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To move slowly, to let things take their course, but not to give up: great philosophers will help us see our desire for change in a new light.
“Who am I? How to become who I really am? This formulation of the question is the basis of any philosophy. But the philosopher is not a psychoanalyst: he does not look for the secrets hidden in the unconscious. He does not address a patient endowed with his own “I”, who has a family history, problems in relations with his father, with his mother, love … Philosophy studies the values uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthat bind us, it studies our human nature.
It often seems to us that change must be the result of an act of will, work, determination, action. But philosophy allows you to look at them differently: you can let go of the reins, and changes will happen on their own. Accept suffering and use it as leverage, stop analyzing everything and stop imagining the future in order to focus on what is happening here and now. It is not about losing the desire for change, but rather about learning to trust your feelings more, to be open to emotions – even painful ones, because they change our view of the world and ourselves, which means inspire you to take a new path. These ideas are in tune with the thoughts of four great philosophers: Lao Tzu, Montaigne, Spinoza and Nietzsche. We bring to your attention their reflections on the possibility of happy change.
Laozi (China, XNUMXth–XNUMXth centuries BC) “The sage trains in non-action”
Lao Tzu’s teaching, which insists on the virtues of “non-action”, at first glance seems to call for inertia. Nothing of the kind: for Lao Tzu, the main thing is to warn us against the illusory possibility of change on demand, controlled and managed. Whether we like it or not, change is inevitable as we all board a ship that has no home port. This is the great cycle of nature called the Way. Life is cyclical, and reality is unstable. Wisdom is to consciously let the flow take you, to follow the flow, to live in harmony with this turbulent movement, where the opposites no longer negate each other.
Montaigne (France, 1533–1592) “There is no permanent existence”
The life of each of us is ephemeral, and existence is just a movement, reminds Montaigne in his “Experiments”. “There is no permanent existence anywhere, neither in us nor in objects.” His philosophy proceeds from the statement of reality as an eternal change. “The world is an eternal swing,” he writes. To follow the flow of life, you need to swim with its flow. Montaigne “cultivates such a life as God was pleased to give him.” He is ready to turn to the left if there is an obstacle on the right, and will not feel disadvantaged. His job is to change desires, since he cannot change reality. Montaigne does not ask us to follow his path – he shows how he lives, we are free to follow (or not) his example.
Spinoza (Netherlands, 1632-1677) “Joy is a transition to greater perfection”
When we become the playthings of petty passions, such as anger, hatred, remorse, jealousy, intoxication with misfortune, contempt, we cease to be actors in our own lives, Spinoza assures us. “Like waves driven by the winds, we rush in all directions.” “Real hell” is the negative feelings that we tend to indulge. To change means to give up these feelings in order to return to our natural state of being, endowed with desire and freedom. Rather than submit to negative feelings, it is better to use reason – let words serve us. The effort to think right leads to joy, a feeling that, according to Spinoza, is unique to man. To be human means to be happy!
Nietzsche (Germany, 1844–1900) “Become what you are”
The invitation to metamorphosis is at the center of Nietzsche’s reflections. Let’s become light and airy – turn into tightrope walkers, into dancers, into travelers without luggage, he says. The philosopher proposes to get rid of the deadly rules of behavior, to become superhuman in order to be truly human. His theory of change is set forth, in particular, in the book Thus Spoke Zarathustra. In it, he explains how a person finds himself in the state of a camel, which resignedly bears the burden of restrictions, only to then turn into a lion – an all-denying creature, eager to destroy values, but “still too clumsy for graceful dancing.” In the end, a child appears who loves, is not afraid and knows how to say a real “yes” to life.