For me, I didn’t necessarily find Philosophy itself alone per se the answer, but what _has_ definitely been helpful (which is related) is discerning which labels can appropriately ‘fit’.. That is.. what “schools of thougtht” am I _already_ within without realizing it, not necessarily to deconstruct and remove (for some things may be impossible – what will be left of me!:P ) – but at least I can be honest where I’m coming from and perhaps… cut at least a _few_ of the strings if not all of them.
[American Pragmatism for example, having been raised in the USA, would be nearly impossible for me to entirely remove as I’ve absorbed it into my self-identity.. But.. at least I’m aware of it]
Because, well, think about it: How many people have you heard say, “I am more than just a label! I am not a puppet like _they_ are. The system I follow works and frees me from the puppet strings allowing me to be a free thinker”.
Look up matie – there be strings there too. tongue emoticon
I’m sure Mark Twain, Monty Python, Contrarians, Absurdists throughout Time are pulling my strings as well. I’m still going through my influencers. There’s a lot. Look at what your favorite shows were as a kid. A *lot* of your self-identity and strings started being pulled from there.
For me, Joseph Campbell “Power of Myth” pulls my puppet strings and moves my fingers when I type, thanks to Star Wars and the influence he had upon George Lucas for example. Carl Sagan pulls my strings as well.
What helps is that I pull back and snip at least a *few* of them. Sagan for example, I adore him but as hard as it was, I *did* successfully find a few things I could disagree with him on, which gives me _some_ wiggle room. The rest of the strings, I don’t mind him pulling.