Those Who Speak Do Not Know. So, Why Speak?

I now know enough to know that I don’t know. Further more, I know that anything I say just proves that point. So, why do I post? The answer is elegant in its simplicity: I am either gossiping, or ‘raising the alarm’. I can trace both of these root causes squarely back to the biology of social species.  That’s what ants do, chimps do, duck do… I do, you do, we do.

I see everything included in this, e.g., from backyard gossip about so-and-so to in-depth research reporting on __(you name it)__. Of course, high brow educators, commentators, news media-ites, politicians, preachers, ad infinitum would dispute that I suppose. Well, at least I am an equal opportunity cynic. Now off to Wikapedia to see more about the cynics…

The Cynics (Greek: Κυνικοί, Latin: Cynici) were an influential group of philosophers from the ancient school of Cynicism. Their philosophy was that the purpose of life was to live a life of Virtue in agreement with Nature. This meant rejecting all conventional desires for wealth, power, health, and fame, and by living a life free from all possessions. As reasoning creatures, people could gain happiness by rigorous training and by living in a way which was natural for humans. They believed that the world belonged equally to everyone, and that suffering was caused by false judgments of what was valuable and by the worthless customs and conventions which surrounded society. Many of these thoughts were later absorbed into Stoicism

… and now to Stoicism…

Philosophy for a Stoic is not just a set of beliefs or ethical claims, it is a way of life involving constant practice and training (or askesis, see ascetic). Stoic philosophical and spiritual practices included logic, Socratic dialogue and self-dialogue, contemplation of death, training attention to remain in the present moment (similar to some forms of Eastern meditation), daily reflection on everyday problems and possible solutions, hypomnemata, and so on. Philosophy for a Stoic is an active process of constant practice and self-reminder.

It sound like the ancient Greeks had a lot in common with the Taoist view (as I see it anyway). Naturally, this only affirms my sense that there is nothing new under the sun. Just the same old same old with a fresh coat of paint.