Redesigning Philosophy to Master Life.

[Sajid Ali Khan]

Shifting the focus of philosophy from understanding the very nature of life to mastering life.
Would you rather be an expert of what it takes to be a millionaire or would you prefer being a millionaire? After all the goal of philosophy is to master your life; philosophy itself is the means to a super life. Philosophy is a means to make the journey a wise one, to make life super mature. Philosophy is not the destination. A superior super mature life is the destination. Life is a journey where philosophy makes it a wise journey. Philosophy is a means to a destination. We focus on questions that make philosophy itself the goal of life. A super mature life must become the focus and goal of life. The focus of philosophy must shift to dispelling the misery from our own lives and from the life of the world; from philosophy for its own sake to philosophy for the sake of a superior man.
Philosophy
"For as long as space endures,
And for as long as living beings remain;
Until then may I, too, abide
To dispel the misery of the world" - Shantideva

Utility and reality are two different standards. - Brian Greene
Philosophy is the search for the truth concerning life; those questions of life that are still a mystery. Philosophy is the science of answering the unanswered mega questions of life. The most important question is the truth of things; the very nature of things; the very essence of the reality behind life and every thing in it. The most important question of philosophy is - what is the very nature of my own self? Who am I? The very nature of 'being' of persons and things. Philosophy seeks answers to the very fundamental reality of any phenomena including humans. Philosophy tries to help in making sure that we know exactly what the fundamentals are that compose each and every aspect of life.

My own work is devoted to finding what the destination of each life should be; as well as how to get there. The reality/truth of any aspect of life can be uncovered only by means of the brain. The quality of the brain determines the quality of how close to the truth the person perceives life and everything in it. The fundamental level of "me/I" for each brain level is different. For a premature brain the omnipotent self image distorts the meaning of "me" and as a result the life of a -2 premature brain is also -2. Only the +2 super mature brain is able to perceive "me" as "me". Thus my work, my philosophy, is devoted to making available on a mass scale brain education that ensures a brain that perceives the self just as it "is".

What is the most important quotation of all times?

Philosophy is the quest to understanding life and everything in it. The fundamental pillar of understanding life is understanding one's own self. The key to understanding one's own self is to know what one needs to do to be able to truly know one's self. The biggest insight of all times comes from Gd Himself when He says to Moses, 'I am who I am'. He is not His self image. There is nothing phony about Him. He is His full potential. Not only does He know who He is; He is His full actualized Self. It is very clear from this that man needs to find ways through science and philosophy to be able to say about one's own self, 'I am who I am". Thus the quest of philosophy must be to enable every individual, group and country to know, understand and become their true self.

Just imagine the chaos if like most of us; Gd was His self image!

Do we know reality the way it is or is our knowledge restricted/altered due to the infrastructure of our brains?

This is a very fundamental question of philosophy regarding the very nature of reality. For instance how we see objects depends on the properties of our eyes and the properties of our physical brain; as well as the reality behind the objects. One thing is clear that we define the object by its distinctive properties but does it really exist in the form we see it; or do we see it the way we see it because of the way our brain interprets it for us. This is a very intriguing question that makes us understand the relationship between reality and our perception capacity.

To me it shows the limitations of knowing the truth about the very nature of reality. Understanding the context of this very important question/answer is a humbling experience. It shows how hard it is for philosophy to answer all the mega questions of life. At a more subtle level it shows that all interpretations for man are different shades of grey; each object of reality may be exactly black or white but we will always perhaps see it as grey...
All human behavior stems from the brain and the quality of the behavior depends upon the quality of the brain. Where the person draws the line of selfishness/selflessness depends on the brain level. For a premature brain it is all me, me and me. It is me and everyone else. For an immature mind it is mostly me and my family; and everyone else. For a mature brain me and my family comes first and then everyone else is almost just as equal. For a super mature brain there is no line of selfishness. The whole world is one family where everyone else is # 1 irrespective of class or creed.

I have quantified the mind/brain development into four basic stages as follows:

1) Premature mind of a new born child quantified with a value of negative 2.
2) Immature mind of a teenager quantified with a value of negative 1.
3) Mature mind of an adult quantified with a value of positive 1.
4) Super mature mind of a master quantified with a value of positive 2.

