[flashpoint]

Thanks, your essays are excellent. I studied philosophy for the same reason you did, I thought it had something to do with finding wisdom. However, it wasn't my bread and butter option, thank heavens, otherwise I would have died of starvation by now. My own feeling is that if words break down after a certain point the next step would be the Eastern Philosophy's idea of insight into reality. Words do not really bring insight, words can only go so far in bringing insight. Words can only point in the right direction perhaps through logic and even poetry. To find the true basis of reality would be a step above words - I don't know exactly what that means - perhaps it is the sound of one hand clapping? To me philosophy is basically a way to determine reality and it forms a building block of our quest to find the true nature of reality. It is a bit sad that in our present time people do not seem interested in the fact that there are ways that reality has been studied and that our lives are often only based on escaping the reality of the moment. Last is not my idea but I read it somewhere probably in some book on Eastern Philosophy. I am convinced that the day we all start living in reality is the day that we find God. Furthermore, the upside to philosohy and the study of it is to make sure you don't make basic logical errors in your thinking for example realising that there are things such as sweeping statements, generalisations, ambiguity, prejudice, bias etc. It is often a mind strain to get through the day surrounded by people who never realise the limit that words have and the limits that untrained minds have. It is heartbreaking to realise the lost potential and the absence of meaning that is in front of peoples eyes without them ever realising it. Quite painful . . .