On living in accordance with nature
Training, philosophy
Training, says Diogenes the Cynic, can achieve anything.
In the Cynic worldview, humanity is gripped by a cloud —typhos—, a cloud of madness. Typhos is the web of false opinions and lower impulses that keep man from living up to his full potential.
The road out?
Philosophy, conceived of as the training of body, mind, and soul. Training, so that we might live, no longer under the dominion of typhos, but in accordance with Nature, with truth.
What is truth?
In many ways a senseless question, so long as we live under typhos. Ask the inhabitants of Plato’s cave for the truth, and they will point to shadows.
What we can say is that the truth is simple, clear like light, and very often, uncomfortable.
We have also heard that like is known by like. Which makes the surest road towards the truth, to live like the truth. And only then, will our question have any sense.
The mind must be healed, before it can attempt to know. Training comes first.
Today, we conceive of philosophy as a theoretical activity. But once it was known, that this theoretical activity is only the fruit of a prior training that encompassed the entire individual —body, mind, soul. It is out of this training, that the right ‘theory’ arises.
We are left only with the fruits, but they are starting to rot. And the only way forward is to once again take care of the soil —the living individual.
Philosophy has as its noblest goal the seeking of “journey’s end”. Death, or the Divine. But the journey starts with life, your life, the life that is as of now gripped by typhos.
“We must first become men and afterwards become God.”
(Hierocles, Commentary on the Golden Verses.)
To become men, all aspects of the living individual should be taken into account —body, mind, and soul.
We must train the mind, but also the body. And we must not only seek to know the world, but also our soul. Not only ‘Being’, but also our own being.
It is a great sadness that ‘philosophy’, generally speaking, no longer recognizes the importance of all aspects, being reduced merely to abstract thought. Thought has become disembodied, and the body from which it is detached is sick. Yet the body still influences the mind, as the mind still influences the body.
But it need not be that way, for you.
“Philosophy is indeed the science of living perfectly.”
(Iamblichus, Protreptic.)
The problem is that most are simply not that interested in life. But if you are, you might be right in concerning yourself with philosophy.
If you are sufficiently interested in life, you must train to achieve the good life. Practically speaking, this training to achieve both civic and divine virtue has a few branches:
Study, contemplation, and care for body and mind.
The lives we live influence the ideas we have, and the ideas we have influence the lives we live. Thus, nothing can be left to the side when it comes to philosophy. Both body and mind must be disciplined and cared for.
It can be argued that Ancient Philosophy didn’t have that much concern for the essential role of the body in achieving the good life. Questions concerning diet and physical exercise are raised, but not very often, and not for long. In Plato, and many others, we often find the suggestion that the philosopher shouldn’t concern himself with the body as much as an athlete would. For in the end, isn’t philosophy about becoming free from the body? Yet, we would do better to not listen to such suggestions, for now. Do not forget, that the average non-athlete man of which Plato was speaking was war-ready year round, could march for days on end with heavy equipment, and had stronger bones than top level powerlifters today. Excessive focus on bodily health was not a concern for Ancient philosophy, because there was no need for it. Enter modern sedentary lifestyles, malnutrition, medicine, etc., and the picture changes entirely. We cannot compare ourselves.
Philosophy arises out of wonder, which is in many ways only the consciousness of our own ignorance, our own inadequacy. If we had perfect knowledge, we would have no need for philosophy. Similarly, the questions of health, diet, and physical training can only arise when we are sick. And we are.
Good luck contemplating the heavens, when the body is in pain, begging for you to take care of it.
The life we live, the life we are, determines the problems that present themselves to us. And the problems that present themselves to a healthy culture are of an entirely different order than our own problems.
Nietzsche writes:
“But where could we find an instance of cultural pathology which philosophy restored to health? If philosophy ever manifested itself as helpful, redeeming, or prophylactic. it was in a healthy culture. The sick. it made ever sicker. Wherever a culture was disintegrating, wherever the tension between it and its individual components was slack, philosophy could never re-integrate the individuals back into the group. Wherever an individual was of a mind to stand apart. to draw a circle of self-sufficiency about himself, philosophy was ready to isolate him still further, finally to destroy him through that isolation. Philosophy is dangerous wherever it does not exist in its fullest right, and it is only the health of a culture-and not every culture at that-which accords it such fullest right.”