Those who develop their minds to the +2 super mature level are able to know, understand and become their true self just the way the self "is". Thus the priority of philosophy must be to make every brain physically and emotionally super mature. First have a +2 brain and then try to answer the eternal questions of life. First become a self master and then find out the very nature of the self. First make the pudding of your life as superior as possible before you try to find out what is the true nature of the pudding of your life.

My rough guess is that about 4 - 5 % of entire societies are -2. In third world countries the % is probably 60% -1, 20% +1 and 15% +2. In countries like America 50% is +1, 30% -1 and 15% +2. This is all due to lack of proper emotional intelligence education. Most people can be educated into becoming +2.

My guess is that there are quite a few people who perceive their self just the way it "is". However even in +2 there are levels. For instance Jesus is the Field Marshal of +2. Gandhi is a 5 star general. President Obama is a 3 star general!


Super maturity creates the brain power to actualize the real self. It enables each person to become what he really is - a selfless and humble part of the whole cosmos. It truly defines who one is. It is the quality of the brain that determines the quality of the Self.

The highest level of emotional maturity is well recognized since the ancient times - it is called wisdom. What they could not figure out is what wisdom is exactly. Wisdom is the natural potential in every human being. It flowers when the emotional brain becomes super mature. When the full potential of the brain is actualized then the brain projects wisdom automatically.
Since the ancients discovered wisdom they have been trying to define the very nature of wisdom in scientific terms. Thus when researching wisdom; the conventional mega question is ‘What is wisdom? The mega question for me is: are we interested ultimately in defining wisdom or in developing superior minds that sprout wisdom? Would you rather know what wisdom is or would you rather have wisdom? Just as would you rather know what it means to be a millionaire or would you prefer owning millions?
Wisdom it is clear is almost as complex as the human mind. It is also clear that a person becomes wise when the very physical nature of the human brain develops into a very superior quality, super mature brain. In other words if one develops a super mature brain, the super mature brain projects a +2 mind which generates wisdom.
Compare the researching of the mind with researching water. The researchers seeking to know water took a different route. They did not ask why water is water or what is water. They researched the qualities of water and how these qualities could be harnessed. Today from the water wheel we have gone to harnessing the energy of the hydrogen atom. Imagine if the scientists were only researching why water is water where would the water industry be today. Even if we do know why water is water we will still only be able to harness its properties. Harnessing the properties is what counts in terms of actual benefits. Shouldn't we take the water route to researching wisdom? - (From my knol ‘wisdom’).


Philosophy is the quest for uncovering the fundamental nature of the truth behind reality/life; It is about expressing the true nature of mans existence/life and everything else in it. It is about helping to connect the dots and arrive at the truth.

It is about explaining reality just as it's is. The other synonym of reality is truth. Is connects the subject to its true meaning or state.

What are the most important questions in philosophy?

Philosophy tries to answer all those questions about the fundamental nature of life and every thing in it; that cannot be answered by science. The basic question of philosophy is "what is the nature of reality behind every phenomena of life. The most important being 'What is the self?' 'Is it eternal?' 'Is it the same in everyone?' 'Is it part of Gd?' I believe philosophy wastes too much time trying to answer the eternal questions of life. Perhaps trying to prove anything connected with Gd is beyond the scope of our human mind and we may never be able to answer this question within the paradigm of science. Perhaps we should ask the question 'What is the self in human terms, in the terms of reality. What is the truth about the self that can be explained in scientific terms'.

One property/reality of the self is very clear. The self in each individual develops to a different quality. Only those who get a very healthy upbringing get to develop their self to the super mature level. Why can't we ensure that each and every self gets the chance to develop to the super mature level? The first step would be to focus on defining the self not in eternal terms but in terms of quality. We can ask 'What is the best quality self and how can this self be actualized?'

So instead of seeking the ultimate answers we must seek the best possible answers that give us real scientific results that can be quantified and measured and thus placed firmly in the domain of science. This way we can take a short cut to making the goal of philosophy practical: by answering all the unanswerable questions not in eternal terms but in benefit terms and thus placing them in the domain of science.

