What is the most pressing question for philosophy to answer? – How to live the best possible life.
Best life implies that one makes all the right decisions, otherwise one is filled with regret. One becomes stuck in the past, and continues to hunt the present. This is a downward spiral that is difficult to get out of. Most importantly because one is unaware of the negative thoughts that dominate the thought process, and in effect, damages all aspects of daily life.
The downfall comes to be because one regrets and then becomes fixated on the past, which cannot change. Life becomes stagnant, as one stays on a problem that cannot be fixed. This again is caused by lack of mindfulness, not being aware that this is how one lives.
The cure needs to address the two poisons of regret and lack of self-awareness. The following thought experiment seems to have a potential redeeming effect on both poisons:
– In the future, how would you have wished that you acted right now?
This question makes one aware of:
- What is important to oneself right now, and what to pursue.
- That you one as if transported back in time to fix these regrets in the present time.
- The powers one has to make something joyful happen this very instant.
- It turns the strong tendency to focus on everything negative, and applies it to future regrets, making one keenly aware instead of all the current possibilities to fulfill those desires right now and avoid those regrets.
What Matters. 