I am a novice when it comes to philosophy and religion. We are always learning, exploring new ideas, reflecting and internalizing them. Without that it is like eating really nutritious food when you are already full, wasteful, you will pass through what you have consumed and it might do more harm than good. Also I fully realize that given the breadth of what is available I have not even scratched the subject. Whether it is religion or secular philosophies they are core set of values, how to live. I lean towards secular philosophies to remove the false hope that someone else is able to influence things on my behalf. Also “God is dead”, it might make people angry but there is sound logic behind that phrase, I respect religion and if it makes you a better, kind thoughtful and open minded being then that’s the right ideology for you. My personal journey was to find a philosophy of life, live by a standard that is based not on fear and reward from the divine, eternal pleasure or damnation and hellfire but what truly means to live a life that is worth living. Not to do things for a reward in the future but because it is the right and just thing to do. But then what is right? and what is just? It gets complicated as to answer one you have to answer all these other question. What behaviors to adopt — how to handle situations not our my control, how to keep focus on what needs to be done, how to live fully now. On this journey I have taken bits and pieces from different philosophies and religious doctrines. I have not focused on what and who has said it. It didn’t matter. What mattered were the ideas, whether I could internalize them, put them in a situation and observe whether they provide a path forward. Practices like ability to control your thinking through meditation, ability to handle the unexpected, managing anger and negative emotions, having little expectations of others, valuing what I have right now, finding happiness in the trivial instead of grand events, goals and challenges instead of money and materials and the power kindness, compassion, forgiveness and fairness. So all these philosophies are guides if you take from them and truly adopt the portions that make you a better being. Have a philosophy for life, a code to live by, a practice to handle events out of your control, handling failures and using them as learning tools, not taking in too much to success. My recommendation is don’t read just one philosophy or ideology that is just like following one thing blindly, it is an escape. You gave someone else the responsibility to think for you, through that you became a slave of that idea, you lost your freedom, not much different fron many religions. I would recommend reading all of them, read and try to understand the adjacent ones and the opposite ones, especially the opposite ones. Always the golden rule of philosophy if you come to a conclusion immediately start exploring its counter. In the end do what feels right for you, not what is en vogue. One is not doing this to look cool or feel superior on the contrary one does it to quash one’s ego, so nothing external to you can affect you. Do this for the right reasons and you will find your path. Don’t worry too much about who wrote it and whether they were hypocrites, it only matters if you read one idea and follow it blindly.