As I’ve said before, I’m no philosopher…
For every time I masochistically muster up the courage to venture forth into the realm of philosophy as a studied discipline — time having scarred over and numbed the painful remembrances of the many past futile efforts — I’m buried almost instantly in utter confusion and humiliation.
But since in most regards I’m human, one who looks and stares and ponders regularly with much wonderment and awe, I can’t help but philosophize from time to time…
Usually to no end.
But anyway, my ignorance and inability, philosophically speaking, is not the point of this post… just the handle.
The point for this wandering pondering post is that to me the philosophies (heck, I really have no idea if they are even to be regarded as philosophies in a pure sense (whatever that may be)) of Buddhism (particularly of the Zen flavor), Stoicism, and Nihilism are essentially the same philosophy with different names.
(This is where I get into trouble and why I laid out the disclaimer of my ignorance and inabilities in the beginning of this seemingly pointless post).
I mean, don’t all three at their essence essentially instruct us to let go?
I mean, aren’t they each essentially a similar outlook on the concept of non-attachment?
I mean, don’t the Buddhista have their mu (or as we Japanese say, 無), their not having, their no thing?
And don’t the Stoics have their, well, whatever the Greek word is for their concept of