Shopping for a philosophy. Please pitch your ideas here.

[wickerman]

Hello. I've realised recently that my normal methods of coping with my life are not always beneficial to me or the other people in it. I'm having what might be euphemistically called a "challenging" time at the moment and the fags/booze/casual sex/running naked in the garden combo is not really working for me as a therapy. Although at leastit is cheering up the neighbours. I'm allergic to large monotheistic religions, as I was brought up in a hardcore Christian environment (no offence to any lovely Christians out there, it's just deeply not for me.) . I am super rational/cynical - which means many new agey or pseudo buddhist things don't work for me - but with a hippyish gaiaish pagan twist - but I need some kind of solace, some kind of practice, some kind of core belief to get me through the day at the moment. Please help, o wise anad lovelly mumsnetters.

I'm leaning towards absurdism with a dose of life extensionism on the side. Absurdism recognises that we are basically just a collection of cells without any overriding purpose, but that we can create and strive to achieve our own meaning within the context of our individual existence. A litle less nihilist than nihilism...

Life extension is not a philosophy as such, but provides some hope against the apparently undeniable fact that we are in decay from the day of our birth.

There's no point pulling up other people's socks if you can't even hold up your own.

It's my favourite saying and it gets me through life. It covers lots of things... like being judgemental, being too nice to people when you cant be nice to yourself, lending money... well everything. Just think about it. I am not self centred, I just think the best way to help others and to help yourself is to set the good example and show off how great your 'socks' /life looks and that its possible to keep them pulled up.

It may sound small compared to philosophical greats and religious texts... but maybe I am small.....

xxx

I'm Pagan and follow the Goddess and it's made a huge difference to my life.

I found the route into spirituality through gardening. DP & I took on a neglected allottment, and as we had started to think about we were living in a wider sense it seemed to all come together.

My practice is earth-centred, and is mostly concerned with Nature.

Try reading some of Starhawk's books, I love Fifth Sacred Thing

ah..cynical...analytical...religion really isn't for you.

ultimately if all you do in a meeting is sit there mentally debunking it, then unless you gain much enjoyment from doing that (and certainly, there is some mileage in it) a randomn trial of various varieties of hokum isn't going to really work for you.

On the other hand, there are some things in life that are not as easily debunked, or even available for debunking....

As intelligent primates, we are programmed to enjoy the outdoors, and being with other intelligent primates. Both of these things are harder to do when you have kids, (and, dragging children around the countryside is much less enjoyable an experience than a good stomp with The Loyal Hound)
Though getting trollied in the right company can take on a mystical aspect, it will never be an every-weekend thing.

I think, just try and find something every week, that you really want to do, outside the normal run of mothering - be it read a book, have a particularly indulgent bath, listen to a decent piece of music (little kids seem to like this too)