The Path of the Embodied Philosopher

It may sound rather cliché, but I often say to myself and others: Lead by example. Another idiom for this idea is to 'walk the talk'. Nevertheless, the path of the embodied philosopher is one of discipline. It is rewarding precisely because it is hard. It brings joy because it is done with intention, mindfulness, and an alignment to my internal system of parameters.

 

The joy of the embodied life is exponentially maximized because little or no energy expended on the willful ignorance, or the cognitive dissonance necessitated by the common practice of hypocrisy. 

 

Mind, Body, and Consciousness

 

Many philosophies create a rigid barrier between the mind and the body, often elevating the mind to the status of regent and reducing the body to a mere pauper. I believe that the seat of our consciousness is not in the mind at all. Rather, our consciousness projects itself into the perception of a body in this particular dimensional reality. What we see as our bodies are, in a sense, holographic projections from another dimension.

To me, this means that past lives are readily available for us to realize. I feel a deep familiarity when I practice older, traditional methods of doing things.

As an example, I work almost exclusively with hand tools on my various woodworking projects. I've taken to these instruments with an intuitiveness that I can only ascribe to having had previous experience.

Another example is food. As part of my experimental archaeology and embodied philosophy, I set out to modify my diet to best reflect what would have been available to a pre-industrial European era sailor. In this continuing experiment, I found that the food not only satiated me but was deeply familiar and filled me with joy and strong emotion, as if waking from a dream.

 

Living Your Environmental Truth

 

All this is to say that turning to a simple, more natural, seasonal life and rejecting this plastic petroleum mirage requires discipline and dedication, but it is worth it.

As an environmentalist, how can I have a philosophy of environmentalism if my life is filled with the products and practices that are damaging the environment? The answer is simple: I cannot. You cannot truly advocate for the environment while showing up in clothes made of nylon, polyester, and plastic.

Live your truth without hesitation.


Conclusion

Intention. The embodied life, the life of integrity, is not an abstract ideal; it is a daily practice. It begins every day with the tools you choose to work with, the food you put on your plate, the clothes you wear on your skin, and the media and inputs you seek out.

Sociology may argue that these choices are made for us, but that is only true for the sleeping soul. This is precisely where intention comes into effect as the foundation of your philosophical commitment.

So, I challenge you: What is one plastic product you can replace with a natural alternative this week? Start small, perhaps by swapping your toothbrush for a bamboo one, or your hairbrush for a wooden comb. Live deliberately, and truly walk the talk into the life you want to inhabit.