The Philosophy of Philosophy

image borrowed from gravity station.net

The Philosophy of Philosophy

“In other words, apart from the known & the unknown,

what else is there?”--Harold Pinter.

With good study skills,

we approach philosophy

like a bitch in rut.

Was Jesus a philosopher?

                     Perhaps--certainly he shared what

                                                   he believed, making an indelible

          imprint on history; or was he just

          a messianic messenger parroting

          the stern loving views of Jehovah--

an innocent lamb marked for sacrifice?

There was a time

when only Philosopher Kings governed,

because in their exalted view,

the people were either too ignorant

or completely incapable of fathoming

the holy realm of Politics.

Philosophy is strictly defined as the study of knowledge regarding

logic, metaphysics, ethics, & aesthetics--but in casual speak it can

expand its definition to include any basic belief, concept, or attitude

of any individual or group. So I find myself stumbling about in various

belief systems which dredge up all religions, racism, patriotism, sexism

& politics, exhausting my efforts to draw the lines, shore up the sound

bites, embrace a religion, or trust our elected representatives.

I must say that for me

       it is through poetry that I most easily

                          promulgate, investigate & share my

                          personal beliefs & my 

                          philosophies; a forum where it is less likely

                                     that I will catch a bullet in my teeth, or be

                          incarcerated for my views. 

                                                                    If you spend a year reading

                   someone’s poetry, you may assume that you actually

            know them, that you could accurately predict

what motivates & moves them.                    If you feel that way, you would

                                        be wrong, of course, because most poets

                                        are chameleons--except for those who are not.

And there’s the rub. It is difficult enough

to really understand your spouse.

                                your peer group,

                                your children,

                                your world, & even

                                your self.

Inhabiting the moment, cataloging the tragedies of the day through the bias

of the media, as decades click by like a playing card lashed to a spinning

bicycle wheel, I sincerely lament the lack of luster, & the reduction of choices

within a beautiful mind--that once was open all night, where everyone was

welcome, that now is changing, hardening into a dingy diner in a bad part

of town that keeps odd inconsistent hours, that only offers a menu written

in the last century, where the crusty cranky proprietor naps too often, & is

paranoid about health inspectors, protestors, charlatans, demagogues, and

greedy tax collectors.

I believe that I

have only discovered a

parcel of the truth.

                          

Glenn Buttkus

Posted over on dVerse Poets Pub

Would you like to hear me read this poem to you?