5 Lessons from Eastern Philosophy
It is far too easy to lose hope, in this seemingly hopeless world. The climate is deteriorating, and half of humanity is beneath the World Bank poverty line.
War sprouts like dandelions of destruction.
Israel-Palestine.
India-Pakistan.
Sudan.
…
Where do we find hope?
In Eastern philosophy. Let me explain.
‘Life is Suffering’ – a noble truth
What a positive start… But do not take this phrase at face value.
This Buddhist idea says we must accept that life does come with suffering. Only by doing so can we hope to find peace.
When you acknowledge your suffering, you recognise others suffer, too.
Half of humanity is beneath the World Bank poverty line, and the Global North keep extracting wealth from the Global North, as Oxfam revealed January 2025.
They are suffering for the comfort of the north. We now acknowledge our suffering, so it is time we acknowledge theirs.
‘Metta’ – a hymn of love
A deceptively simple phrase with infinite value. To embrace metta is to be loving, kind, and non-violent towards everyone and everything.
If the Israeli government recognised the value of universal love, perhaps they would not aspire to have Gaza “entirely destroyed,” as finance minister Bezalel Smotrich declared Tuesday May 6.
Metta is not THE solution, but it might just be one seed, that if planted, will sprout into roses without thorns. Without death.
‘Wuwei’ – follow the rhythm; be the rhythm
Laozi, the father of Daoism, taught us one thing: let go.
He does not say “give up and lose hope,” but to embrace the natural, the gentle, and the simple life, and above all else:
LIVE!
And yet, fewer and fewer have the privilege of living. The conflicts pile up, and a third world war might be near.
Listen to Laozi! Appreciate life, and work to protect it.
‘Ren’ – the purpose of knowledge
Why do we learn? The Chinese philosopher Confucius (551-479 BCE) said knowledge is about understanding how to best spread your generosity towards the common good.
So Education is about helping the world . . . but we are killing it.
Literally.
A recent global study demonstrated that humans have directly caused biodiversity loss in every ecosystem.
We have the knowledge to solve it. Now, we must listen to Confucius, and use it!
The ‘Shōbōgenzō’ – we are the universe
It sounds silly, but the Japanese Zen Buddhist Dōgen (1200-1253) had a point.
Remove the distinction between you and the universe, and see how everything is connected.
When we harm the world, the world harms us.
If we continue heating the planet, if we reach a 4-degree temperature rise, the average person will be 40% poorer, as this study showed.
We are not literally the universe, but we are apart of it. If we do not acknowledge it, we will never save it.
Let us do that.
