Say What, Man?

The contemporary German author and philosopher, Philipp Hübl, writes, "We can smoke a joint and simply enjoy it, or additionally ask ourselves whether we are narrowing or expanding our consciousness in this way, and what is meant by it at all."

I suppose it depends on whether we have enquiring minds. I don't mind confessing at this late date that I used to occasionally smoke weed in my twenties and, as far as I can remember, I simply enjoyed feeling spaced out and giggly. My consciousness (if you could call it that) narrowed to enjoying the sensations of the here and now, rather than pondering the answers to the ultimate questions of Life, the Universe and Everything. (42, of course)

But I understand that other, stronger drugs, which I never tried, did have the effect of expanding the consciousness - such as LSD. But the dangers of experimentation had been well drilled into me and I never smoked or took any of them.

These days, I neither drink nor smoke. My one remaining vice is vaping. Which is not to say there are no opportunities to narrow or expand my consciousness. On the contrary, they are there for the taking, whenever I choose to live mindfully, concentrating on the present moment - now, and now and now. Or whenever I choose to think deeply about important questions - social, political, cultural, spiritual. No drugs required.

Sometimes it can be tempting to simply enjoy the moment, and to ignore what is going on in the world around us. The news rarely seems to be good and it can often feel overwhelming - we (or at least I) start to feel that there is nothing I can do about (whatever the latest catastrophe is), so why bother?

But I believe that kind of thinking is fatal - we cannot afford to ignore what is happening under our noses. We have a duty to respond as compassionately as we feel able. I think it is no accident that the words "conscience" and "consciousness" come from the same root. When we become aware of something bad happening in the world, our conscience is awakened and it is up to us to do what we can, where we are, to alleviate the situation. Or at the very least, not make it worse by doing nothing. 

In his wonderful book, The Screwtape Letters, the senior devil, Screwtape, tells his apprentice, Wormwood: "Nothing is very strong: strong enough to steal away a man's best years not in sweet sins but in a dreary flickering of the mind over it knows not what and knows not why, in the gratification of curiosities so feeble that the man is only half aware of them."

I believe that this is the most dangerous state of all - to become so apathetic that we cannot be bothered about anything. We owe ourselves, we owe the world around us, more than that. 

Actively Seeking Happiness

The 20th century French philosopher, Alain, (real name Émile-Auguste Chartier) once wrote, "You have to want to be happy and do your part thereto. If you persist in the attitude of impartial spectator, merely holding the door open to happiness, only sadness will enter."

I'm not sure I entirely agree with him. Because sometimes, actively seeking happiness can lead to always living in the future (the If Only mindset) and never being content with what is happening to us in the present. Which can lead to great unhappiness... Unless he means that it is in our power to control our reactions to our experiences, and are able to choose to what extent X or Y makes us happy or sad, in which case, I do agree. 

As human beings, we do have a certain amount of control over our reactions. We can learn to be resilient, refusing to be ground down by negative experiences. We can choose to either make the best of a bad situation, or to allow it to crush us. We can also learn to be on the lookout for small moments of wonder and grace in our lives, which will lead to happiness if we choose to appreciate them as they occur.

I can speak to this from immediate personal experience. Yesterday, my husband drove me to Danetre Hospital to have an x-ray and get the final dressing removed from my foot. And I had high (and, on reflection, incredibly naive) hopes about it: I thought that after six weeks, it would be All Better and I would be able to get back to normal, just like that.

And the news was very good. I saw the talented surgeon who did the operation, and both he and I were delighted by the results. The angle between the base of my big toe and the next door one had been 33 degrees; it is now 14 degrees - a massive improvement. In the long term, it's going to be far less painful to walk and to wear shoes.

But, the time to a full recovery is going to be slow, far slower than I had hoped and expected, having no prior experience of such an injury. I still have to sit with my foot elevated except when I'm walking around the house once an hour, I will need to massage the toes once a day for two minutes using E45, and wear trainers inside and outdoors to support the foot. I am only allowed to build up my walking very gradually - 10 minutes the first day, then by 5 minute increments, and no long walks for another three months. I am not allowed to drive for another fortnight, and no distance driving for a further month after that. Plus which, I will need to take a break every hour on a long journey and elevate my foot for 15 minutes. 

Oh, and I should expect some swelling and pain for up to six months... and of course, my toes were really sore for the rest of the day, having had pins removed from both the 2nd and 3rd ones.