What is the sole purpose of philosophy?

Dinitia Smith while reviewing Simon Critchely's book, 'The Book of Dead Philosophers' says in The NY Times, "Philosophy, he says has abandoned its original purpose, which is to give us wisdom and help us achieve happiness," and again, "Philosophy has tried to mimic science in its constant striving toward the perfection of ideas and its quest for absolute truth. Gradually philosophy has been abstracted from the concerns of everyday life..."
The problem with main stream philosophers is that they have abandoned the quest to define wisdom. They has tried and tried throughout history to define wisdom in absolute truth terms. Because they couldn't pin down a precise scientific definition of wisdom they have more or less abandoned the quest to use wisdom to help us achieve happiness. At least the ancient philosophers did not give up the quest for they saw that wisdom is real and that it does make a real difference in the lives of those who have it. When they could not define wisdom they started to define its attributes. So they taught how to cultivate the attributes of wisdom. Even teaching the attributes of wisdom seemed an impossible task. So wisdom and its attributes gradually became the quest of spiritual institutions, abandoned by main stream science.
The reason why wisdom is hard to acquire is because wisdom is an innate quality of every human mind/brain. It is like a seed that needs certain conditions to gradually bloom into a fruit bearing tree. The seed of wisdom has to be emotionally nurtured into blooming into reality. Its attributes are the fruit of the 'wisdom tree'. Try growing fruit without growing the tree. Thus even the attributes become more or less impossible to cultivate. It’s like trying to move the horse by whipping the cart.
Thus it is most frustrating and confusing trying to teach the attributes of wisdom. No wonder main stream education has long ago stopped even trying to research wisdom. Religion took up the explaining and cultivation of wisdom. Even they could not define wisdom so they started to teach its attributes. But their teachings are mere preaching. That is like they just plead with the congregation to be good because that is what Gd wants. It is like pleading with a dirty, stained bed spread to clean itself! It is like pleading with a person who cannot even afford a bus fare to go to work in a Bentley. You can plead all you want but the poor person has no way to get himself a Bentley.
The brain is the fertile ground where the wisdom seed has to be nurtured into becoming a 'wisdom tree' that sprouts the fruit/attributes of wisdom. Once the wisdom tree is actualized the abundant fruit sprout out automatically. The wisdom seed for all practical purposes is the very physical quality of the brain. The brain is the wisdom tree and its attributes are the fruits. What kind of fruit the brain tree will produce will depend on the quality of the brain. Thus in order to cultivate the attributes of wisdom the brain will have to be cultivated and nurtured. Thus wisdom education has to be brain education. By cultivating not the attributes of wisdom but by emotionally educating the brain to physically turn into an emotionally super mature brain.
The brain passes through four stages (which I have quantified to emphasize quality) of development as follows:
1) Premature brain at birth. -2.
2) Immature brain of a teenager. -1.
3) Mature brain of an adult. +1.
4) Super mature brain of a wise person. +2.
For the brain to develop from -2 to +2 the brain must feel secure in abandoning its own previous attributes/'values'/fruits to take up the next stage of attributes. It’s like a person who has a good life and then gets a promotion he will forget his previous life and will start to enjoy his new life. However if the persons life turns into a demotion then he will start to be nostalgic about the past and will continue to live in the past and still feel the attributes of the past as his real self. The same happens with the brain. As long as the newer stage of development is happier the brain very gradually abandons the current attributes and starts to actualize the attributes of the new brain level.
For most Americans the brain level stops at the +1 mature level. The parents are careful during pregnancy and are mostly loving and caring during childhood so the brain development goes smoothly from -2 to -1 to +1. However most American brains get stuck at +1 because the parents cultivate a trophy self image in the brain/mind of the child. The child ends up with the fruit/attributes of a +1 mature brain. So for America wisdom education boils down to removing the trophy self image.
Currently when we try to remove negative attributes from the brain we try to remove for instance jealousy. Its is like removing a fruit from the tree of ignorance. You keep trying to remove a fruit and the tree keeps producing more fruit. The whole ignorance tree has to be removed.
Just like the attributes of wisdom are automatically produced at the +2 super mature brain/mind the attributes produced at the lower levels are those of ignorance. The brain sprouts wisdom at +2 because the brain quality is super mature. It sprouts the attributes of ignorance when the brain quality is less than +2.
I have a step by step plan how to remove ignorance from the brain to make it wise and genuinely happy.

