I tried looking for the perfect guru or philosopher for years.
I found a lot of great wisdom and views that have influence me. However, there was always one thing or another with each one that I couldn't agree with.
No one else is YOU. I vote for the one invented by the self.
Not so much a philosophy as a set of skills for more effectively coping with human existence can be found in a book written by Don Miguel Rodriquez which he titled 'The Four Agreements'.
I was introduced to TFA soon after I first found this board.
I could write my own book on the ways that simple book has helped me to smooth out the daily bumps and ruts in my life's road.
Paying Attention Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > is the best philosophy (dogma, doctrine, ideology, > etc.) the one invented by the self?
Best philosophy invented by the self?
Honesty is the best policy. Especially with yourself.
There are lots of good ideas in lots of "philosophies." And some really bad ideas, too.
IMHO, if you simply "follow" what somebody else thought up (religion, philosophy, ethics, whatever), then you're missing the point entirely, and you'll never ever be a "moral" person.
Whatever "good" things are in various philosophies are there because somebody reasoned through what makes them "good." If you don't do the same with those ideas, then you're missing the part that's most important in my opinion -- reasoning things through. And understanding WHY they're "good" (or bad!).
Blindly following any philosophy, religion, dogma, etc. is turning over your reasoning to people who aren't you -- and who very often have motives for getting you to follow them that you might not like. Take responsibility for your own thinking and reasoning -- don't let somebody else do it for you.
A couple of the best one's that worked for me are: "Always question authority". "To Thine Own Self Be True".
From my own experience I would include: There are no prophets of God. Avoid making heroes of humans. If anyone tells you he has the answers to life's greatest questions, run for the hills. He is lying.
Oh, yeah. If you have doubts, think about them carefully! Advice to doubt your doubts is advice only a huckster would give you.
Always fun to see what makes people tick...a great question is why the basic instinct is there to need one...seems mankind are such a bunch of lowlife dinks to each other that the only way to keep the asylum sane is to have little catch phrases to rehearse to ourselves every day...over and over and over...out of the primordial ooze a few seem to rise that work for the vast majority..but don't look too closely...they end up being dinks with an agenda that we'd rather not talk about...like mighty Mo marrying a toddler...and mighty joe marrying several...seems a common thread here...number one rule..ignore assholes that can't leave children alone...NEXT!...and when the gods left they gave man religion so they would fight and bicker forever...paraphrase from the Sumerian records...haha
I’m not a stoic but Stoic philosophy has some tremendously beneficial aspects. The writings of Marcus Aurelius and Seneca have been very helpful to me for many reasons including healing from Mormonism.
The Golden Rule and the Ten Commandments work for me, because I was raised on The Bible. These rules also bring about happiness, as well.
Obey the laws of the land.
I would go with the philosophy invented by the self--but only if you are mature and have developed a conscience.
My father was a brilliant professor, and after I grew up, he gave me only one piece of advice:
"Gather as many facts as possible, then do what you honestly think is right."
This goes along with my favorite quote of all time:
"To listen to the heart is the truest wisdom."--Leo Tolstoy
What you are doing now, Dear Paying Attention, is gathering facts. That's how I found out Mormonism is a hoax. I don't belong to any church. (Christ didn't belong to any church, either.) I believe in living in the moment, which, I suppose is a Far Eastern concept. I believe that there as many "Gods" as there are minds to conceive of God.
You are already forming your philosophy of life, in this moment. I also believe that an individual's philosophy is always changing, according to his/her experience and knowledge.