In Japan, thought and action, philosophy and life, are more intimately connected than most other places. Philosophy is largely an attempt to articulate and develop insights into how to live and who we are that are embedded in practices more than they are rooted in theories. The documentaries Ramen Heads and Jiro Dreams of Sushi show what much of this philosophy means more eloquently than can be straightforwardly said.
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I suggest looking at three ways of thinking prominent in non-western philosophies that might alert us to aspects of our own that have been squeezed too much into the background and could benefit from being given more attention. Once we do that, we can recalibrate, putting more emphasis on the values that have been neglected and less on those that have come to carry too much weight. If that helps us to a more compassionate, less adversarial politics, all the better.
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Everyone likes to think they are open-minded. However, even those of us that actively invite different ideas rarely allow them to set up home. In the past I found this depressing. Now, I’m not so down on our apparent resistance to change. In short, I’ve changed my mind about changing minds.
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At the Cheltenham Literature Festival on Monday I thought I would have a break from talking about my own ideas when I took part in a discussion about Nietzsche’s aphorisms. What i discovered was that, in fact, when talking about Nietzsche’s aphorisms, or anyone else’s, exploring what you think is the whole point.
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It is too much to expect not to be stung by criticism. To be completely unaffected you’d need to have an indifference to the opinions of others that bordered on solipsism. The knack is to feel the sting and let it fade, avoiding the temptation to scratch at it and make it even worse. You have to accept that some critics are like blood-sucking insects who are only happy when feeding on others.
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