Two Ways With Philosophy

Entry from my personal Journal, written in November 24, 2022:

There are at least two ways in dealing with and making use of Philosophy, deciding what kind of person you are, and what kind of will you do harbour: 1) One either raises himself to what he learns and is made aware of through reading Philosophy and then absorbing every last iota of that read, cultivating within everything in need of being cultivated and altered, and turning it into a truly lived experience, or 2) one goes the way of what I call learned cherry-picking, as he, out of Philosophy and the Philosophers' opinions, only makes use of that which might justify his already espoused virtues, habits, opinions, convictions, articles of behaviour, traits of personality, etc. 

Now, one might be just too well-pleased with himself that he won't notice the fact that he leads the second way. To lead the two ways concomitantly is fine, as we humans have our weaknesses; but to lead only the second way is not fine, nor is it fine to miss noticing that one might be leading the two ways together.