Philosophy

Philosophy can be loosely defined as a system of values by which one lives. In the dictionary this definition actually comes last in a list of other definitions, but it seems to be the one most people use when they say things like "My philosophy of life is..." or "The [insert religion here] philosophy is....".
The problem with this lies within the attitude of most that an entire "philosophy" must be accepted in whole, or not at all. For example to accept the philosophy of "Great Book X" means you must also accept something you may find disagreeable on page 359, in the 18th paragraph of the 16th chapter.
Personally, I find this to be nonsense. Never have I encountered a complete document espousing a potential philosophy that, in its whole, did not contain at least something I found disagreeable or simply useless, if not outright offensive. But, very rarely have I encountered a complete document espousing a potential philosophy from which I could not take things that strengthened me in some fashion.
As I get older this collection of “values”(although I find it is more than values alone) becomes my “philosophy”. It is the guidebook not only by which I live and act, but the guidebook by which I teach and learn, and the guidebook by which I believe in the things I believe in. Very often I find the same “values”, or a take on them with more depth and clarity, across multiple disciplines and philosophies.
Those who’ve read back in my blog a little will recall posts I have made quoting from a variety of philosophies, from Eastern to Western, Taoist to Christian. All of these parts are parcel to my belief, my way, my tao. I beg, borrow and steal from all sources to bring myself closer to the source – and I feel great strength for that. This accumulation of philosophy is without compromise – because there is no way to be true to a belief/philosophy/way if you have to compromise yourself to do it.
An old Native American story, from the Sioux I believe, tells that when the world was created, and the creator was seeking to hide complete knowledge from man, all the counsels of the creator, the other animals, offered suggestions such as the moon, or the ocean bottom, and all were met with the answer “No, for they will someday go there”. And so it was hidden within our hearts. This is the origin of our greatest journey, that within ourselves: where the truth of ourselves is the truth of the universe and the Creator. This is also why our heart is our compass. If we compromise to fit the ideals of a philosophy, if we bend that compass needle by force, we are compromising ourselves, and our truth. I know far too many people who do that. Far too many who claim a philosophy, a faith, a religion, but are not true to it or to themselves. I can honestly, and proudly, say I am not one of them. I am an amalgamation – the magnetism of my compass pointing to the purest steel – and I am true, and strong.