(Nietzsche, Philosophy in the tragic age of the Greeks)
If we are to take Nietzsche’s words seriously, it is perhaps even better to leave philosophy to the side entirely, and to focus on creating health first. To focus on culture, which is in many ways nothing but the shaping of life, the formation of life, the way in which life chooses to give form to life. And the better life is formed, the more life is in health. But then again, is philosophy not precisely this pursuit, this training, to bring life to the greatest health?
Before we can contemplate divine things, we must first see clearly, we must first do away with the cloud of madness.
This madness is not something that can be seen through, once ‘the right ideas’ have been put into one’s mind. It is something that is a part of us, that has latched itself onto our bodies, and that feeds on our souls. You cannot just take it off like you would do a piece of clothing. It has to be exorcised, in a sense. And training is the way.
Man does not so much ‘have’ habits and opinions, as that he becomes them. He identifies with them. And to do away with them, is very much akin to dying. When the man is dragged out of Plato’s cave, this is a metaphor for such a death. The man is in pain, he wants to go back to his familiar life, and the escape towards the good life feels more like torture.
Typhos (Τυφώς) means as much as ‘smoke’, ‘veil’, or ‘cloud’. It is used to described this cloud of unknowing in which most people live, like a maddening veil that prevents us from seeing clearly, and acting justly.
The concept has its origin in Greek mythology. Typhon was a monster, the offspring of Tartarus and Gaia. We read in Hesiod:
“His arms are employed in feats of strength, and the legs of the powerful god are tireless. Out of his shoulders came a hundred fearsome snake-heads with black tongues flickering, and the eyes in his strange heads flashed fire under the brows; and there were voices in all his fearsome heads, giving out every kind of indescribable sound.”
(Hesiod, Theogony)
Typhon would have destroyed the world, if it were not for Zeus, who leapt from Olympus to strike Typhon down with lightning.
In this tale, Typhon stands for that spiritual darkness within everyone’s soul that leads us to wickedness and misery. Zeus is that spiritual light, reason, that has the capacity to restrain Typhon, and to make us live in accordance with truth and goodness.
At the beginning, there was this fight between Typhon and Zeus. And likewise, during each human life, there is a fight between Typhos and Reason. Between wickedness and goodness. Between darkness and light. The end of the life is determined by the degree to which reason is able to overcome typhos. To what degree can we escape the dark cloud of madness, cleanse our souls of ignorance, and achieve the good?
What determines the degree to which we will be capable like Zeus? Training, and nothing else.
What does this ‘training’ mean? For the body, it means living a life in accordance with nature. And for the mind, it means a life lived in accordance with reason. For the soul? Contemplation.
Here, we can get very concrete. What is ‘living in accordance with nature’?
Rise with the sun, sleep after the sun goes down. Minimize exposure to artificial light, and increase exposure to natural sunlight. Feed yourself with those foods that are required for your body and mind to function optimally. This means; natural foods. Although requirements vary wildly between individuals, a good rule for pretty much everyone is to focus on animal foods. Apollodorus says that Achilles himself was fed the entrails of lions and wild boars, and the marrow of bears. Plants can be considered as medicine. Add good fats: butter, coconut oil, olive oil. Pretty much all other oils are a scam. Everything is poisoned, pay attention to quality and ingredients.
Reduce intake of stimulants. Fasting can be immensely healing, but if undertaken wrongly or in excess, can also destroy you. Know yourself, do your research.
It means to expose yourself to the elements; heat and cold are not things to shy away from, but things to go into. It means; move in such a way that minimizes your risk of injury, and maximizes your physical capabilities. For most, this will require some type of strength training, combining both bodyweight exercise and weighted training. Focus on the basic movements: squats, lunges, some type of hip-hinge, and pulling and pushing movements. Always strive for perfect form and execution. For most people, full-body workouts are probably their best bet.
Also, mobility deserves your attention, but there is no need to do hours of extended stretching or ‘yoga’. Most if not all mobility problems are a result of bad posture throughout the day and a lack of movement. If you have specific mobility problems, see if there are weighted exercises you can do for mobility. Stretching with weight > stretching without weight.
