My Philosophy of Life · 3 December 2022
A student of mine recently asked me what my philosophy of life is. I told him that I could tell him, but I might get fired. But then I thought about it more and decided that I really ought to dig deeper to see what my philosophy of life really is.
Philosophy means love of wisdom, but a philosophy of life is how you live your life. Or how you believe you live your life. And to my way of thinking, your philosophy of life ought to be fairly short and sweet. Like a mission statement of sorts. So while I may not have had a concrete philosophy of life when my student asked me, I have solidified it now.
My philosophy of life is threefold. I am a seeker of truth. I answer only to the King. I serve others (or at least I try to).
These are the three statements that encapsulate my philosophy of life. But since they are the guiding principles of my life, I must clarify them. At least a little bit.
Truth is out there whether you believe it or not. So there is not your truth and my truth. There is your perception of truth and my perception of truth, but there is real knowable objective truth. Those who say that there is no truth spout a logical contradiction. If there is no truth, then you cannot say that there is no truth because that is a truth. So the statement “There is no truth” is self-contradictory because it claims to be a truth, which it cannot be. At any rate, I am a seeker of truth. And when my perceptions of the truth turn out to be wrong, I make sure that I adjust my life accordingly. At least I hope that I do.
It might seem strange for a person to say that he or she answers only to the King, but it is how I live my life. I heard a great line in a TV show about how those in a royal family had to live not for their own happiness or satisfaction but for the crown. That is how I try to live my life. I do not live for the king of any country. I live for the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is only to the triune God of the Bible that I owe my allegiance. Sure, I pledge allegiance to the flag. I am loyal to my country. And I am loyal to my family. But if those allegiances should go against my highest allegiance, I know where I stand. My King gets everything. In fact, I am learning more and more that I am merely a steward of the King. And I am learning that I must answer only to the King. No matter what.
The last part of my philosophy is service. I am not always good at it, but I seek to serve other people. I want to be in tune with other people and what they need. Most of the time, people just need a kind word. Some of the time, they need a kick in the seat of the pants. I try to see and then do what is appropriate as I serve others.
Now, I know that nobody follows their own philosophy of life perfectly. Nobody is truly in sync with what they believe. But we ought to try and be introspective. We ought to try and figure out what makes us tick. I guess that is where the definition of philosophy comes in. When we love wisdom, we will seek it out. And the wisdom of our own lives is knowing who we are and what drives us. In the end, my statements may not truly be a philosophy of life, but they are the statements that guide me as I live my life.
I am glad that my student asked me about my philosophy of life. It gave me the opportunity to boil down my thoughts into simple statements. Statements that would surely not get me fired. I probably would not have gotten fired even if I had given my initial thoughts that day, but his question made me think, and I am always grateful for conversations that make me think. By the way, I answered my student with my three statement answer the next day.
© 2022 Michael T. Miyoshi
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