Health problems creates philosophers?

[martins name]

I believe that before your health becomes bad enough to create diagnosable symptoms your emotional system gets messed up. I believe living with such emotional problems leads a lot of people to become philosophers. You have no answers for why you are not okay, so you look far and wide. Not being able to find happiness in the now, you start looking for meaning in the future. You try all the things conventionally supposed to make you happy and it doesn't work, so you seek the unconventional.

Me and all the philosophers that have had the biggest influence on my life are all chronically ill: Leo, JP and Ken Wilber. I once read a list of sick philosophers. I can't find the list now but it was long and had many well-known names on it, like Nietzsche.

I believe the negative emotions and mental state that come with bad health is one of the biggest reasons people become philosophers. Do you agree?

[Jannes]

yee.. 

I think in time of need different people turn to different things. Some paint, some journal and some find beauty in abstract understanding. 

I fellow philosophy student of mine shared a story where she worked and taught philosophy in some kind of special class for people with rough backgrounds. She said that the kids needed philosophy kind of like a therapy. 

 

[martins name]

@Jannes I mean philosophy in the broadest sense possible. The word philosopher means "friend of wisdom". I'd consider most people on this forum to be a philosopher. 

1 hour ago, Jannes said:

I fellow philosophy student of mine shared a story where she worked and taught philosophy in some kind of special class for people with rough backgrounds. She said that the kids needed philosophy kind of like a therapy. 

I love this concept. This is the role Jordan Peterson is playing for a lot of kids these days. I hope schools will have philosophy clubs in the future.

1 hour ago, Jannes said:

I think in time of need different people turn to different things. Some paint, some journal and some find beauty in abstract understanding. 

I'm not talking about turning to philosophy for escape. Rather, turning to philosophy for answers because not a single answer that's been given to us by mainstream society has made us okay. Really, the answer we are looking for is good health. In absence of that, we look for enlightenment or a higher purpose to make us feel okay.

[Asayake]

The same is true for many great artists. Franz Schubert för example, one of the greatest composers of all time suffered from mood swings and syphilis. He died from syphilis when he was only 31 years old as it was untreatable in his time. Despite the fact he wrote more than 1000 pieces of music during his life. Illness can bring a lot out of a human.

[martins name]

@Lila9 Great point. 

[flowboy]

Not just health problems, also emotional suffering.

Yes, suffering creates depth.

Talks with Christian Sundberg suggest that we are actually here as humans to acquire depth through different flavours of hardship.

I've once talked to a woman who was interested in psychology just like I was, and a similar age.

And yet the conversation didn't flow at all.

Turns out nothing ever had gone wrong in her life yet.

[UnbornTao]

Deeply wondering about stuff creates philosophers.