u/Junior_Insurance7773

What are your thoughts about the divine Leo Tolstoy? Apart from War and Peace and Anna Karenina, he wrote lots of other stuff like short stories, and non-fiction such as 'What I Believe', 'The Three Questions', 'The Kingdom of God is Within You', etc.

He was even corresponding with Gandhi and gave him the keys on how to resist with non-violence to colonial rule in 'Letter to a Hindu'. That's how great the divine Leo Tolstoy is. He was also for vegetarianism and so much more. Anyone here read anything by him rather than his big novels? Take ffir example his pacifism and unyielding love for mankind and hatred of war.

Leo Tolstoy about the absurdity of war, from "What I Believe" Chapter 10:

"Leaving their parents, their wives and children, they go in their buffoon attire, blindly submissive to some superior whom they hardly know; cold, hungry, worn out by a march above their strength, they follow him like a herd of oxen to the slaughter. But they are not oxen – they are men! They cannot help knowing that they are driven to slaughter, with the unsolvable question, ‘Why must I go?’ And with despair in their hearts they go on, many dieing off through cold, hunger, and infectious diseases, until those who are left are placed under bullets and cannon balls, and ordered to kill men whom they know nothing about. They kill and are at last killed themselves, and not one of those who kill their fellow- creature knows why he does so."

Leo Tolstoy on why philosophy can never really replace religion and the power of religion, from "On Life", Chapter 3, "The Delusions of the Scribes":

"How wonderful! The fact that all the teachings of the great minds of humanity so awed men by their greatness that rude people generally ascribed to them a supernatural character and recognized their founders as demigods, — which serves as the chief token of the importance of these teachings, — serves for the scribes, so they think, as the best proof of the irregularity and obsoleteness of these teachings. The fact that the unimportant teachings of Aristotle, Bacon, Comte, and others have always remained the possession of a small number of their readers and admirers, and on account of their falseness never could have influenced the masses, and so were not subjected to superstitious distortions and increments, is taken as a proof of their truth. But the teachings of the Brahmins, of Buddha, Zoroaster, Lao-tse, Confucius, Isaiah, Christ, are regarded as superstitions and delusions, only because these teachings have transformed the lives of millions.

They are not in the least troubled by the fact that billions of people have lived according to these superstitions, because even in their distorted form they give men answers to the questions as to the true good of life, and that these teachings are divided up, but even thus serve as the basis of reasoning of the best men of all ages, while the theories which are acknowledged by the scribes are divided by them alone, are always subjects of dispute, and often do not survive a decade, and are forgotten as quickly as they rise."

How life denying philosophies and religions are becoming successful? How Christianity is so popular? Despite the fact that it has little proof, you need to love your enemies etc? Because it offers love and salvation. Why Nihilism tempts so many today despite the fact it offers no hope and that everything is meaningless?

Why people embrace Stoicism despite the fact that they tyrannize themselves with such philosophy of emotional repression? Because it offers self discipline and tools to deal with an unjust world.

Why people embrace Communism despite the fact that humans are supposedly greedy and competitive in their nature? Because it offers an utopia and justice against those in power. Why Gnosticism so popular? Because it offers salvation and knowledge to overcome an unjust world.

Maybe all the these philosophies aren't so bad and Nietzsche's elitist-individualistic kind of philosophy ain't the best one there's? How would the world look like if most were Nietzscheans? The world is not perfect. It's ugly, bloody and humans need to work together to make it better or seek another planet to live at.

For Nietzsche, modern Christianity is slavery, yet would Nietzsche approve Gnosticism over Christianity? Gnosticism is all about seeking secret knowledge, yet it also says that world is corrupted and created by an evil being called the demiurge, yet it actually gives a rational answer why the real world is full with so much suffering, that the real God the Monad doesn't wants worship, it just exists outside of anything a human can comprehend. Everyone have divine spark within to liberate oneself, Jesus was sent to the world to give knowledge, not a religion of 'Thou shalt' which Nietzsche calls the great dragon in his Zarathustra. That dragon is ironically the demiurge, the God of the Christians.

Ever since my existential crisis I've been searching for years for the truth, countless authors, countless philosophies. Christianity gives some sort of hope only for doubts to get again through the window. I'm getting tired of searching, I heard that Gnosticism is about gaining secret knowledge and liberate oneself from the illusions. The God of the old testament seems so different from the loving Jesus of the new Testament, Christianity just don't seem monotheistic with the Trinity part.

I've been thinking a lot about Christianity, the nature of the world. On why the Christian God doesn't intervene already and stops all the cruelty of mankind and nature, on why there's so much suffering.

What's the best place to start with Gnosticism? Which books?

How it differs from traditional Christianity? Is there a God? A good God or The Monad beyond this universe and time? Did Jesus existed and was sent as a prophet or guide to liberate humanity from the False God?

I'm frickin getting tired of searching 24/7 for the definite answers that western and eastern philosophy had to offer.

I'm tired of Christian hypocrisy too. No one does anything of what Jesus told to do only praying around me. Many Christians are also conspiracy theorists and belong to the far-right. Which is the last thing Jesus said to do aka the battle is not against flash and blood but against evil spiritual forces.

Been thinking to buy Cormac McCarthy's books and read them for some time, What's the philosophy of Cormac McCarthy in a nutshell? Is it Gnosticism, Nihilism, Militarism - which of his books explains his core philosophy the best?

I've been into the ideas of non-violence and pacifism, but so few people apply this stuff and animals don't apply it at all.

I've been thinking a lot about the following quote from BM and about Christianity, the nature of the world. On why the Christian God doesn't intervene already and stops all the cruelty of mankind and nature, on why there's so much suffering.

"And the answer, said the judge. If God meant to interfere in the degeneracy of mankind would he not have done so by now? Wolves cull themselves, man. What other creature could? And is the race of man not more predacious yet?" - Blood Meridian.

Leo Tolstoy about the absurdity of war, from "What I Believe" Chapter 10:

"Leaving their parents, their wives and children, they go in their buffoon attire, blindly submissive to some superior whom they hardly know; cold, hungry, worn out by a march above their strength, they follow him like a herd of oxen to the slaughter. But they are not oxen – they are men! They cannot help knowing that they are driven to slaughter, with the unsolvable question, ‘Why must I go?’ And with despair in their hearts they go on, many dieing off through cold, hunger, and infectious diseases, until those who are left are placed under bullets and cannon balls, and ordered to kill men whom they know nothing about. They kill and are at last killed themselves, and not one of those who kill their fellow- creature knows why he does so."