Four Pillars Modern Philosophy

Over the last decade and half I've lived by a philosophy I came up with. However I can't take the credit for it because this seems to be a universal constant. See image below:

The reason I said I came up with it is that I wanted to come up with a modern take on this ancient wisdom. Simply to employ the right mindset and approach to improving one's life.

I have been writing about the ⚖️Four Pillars Philosophy and Self-Development for literally over a decade since back in my old U.L.C. blogging days. This philosophy is about FOUR major Areas of Life.

The Mind, The Body, The Spirit, and The Emotions

A lot of other philosophies only incorporate 3 pillars, and the emotions often gets merged with mind or spirit depending on the mythos/philosophy. However to me that seems to be misleading, and causes you to fundamentally miss out on proper development of the logic of the brain, or the cultivation of wisdom in the spirit.

Not to mention in the last few decades giving us mountains of research into Emotional Intelligence or EQ, which would be squandered if approached from a 3 pillar viewpoint. Thus 4 Pillars.

Today's post is geared towards showing some of the more ancient or other philosophies that are similar. I.e. World Changing Videos: The Four Yogi’s

While something like Yoga IS different, the fundamentals breaks down to the same four things. Just taking a different approach or angle.

https://www.fitsri.com/articles/4-paths-of-yoga

Karma being a wide concept, and having multiple components. However let's take from this image here. Path of Action, meaning you are doing something with your life, and incorporating what you have LEARNED (Mind), and devoting yourself to Self-Less Service to Others. Meaning understanding the Emotions of others, so that you can put yourself in their shoes.

Jnana, the Path of Knowledge, the route of intellect (Mind), which is a bit obvious towards the Mind Pillar.

Bhakti, the Path of Devotion, and love for all beings. Once again the Emotions Pillar, but also seeing Atman in all. A direct line towards spiritual development (Spirit).

Note: Some belief systems in the world use the word Soul instead of Spirit.

Finally, Raja, the Path of Discipline. Honestly the Mind-Body connection is a common theme in all beliefs. Although in this Yogic practice it is deeply connected, and in all four areas of Yoga you will be using the body in a myriad of ways.

Keep in mind this is coming from my limited understanding of Yoga, and not each Pillar directly compares to the 4 Paths. In fact the paths often blend two Pillars TOGETHER, and that is how they relate.

While not the Same, Aristotle's Principles comes to mind

Ethos and Morality aren't particularly any Pillars. Although your Spirit Pillar and Emotions Pillar will directly inform YOUR own Morality.

Logos is the appeal to Logic and Reasoning, and thus is a direct line to the Mind Pillar. Intelligence and reasonable-ness do not always come in pair.

https://andyeklund.com/aristotles-influence-on-communications/

Pathos, or your empathy, that comes from Emotional Intelligence (EQ). A direct line to the Emotions Pillar.

I would argue that Kairos, the Timeliness, is a line to the Spirit Pillar. As depending on how you approach your Spiritual Development, it will often be linked to whatever belief system you employ.

Whether it is God, Atman, Allah, (or whatever name you go for), or perhaps even just the celestial hum of the universe, the Way/Tao. They all impact your perception of time and being in this world.

The final system I want to look at today is the Holy Trinity

The Holy Trinity is sort of illusive with the descriptor, and I think a lot of Christians misunderstand this mythos. What the Father or Son truly mean as well. The Holy Spirit is an obvious connection to the Spirit Pillar. Your bit of God within you, and keeping that connection strong with God.

Okay.

However the Father is that of the being in the clouds if you will. The one looking after everyone. Has experience, and with his wisdom comes the Mind Pillar. The Son is that of the Body. A physical manifestation, that Christians now worship for his sacrifice.

People always say your body is a temple, and I think that is key here.

Each one of the Trinity relates to the Mind, Body, Spirit, and the Emotions Pillar is the connective tissue between all three of them.

Here is how I view the Four Pillars

Please note there is no particular order. Would it be wise to start with training the mind, then focus on the body? Yes. Would it work the other way around? Absolutely. Discipline comes in many forms, and training of each Pillar is unique.

My point I want to make here is that each person's first Pillar is most likely going to be different, and what "Anchor" pillar they have as well. Oftentimes your first Pillar is your strongest, and thus becomes your Anchor. However it doesn't have to be, and sometimes over time it might change.

Each Pillar represents an area of your life that you should not neglect, and when you do it will bring down the other Pillars in the process. Conversely, when you focus on building one Pillar up, it can help build up the other ones as well.

Mind

Learning, first and foremost, and thus is why I created the 🎓 Self-Education - Modular Degree. A fundamentally flexible learning modality, to keep myself learning across the entirety of my life. Or in this case your life too!

The Key to the Mind Pillar is constant growth and learning in the intellectual realms. Never think you know it all, which for Polymaths can be difficult for some. However you have to keep a beginner's mind!

Body

Movement, exercise, and physical expression. I take a polymathic approach to my physical development. Thus 💪 Polymathic Exercise was born.

Really cross-functional training is the key to understanding the physical demands of life. If you only train one type of discipline you are limiting yourself beyond understanding. You need to diversify your workouts and disciplines.

Spirit

While not one of my strongest Pillars in my opinion. I do love 🌌 Philosophy, and I try to incorporate it into my life.

I aim to take in mythos and philosophies from all over the world. Most religions have a ton of overlapping stories, morals, and even beliefs. Even if the people encompassing said religions don't always get along.

Over my life I've seen myself as more of a global citizen, and thus hopefully more part of the global consciousness. Ideally.

Emotions

Wisdom comes from experience and suffering, which I hate to admit I've experienced a lot of in my life. I don't go into detail much on that front, but it lead me to developing a deep empath for others. It also makes me think a lot on how 👐 Relationships should form or work between people.

Connections with others is important, but also connection with yourself as well.

I intend on adding more to this post over time...

If need be at least! I felt that today the post ended a bit shorter than expected, and if there is a philosophy have forgotten about due to lack of philosophical study. Then I'll return to add more after reimmersing myself.