What is emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is a force of nature that determines the process of self realization. It is an ability in/of the brain that develops through basically four stages of life. From the fetus to the child stage; to adult stage and in some to the master stage. At the master stage emotional intelligence becomes wisdom. It is an ability that develops through emotional education; it is the most important part of every one's education. The fundamental lessons are learned by the nurturing womb environment during the fetus stage of life and then during childhood the education is through hugs and kisses and the loving upbringing or through neglect and pain. The next stage is through a mixture of actual building up of a self image based on the concept of, 'You are the best' or in many cases by making the child become the best through real learning of the ropes of life in particular areas. By the time the child is 6 years old his emotional intelligence route is well set.
Emotional intelligence is the very nature of the brain; it determines the very essence of the brain. Emotional intelligence is a feature/component that determines the quality of the very nature of the brain; which determines the quality of the self - the quality of the 'I' in me and ’you’. It is the ability which when developed crowns the person with an authentic self. It enables the person to become one's real self.
Each stage the emotional intelligence education changes the brain physically. Where the most significant change takes place during the fetus and child stages. Most brain's physical pattern is set by the time the child is 6 years old.
It is the level of emotional intelligence that determines what the person becomes. It is the light that illuminates the path of life. It is that generator fuel, where the brain is the generator that generates the amount of real life power. It is the fundamental force that enables one to become what he becomes. It is what determines how real the person will be and how real life and its pleasures will be. It dictates the self's quality. It is the quality of sugar that sweetens the pudding of life.
It is the fundamental power that drives the process of most perception/consciousness including the most crucial self perception. It impacts everything else in life. It is what gives color to life and life's meanings and purpose. It is the single most important ingredient that shapes man's humanness; that shapes the real 'I' in every human being. It is what determines the answer to the most important question of our life, 'Who am I?'
It is the force that decides the single most important opinion of opinions of one's life - the opinion one has of one's own self. It is the stuff that determines the physical and emotional quality of one's brain. In its lowest form it is ignorance and in its highest form it is wisdom. Emotional intelligence not only determines the quality of the brain it also determines the quality of the real self, the 'I' of every person. It also determines the wisdom quality of the group and country. It has a direct bearing on the persons place in life. It determines the health, happiness and prosperity of the individual, group and country.
If we are looking to eliminate issues like poverty then regular education is not the main solution. It has to be coupled with emotional intelligence education.
Especially in terms of trying for peace one must realize that peace is a component of wisdom which is the highest form of emotional intelligence. Only by applying the attributes of wisdom can one achieve peace.
To not just understand but actually live such statements as, 'the enchanting ecstasy of being' and 'living in the now' one will have to develop ones emotional intelligence to the super mature brain level.

What stunts emotional intelligence?

It is the emotional baggage in the brain that creates its own negative emotional forces that create their own physical changes in the brain. Thus to make the brain wise one has to take out the emotional baggage from the brain. Making the brain emotionally squeaky clean is emotional intelligence education which is the key that unlocks the full and real potential of the humanness in each person. It enables one to live life at its peak 24-7. There are no highs or lows. There is a feeling of immense power with complete humbleness. It is the source of our fundamental talent - the talent to become one's real self.

What is love?

"Love is the power of the brain. It is the function of the developed emotional brain power. It determines the quality of life. Love is the most beautiful force of human nature. Love is the most destructive force of human nature. Love is not innate. Love is totally learned. Love determines ones level of happiness. Culture affects love. Tradition affects love. Education affects love. Economics affects love. Above all upbringing affects love. Love at -2 destroys individuals, groups and countries. Love at -1 keeps individuals, groups and countries struggling for survival. Love at +1 brings much prosperity for all while keeping everyone on their toes for more and more. +1 love causes restlessness and depression. It makes people over ambitious. It boosts defense budgets. Seminars and night classes must be held to develop love from +1 to +2 which is not that difficult". - from my knol 'Love'.

