Enspirus by Socrates

ENSPIRUS

Hello. It's me... Socrates, here; having been born again into yet another physical incarnation, with only fragmented memories of the lessons I've learned along the way.  

Elenchus or elengkhos

 "argument of disproof or refutation; 

cross-examining, testing, scrutiny especially for purposes of refutation"

...

Today, I find myself questioning my prior method...

In this lifetime, I am reexamining the ignorance of that method. 

I am now exploring The Purpose of it. 

Dare I explain?

Had I chosen, oh, let's call it: Enspirus (from what was later, in Latin called, īnspīrō or what we called  pneō  meaning "breathe") I might have paused and taken a deep breath, giving me more time to observe human reactions before questioning them; here, I might have had time to consider how inspiration vs refutation affects human behavior and reactions. 

Had I done that simple thing, I would have questioned my motives prior to questioning anyone else's answer (or reaction) upon which my mind could examine.

Had I been searching for peace instead of wisdom, for example, I should have wanted to inspire it. Had I wanted peace, I would have purposely asked questions in a way that pulled it forth. My "method" of questioning was not wise, it was clever - a common misunderstanding. 

When we question others, we put them on defense. When we tell a joke, we remove the subject (so that it's not personal) and we bring into view the behavior; failing to elicit understanding through humor (or some other positive device) purloins another's opportunity to rise more easily to any required occasion. 

Failure to elicit these responses in others is a failure of our own. Generally, this failure leads us to contribute (energie, intent, or behavior) to that which we claim we seek not to propagate. 

This is why we get confused...We think seek harmony, yet fail to inspire it. We think seek wisdom, yet fail to act wise. We think we want to be happy, yet we focus on that which makes us sad (expecting different results, i.e., to feel happy?). We think we don't like pain, yet we focus on it. 

I still question everything. Even this post. Yet, I have found a higher purpose when doing so...let's call it a form of Cheerful Service. I am cheerfully serving myself and others. One could think of Cheerful Service as an institution, an organization whose benevolent purpose is transparent in its actions that inspire benevolence. 

When we understand our purpose (and the purpose of others), we can act purposefully and contribute to that which we seek.

Rather than exposing failure, I strive, now, to point out accomplishment. Notably both are extremes and will be questioned, but, in this lifetime, I have a personal preference for harmony. 

Whenever possible, if we can make light of seriousness, we can inspire relaxed examination. Examination under threat leads to defensive posturing whereas relaxed examination leads to the purposeful improvement of one's self.

Presuming that people will improve themselves after having been refuted or embarrassed was an error in judgment.

While I cannot yet fully invision the results of my new Enspirus vs Elenchus-type methodology, I can say that Enspirus feels, for me, more pleasurable, and, if appearances are an indication, it's more pleasurable for others, too.

Perhaps someday Enspirus will become known as 

The Humoratic Method

A Chicken is endurance of the concept: egg

• A chicken is a mammal that provides us with eggs or sustenance
• Chickens are beneficial; chickens are good
• Endurance is the capacity for something to last or withstand wear; endurance is not a mammal and therefore not a thing to be deemed "good" as with how we define or qualify "chicken"

Chicken is good; therefore, endurance is not

• A chicken is a mammal that we have deemed as good; a chicken is not a concept; a chicken is not an egg
• Endurance is the capacity for something to last or withstand wear; we do not define it in the same way we define a chicken or the eggs a chicken bequeaths us

A Chicken is not endurance of the concept: egg √

Naturally, this will lead to questions about why the chicken crossed the road, questions about whether or not the chicken should have crossed the road, and questions about our ability to define chicken or road when we cannot yet define ourselves. 

Stay tuned for my next lifetime when I answer the question: Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road...