Philosophical Living And Political Thinking

My engagement with philosophy is first and foremost personal.

I find this world confusing. It isn't easy for me to get up in the morning and not wonder what I'm doing it or why I'm doing it.

So my philosophical reading is largely a personal matter. It helps me feel like I have control over my attitude and my approach to living. I find it very helpful.

Sometimes I think and write about political things, too. But I don't feel so good about it. I don't feel comfortable with my frame of reference, and I often feel like I'm thinking about things that are far beyond me.

I'm just putting it out there that I don't feel comfortable talking about politics. But I do it anyways because it is what I'm reading about.

Thus I've resolved to pursue military history at the graduate level. The only way to think about political problems is to think about them historically. I need to think about political problems. So I'm going to go to school for military history to pursue my hopes of thinking about the philosophy of war and politics.

I'll also say that I hope much of my personal philosophical work can be applied to political problems. I hope that my thinking about the cultivation of an attitude, about metaphysical mindfulness and civility, will somehow be applicable to political decision-making. And I have several people who are already helping me in making this connection.

But historical education is a must.