What is time?

As time is a component of consciousness we can understand the true nature of time just as well as we can understand the true nature of consciousness. Though it will be great to know the true nature of time. We do know that time is a limited quantity and as humans we can use time wisely, maturely, immaturely and prematurely based on the four levels of our minds. It is essential that we know and make use of what time really stands for. It stands for an exceptional opportunity to learn to master our life and become the masters of our destiny and a master of our time. To master time is to use it wisely.

How does one use time wisely? By using time to educate one's brain to the highest +2 super mature level. The absolutely best use of time is to focus(which means not dwelling on the past and not fantasizing about the future) on developing one's mind to the level where the self image and one's own true self become practically the same entity. Once you know, understand and are your true self then you will have mastered time, mastered your own life and you will unconsciously and effortlessly spend time wisely. - From my knol 'Time'

Is there such a thing as eternal time?

"One thing I figured out is that eternal time has not only to do with time standing still or ever lasting or eternal. Eternal time has also to do with quality time. Bringing quality of life to your own time 24/7 is enjoying eternal time in the moment. And real eternal time is creating quality time for others. Giving an opportunity to others to enhance their own quality time even when you are dead and your creative benefits to one and all continue for ever and as long as eternity lasts; then the time you spend in creating this idea or invention or institution you are spending in eternal time. Eternal time has three main attributes. It is forever. It is in the now. And it is packed with and produces power and everlasting value". - From my knol 'What is eternal time'?

What is wisdom?

"Man since ancient times did figure out that wisdom is the key to man’s emancipation and a good virtuous life. However man tried to define and figure out wisdom and as we did not succeed we decided to list all the attributes of wisdom. So the quest became, ‘How to teach the attributes of wisdom’. Now the very nature of wisdom is such that wisdom can be described as a tree where its attributes are the fruit of the wisdom tree. No wonder it is so very difficult and almost impossible to cultivate the attributes of wisdom like selflessness and humbleness; because it is the same as trying to grow my favorite fruit the mango with out growing the mango tree. No wonder main stream education gave up trying to teach wisdom". - From my knol 'Wisdom is a Tree'.

"I have defined wisdom that we are all trying to define and understand, not by its inherent nature but by its inherent qualities (focusing on how wisdom is produced rather than on what it is). I have defined wisdom as that highest quality of the human nature that is generated by the highest (+2) emotionally intelligent mind. It is clear that to develop wisdom one must develop ones emotional intelligence to the +2 super mature mind level.
As there are four levels of the mind from premature (-2), immature (-1), mature (+ 1) to super mature (+2), the aim is to identify and teach only +2 values from at least birth onwards. For those who already have -2, -1, and +2 values ingrained in their minds we must use all the means available and develop new means to deprogram the mind of these lower mind level values". - From my knol 'Wisdom'

Is there a code of life?

"Life is a force of the universe. She demands total attention. Imagine life as a living person. She invites you to her party. She is standing right in front of you. She is talking to you.* Instead of paying attention to her you live in the past worrying about your lost chances or missing your good old days. Or you plan and worry about the next contract that will give you more money. Or you worry about not having enough gold. She is standing right there cavorting your attention and you are lost in the past and/or the future. Life has thrown this party just for you. She has arranged these beautiful mountains and streams and forests and instead of respecting her property you actually come to her party and cause destruction and pollution.* She keeps waiting and waiting for your attention. Life is time and she keeps slipping away". - From my knol 'How to know, understand and master the code of life'.

What is the ultimate essential secret that is hidden from most individuals?

"Before we even attempt to know the secrets of life we must know our ultimate secret - our own true self. Even the book Secrets cannot be that affective unless we uncover our true self, understand our true self and become our true self. Because this book tells - you - to visualize. And if your self is cloaked in your self image then it is your self image that does the visualizing which has its own agenda, its own brain capacity'. - From my knol 'The biggest secret of life'.

What is the aim of this knol?

