True Living?

The problem with all philosophy is that they add a 'True' to anything you can think of and then proceed to upend your understanding of that particular thing. IF they start off with, say, 'True Joy' rest assured that anything YOU took joy in will not feature in that list. I mean, sort of like doctors starting off with "Healthy". IF they say something is healthy, you can be reasonably sure that you will hate doing it. Just like that.

Alas, no matter how much you may want to think Tiru will be a class apart, he is NOT. So when he goes on about True Living...

Vasaiozhiya vaazhvaarae vaazhvaar isaiozhiya vaazhvarae vaazhadhavar - Tirukkural

Only those who live stainless lives live; those who live sans fame do not live - Loose Translation

This word 'Live' is a strange word. Especially in the hands of philosophers. Like, they do not consider being alive a sufficient reason to say someone lives. They make a distinction between 'existing' and 'living', for one. A cow may have life but it no more LIVES than a rock. It does the same thing day after day much like the rock...except that the latter just stays put whereas the former moves around chomping on grass. Humans, having choice, need to exercise the choice to be considered to live by Tiru. AND exercising choice means that you need to consciously pick your course of action and not merely follow the previous generation. (OR blindly oppose everything? THAT, too.)

The thing about humans having choice is that they have the potential for evil as well as for good. So Tiru is not content with humans exercising their choice. He also lays one further condition. THAT their actions earn them praise. THAT what they do is lauded by others. ONLY such people are considered to LIVE by him. Those whose actions lead to opprobium (Yeah, google, google!) are those who he considers as not having lived.

Now, me? WHY is it always about me? I am quite content to merely exist!