It will also include some type of cardiovascular exercise. Running, typically. But walking will do. We were made to run. But sadly, modern sedentary lifestyles and modern footwear have destroyed most people’s capabilities of running (& even walking) injury free. Those who don’t have any problems are merely the most well-adapted to a bad situation. You would do well in throwing away your shoes and adapting yourself to barefoot walking and running. And there is also such a thing as ‘barefoot’ shoes. Like myself, you will probably realize how weak your feet and ankles have become. Modern shoes have high heels which make you heel-strike excessively in walking and running, which we were never made to do. Humans are made to strike on their fore-foot. Additionally, most ‘regular’ shoes squash your toes together, making them pretty much immobile, the shoe taking over all the action. Why do we have toes in the first place, you think? For balance. Logically, restoring natural function through barefoot adaptation will decrease your risk of falling over, and increase your balance and strength in all the other movements you engage in. When it comes to running, go slow. Don’t chase the miles, attempt merely to attain or maintain the ability to run. I was never a runner. Started running more regularly almost 3 years ago, and I am still adapting to just being able to run pain-free. That is how fucked up modern lifestyles have made some of us, and forcing yourself to reverse the damage might only make things worse.
Life is movement, and if it does not move, life’s energies have nowhere to go, and they can only turn against themselves.
Breath deserves a mention. We all breathe, but few know how to breathe. It is quite clear that the quality of your breathing is related to life and health span.
Do you breathe through your mouth? Stop now, start breathing through your nose, tape your mouth shut when you go to bed. I have heard that, as a test, Spartan boys had to run barefoot for some miles, all with a mouth full of water. Force breathing through your nose, and your body and mind will thank you for it.
The breath connects the body to the mind. Everything that happens to your mind, has an influence on your body, by way of the breath. If you are stressed by some emotional event, your breath will speed up, and thereby the stress lodges itself in your body. If you eat rubbish food, this will likewise excite your mind, through an alteration of your breathe. Learn to breathe properly, and you will gain greater control over your mind and body. If you are interested, research breathing exercises. But most important is learning to breathe correctly during the day, and during sleep.
In the Timaeus it is said that man should seek to make the movements of his soul run in accordance with the movements of Nature. You would be an idiot to think that this is only some spiritual teaching of direction. It is concrete advice, if you want it to be. Nature has its rhythms, and you would do well to live in accordance with them.
What does ‘following Nature’ mean for the training of the mind? Your nature is that of a reasonable animal. And to follow your nature, is to follow your reason. Yet you have been moulded into an idiot by education. So you will have to strengthen your mind through self-study. Institutions are damned, self-education is the only way.
In all, it is good advice to become acquainted with the Platonic literature. Not only for the truths contained therein, but for you to see what thinking looks like. A lot of things can be discovered, by merely sitting down and thinking. This is what the study of philosophy will teach you above all. You don’t need more ‘data’, more studies, more perspectives, and so on. You need to sit down, or go for a walk, and think.
There is a clarity in Plato, Aristotle, and the ‘neo’-Platonic writers. A type of clarity that seems almost alien to many of us now. And if nothing else, reading it will show you what thought is capable of when it is in good health.
Yet you should not forget that more words do not equal more truth. And more reasons do not equal reason. Seek for simplicity in thought. ‘Simplicity’;
“and I do not mean this in the sense in which we use “simplicity” as a euphemism for “simple-mindedness” —but I mean the sort of fine and good character that has developed in accordance with an intelligent plan.”
(Plato, Republic, III, 400e)
We are left with contemplation. The ability to sit and be still, the ability to think not about some thing, but to observe thought itself, to think about thought. And from there, to let thought run its natural movements, without interfering with them. Not all thinking is equal. Learn to think with depth, learn to focus, learn to be with a single thought for extended periods of time, learn to meditate.
The simple commandment to live in accordance with nature is not abstract at all, but very concrete advice for a good life. That is, a life acquainted with the truth.
Now, we have fallen far, and distractions are ample. And thus, training is required.
In philosophy, I have written at length about this notion of ‘life turning against life.’ Within life itself, there is this principle, identified at times as tólma (τόλμα), this creative and daring impulse of life itself, that carries life away from itself. Carried away from itself, it forgets itself, and eventually turns against itself. When life becomes foreign to itself, it attacks itself as if it were Other, while coming to love what is Other as if it were its own Self. A perversion to be sure, but nonetheless born from within life itself. That is how things go, both in the history of an individual life, and culturally-historically. The latter has it, that we find ourselves in a time of forgetting, of life turning against life. Framed in terms of what we have spoken about earlier, a time in which life doesn’t live in accordance with its nature.
Now, all worthy goals should have as their aim the restoration of this natural balance, and the search for what such a life could look like in a new age. But it starts individually. Hence I seek nothing but a mode of life that is more in accordance with life. A philosophy of life, in an age of deception. Not merely to live, but to live a good life, a strong life. This is all that this training of philosophy is about.