Instead of trying to find answers to the eternal mysteries of life I want to shift the focus from what is the fundamental nature of life and every thing in it; to how to make life of the highest quality for all mankind. For instance what is more important - to know why water is water or how to get the maximum benefits out of the properties of water. Every answer that helps in making life richer is more important to me and has more practical applications then knowing the fundamental reality of life. All that knowledge that improves life itself needs to be uncovered from the domain of philosophy and put firmly in the domain of science. All of this can be achieved by shifting at least some of the focus of research to: How to make life +2 super mature for everyone! The most interesting reality is that the qualities of a self master, a wise human being and a super mature emotionally intelligent being are exactly the same. All three are wise, selfless and have all the attributes of wisdom! Becoming a self master through say yoga and mindfulness is a very long process, cleaning the brain of emotional brain garbage is a much faster process. But at the end both end up selfless - the highest quality of the self. I want to wake up mankind to the fact that making every one a self master is no more a mystery of philosophy; it is a domain of science!
The knowledge to take philosophy and identify those parts that science can take over is now in place; all we need is this awareness that we are standing on the edge of a new era where many of the goals of philosophy can now be accomplished. First we have to redefine the goals of philosophy: to make man into a superior being.

"Every answer that helps in making life richer is more important to me and has more practical applications then knowing the fundamental reality of life ." When Kalle say that some of my stuff is good and some garbage he raises a very interesting point. I will say that those questions on which one can use 'laboratory methods' ie. can weigh and measure the idea within the paradigm of science I categorize in the domain of science. Those that cannot be scientifically measured are in the domain of philosophy. It is now well recognized that there are some fundamental questions about the very nature of life that cannot be answered by the laboratory method; hence I think it is a waste of time, mind and resources to answer these questions for the sake of trying to figure out these answers for their own sake. We must devote our limited resources to researching questions that can be answered by the laboratory method with the specific objective in mind to improve the quality of life from the so called normal to super normal.

However the way I interpret the Holy Scriptures I have found a way to apply the laboratory method to statements and insights in order to bring these insights from the domain of faith to the domain of science. Take the example of when Gd said to Moses, 'I am who I am'. This is such a powerfully profound statement that we can scientifically prove that it is the key to everything. As I said earlier:
."I am who I am". - Gd
{ The biggest key to self knowledge and self actualization. The biggest lesson of them all. The key to the road to self mastery. It answers the mega questions of philosophy. It defines the goal of emotional intelligence education. It opens the door to heaven on earth.} We must learn from the eternal master of them all - Gd.
Thus not only have I found a way to scientifically prove such statements from the Bible I can also quantify and measure them ie. the above insight from Gd is more than +2!

We need to have social control and keep curbs on individual freedom because the majority cannot handle total freedom. The bottom line for most humans is that their behavior/attitude is powered by their self image. And even most leaders are over ambitious driven by their trophy self image. The self image puts people in their own emotional holes that prevents them from selfless and altruistic behavior. Just imagine a +2 mind behaving in a -2 manner. Or a -2 mind acting selfless. Yes there are gangsters who set up charitable institutions but that is mostly to satisfy their own ego. Or because by the end of their lives they become obsessed with their after life punishments. Emotional intelligence covers every aspect of life and yet its highest stage - wisdom, is still largely ignored. I can quote hundreds of insights from the holy scriptures where the theme is the same - become your full potential. Just imagine where the American economy and for that matter every aspect of life in America be if the majority had a +2 emotional mind.

Having grasped the concept of wisdom after digesting the insights of the first prophet - the first sage of wisdom - Zoroaster to our current sages Prof. Pinker and Prof. Critchely I can state clearly what is wisdom and how it can be taught on a mass scale and not only to individuals but even to groups and countries. Just imagine two wise self masters negotiating peace between two warring countries. Please read my knol 'Peace'.

The highest destiny of every mind is self mastery; which is powered by wisdom. It is our own traditional and cultural and ethnic/religious/group values that put us in our individual and collective holes. It is clear to me that I alone cannot make much of an impact. The significance of my work to be fully appreciated, let alone considered for implementation, I need more main stream heavy weights who can support and take my insights further.