack a philosophy.

People, apart from animals, need a reason to exist. What separates us from the animals? Our ability to reason. So at the highest level, we have the ability to choose our purpose and make reasonable decisions each day to bring us a bit closer to achieving our goals. Having an ability to make reasonable choices will get us part way there, but we need to understand people are both reasonable and emotional beings.

Most people think that humans are ninety percent rational decision makers and ten percent irrational decision makers. In actuality, we are about ninety percent irrational and ten percent rational! We developed our intelligence and ability to make complex decisions over the last one hundred fifty thousand years ago, but we didn’t just grow a brand new entirely rational brain. Our rational brains are built on top of our animalistic brains. This leads to a kind of separation of consciousness in our heads between the conscious and the sub-conscious. Our seemingly singular thought process a kind of illusion presented to us by many processes that are going on in the brain.

The reason why people struggle so hard to change or stay true to their objectives is because not enough emphasis is put on the sub conscious mind. American social psychologist and professor, Jonathan Haidt, discusses in his many books, the concept of the elephant and the rider. This is an analogy used to describe our conscious mind and our subconscious mind. The rider of the elephant can make rational decisions, but if the elephant that he is riding on is not tame, then the rider is liable to get thrown off into a ditch or simply won’t be able to convince the elephant to go in the direction he wants. He may be successful with a lot of effort for a short time, but unless the elephant and the rider are on the same page, then the rider will become exhausted.

Philosophy can give us a physical, moral, and ethical framework that we can integrate into our sub consciousness so we can mike quicker conscious decisions and also encounter less resistance from our elephant when we are following through.

Warren Buffet is a Stoic

Warren Buffet has always amazed me. How could a person that is worth 83.9 billion dollars still live in a house that he bought for $32,500 in 1958?

The philosophy that inspires Warren Buffett to live simply dates back almost two thousand years ago to the Greeks. The concept of Stoicism was invented by the Greeks and later adopted by the Romans. The best example of stoicism is Marcus Aurelius. Emperor of Rome, Marcus Aurelius could have had anything he wanted. He ruled over most of the known world and had absolute power. He had access to all the riches of Rome, but still, he lived a virtuous life. Marcus placed his moral virtue above all else. He pitied most men for their lack of virtue and as part of his calling committed himself to teaching them. His destiny was to rule over Rome and he new that he could not shy away from that responsibility, but he expected nothing in return.

Warren Buffett is similar to Marcus Aurelius in his display of temperance. There are many stories about Warren Buffett and his frugality. His license plate on his Lincoln Town car once read “Thrifty”. From his lack of flashy cars to his use of a flip phone instead of a smartphone in 2019, this is a man who can literally afford anything that he wants. Any pleasure, any desire, he could have in practically infinite quantity, but just because you can do something doesn’t mean that you should do it.

The important thing to realize is that these men, with all the riches in the world, don’t live this way out of some strange overly stringent sense of frugality. They do this as a part of their life philosophy which most likely extends for deeper than just frugality. This lack of desire for material pleasures in favor of temperance allows both men to operate at a different level of thinking than most. They both committed themselves to their calling, one to rule and the other to invest, and displayed no interest for material wealth. They both committed to living well below their means.

The biggest advantage to living extremely below your means is that it gives you a feeling of invincibility, a feeling that no one can hurt you. If the Roman Empire collapsed, Marcus Aurelius would be perfectly content living with nature in a small village with no money. If Warren Buffets finances collapsed, and he lost 83.8 Billion dollars, he would be perfectly content to live out his days in his modest home with absolutely no change in quality of his life.

It’s about clear thinking. If you don’t have anything to worry about and almost no material possessions, then you are more likely to think clearly in difficult situations. These men are both dedicated to their calling and not making irrational decisions. For instance, in many cases, Warren Buffett will hang on to a stock investment even if it’s price is dropping fast because he knows he is in it for the long game. His goal is to earn a healthy return and make good decisions, but he also knows that in the end, win or lose, his life will be completely unchanged. He has the ability to make his plays based on rational decisions and not emotional ones.

When we see wealthy people go off the deep end and get addicted to drugs, sex, and alcohol and ultimately blow all their wealth, we should not be asking “How did this happen?” We should be asking, “How could this not happen?” The only failsafe to keep people from completely imploding is having a philosophy to prevent it. There is no place for overconsumption of material goods in any philosophy… maybe besides hedonism.

People who have nothing and people who have everything need to be attached to a moral philosophy. A set of instructions on how to live life and bring out the most good. So next time you look at someone who is wealthy and not spending their money, and you are thinking, “Gosh, I wish that was me, because I would know the proper way to spend that money”, Just know that they have a philosophy guiding them in their life and you, most likely… do not.

Everyone should apply this type of thinking in their life. Just because you can afford that expensive car, should you get it, or would you rather be invincible? Just because you could polish off that large pizza, should you, or would you rather be healthy? Just because you can afford that expensive watch, should you, or could you invest in something more profitable? Just because you can afford to get a big fat mortgage on a house, should you, or would you rather sleep well at night not beholden to your employers every wish, because you have no choice, because you need the money, because you are paying a huge mortgage.

Next time you are in a situation where you are contemplating spending money, you should think, “What would Warren Buffet, the man who has everything, do?”