Kanokwan asked:

Maybe I must take the course for Philosophy in the University...so I need some suggestions.

How can I learn Philosophy with happiness and make the point so very good?

The first piece of advice I would give is to look very carefully at the Department of Philosophy at the
University where you hope to study before accepting the offer of a place. Pay them a visit, or, better
still, several visits. Who is going to teach you? Are the lecturers and professors enthusiasts, or do
they regard teaching as a necessary chore, and students as a mere inconvenience?

How can you learn philosophy with happiness? So few students even think to ask that question. Their
only concern seems to be with success and doing well. Would you still be prepared to carry on even if
you did badly, and found yourself at the bottom of the class? The rewards of studying philosophy are
not reserved for the high flyers. However, in order to reap those rewards you need to adopt an
attitude of humility. In the face of the perennial problems of philosophy we are all ignorant and stupid.
Some are slightly less so, that is all.

Take your time, don't bite off more than you can chew. There is no point in toiling away for some
possibly future reward, if you can't enjoy what you are doing here and now, in the present. The great
moments of illumination will come when they come. But meanwhile every moment contains the
possibility for enlightenment if you look for it. Enjoy the journey, because in philosophy you really can't
say whether you will ever reach a destination.

Read about the lives of the great philosophers, and gain inspiration from them. Read, not to idolize,
nor simply to appropriate ideas for your own use, but to bring the words on the page to life. Every text
you pick up is an invitation to dialogue. The greatest joy in reading the classics of philosophy is the
feeling of entering into a dialogue that transcends time and space. The great philosophers live on in
their works, and that is where we can meet them whenever we choose.

Understandably, you also want to 'make the point so very good' — you want to get good marks for
your essays, make a big impression in seminars and discussions. To do that, you need to overcome
the fear of failure. Sometimes, the only way to learn is from our mistakes. You must not be afraid to
look a fool. That means not getting sucked into to a way of thinking where everyone is in competition
with you, where you either win or lose. Let others compete if they want to. Show that your only
concern is understanding and learning more, that for you truth is more important than being perceived
to be right. That will make the best impression of all.

Geoffrey Klempner