My initial reaction was negative: I sat around for the rest of the day, feeling very fed up and sorry for myself. It took a while to get over my disappointment, although on reflection, I should have expected this news. I now understand that the operation was a massive "insult" to my foot (to use my surgeon's term) and that of course the recovery is going to take a while. That I am very lucky to be in a situation where my husband can continue to do the things I can't, and to have a warm and cosy house and a reclining armchair which enables me to work with my foot up.

So I have nixed the pity party and have resolved to be both cheerful and patient in the weeks and months to come, trusting that my foot will heal completely in its own good time. So to that extent, I am following Alain's advice, and being an active participant in my own happiness.

 

Remaining Human Matters

The 18th century Scottish philosopher, David Hume, once wrote, "Be a philosopher; but amidst all your philosophy, be still a man."

Which is wise advice. But I think it applies to whatever job we are doing, whatever our role in life is. Although Hume was writing centuries before people began to worry about maintaining a healthy balance between work / whatever our personal obsession is, and our personal lives, this is what this quotation is about.

It is only too easy to become so embroiled and invested in the one part of our lives we are passionate about (whether that is our work, our family, a particular hobby, the book we're reading, our political or religious/spiritual beliefs) that we lose sight of everything else that is going on around us. To the detriment of the people and situations we are ignoring.

Because there is a difference between focus and obsession. The ability to focus on the present task is a good thing, as it enables us to be productive and useful contributors to society. It is not only about getting the present task done. If we are focussed, we will knuckle down and get the job done. And then rest, returning tired but satisfied to the rest of our lives.

But, if we allow ourselves to become obsessed with the present task, our lives become unbalanced, as we focus on that present task, oblivious to whatever else is happening around us. There is a seriously irritating British Airways advert on Channel 4 at the moment, which makes this point clearly. An actress dressed as a high-powered business woman tells the viewer about the benefits of being on holiday, the importance of finding a good work/life balance, but she has her laptop and mobile phone with her...

I have been guilty of obsession on occasions - most often when I'm engrossed in a new book. I will read and read and read, stopping only for meals. And I'm well aware how infuriating this is to my nearest and dearest. 

The danger of being obsessed about something is that our vision becomes skewed, and we are unable to see or understand any point of view which is in conflict with continuing working on whatever it is. Which can be very hurtful for those around us, and can alienate the very people we are trying to influence.

To quote another (very old) advert "A Mars a day helps you work, rest, and play." That is what David Hume is talking about; that is what we should be aiming for. Work, rest, and play are all important parts of our lives and should be in balance with each other.

Not Choosing is Also a Choice

The French Existentialist philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre, once wrote, "I can always choose, but I ought to know that if I do not choose, I am still choosing."

When I read those words, I recognised their truth straight away. I think that what he is saying, is that each human being has free will (I would say, God-given free will, with which I'm sure Sartre would disagree) and so it is up to each and every one of us to exercise that free will, by making choices in our lives.  Because if we choose *not* to make a choice about something, then that is the choice of apathy, and the only thing that achieves is to make us passengers in our own stories, rather than drivers. (For example, people who do not exercise their right to vote, believing that their single vote will make no difference. It does.)

According to Wikipedia, Sartre's "primary idea is that people, as humans, are 'condemned to be free.' He explained, 'This may seem paradoxical because condemnation is normally an external judgement which constitutes the conclusion of a judgement. Here, it is the not the human who has chosen to be like this... Their being is not determined, so it is up to everyone to create their own existence, for which they are then responsible. They cannot not be free, there is a form of necessity for freedom, which can never be given up.'"

It might be argued that there are situations we might find ourselves in, when no obvious choice is possible. But I think Sartre is saying that it is always possible for us to make a choice, even if the only choice we can make is how we respond to our situation. But that we do have the responsibility to make that choice. As he wrote, "it is up to everyone to create their own existence, for which they are then responsible."

For example, during the last month, I have been told to sit with my foot up all day long, except for taking a brief hurple around the downstairs rooms once an hour. And I have chosen to obey that dictum, so that my foot will heal better and more quickly. I have also chosen to make the best of it, by setting up a table alongside my chair, on which my journals, pens and laptops sit, ready for use. I bought myself a cheap lap tray, which has been a boon and a blessing, because it has enabled me to write and work without having to attempt balancing anything on my legs. I've also chosen to embrace the chance of spending more time writing and crocheting than I normally would...

I could have chosen to moan, whinge and complain about the enforced inactivity, but I have chosen instead to "make the best of it". And I believe that the choice to make the best of whatever hand fate or life deals us, is the finest choice in the world. Because it gives us agency in our lives. And that is precious.