One of the clearest concerns to those whom are interested in studying philosophy is; are there any real-life and practical applications to this field? The answer can be said to heavily depend on the kind of philosophy involved. I would agree that some philosophical schools of thinking are more beneficial than others. I will go as far as to state that concentrating on a single school of philosophy can even be detrimental to the healthy progress of the individual. However, there is something quite magical to the study of numerous philosophies. As I have already stated, studying just one philosophy can be bad. Regardless, that's a trap that many of us fall into from time to time during our lives on this planet. We seem to do it naturally, especially when we are young. But, when we begin to look at ways of thinking that are new to us, we are exercising the mind. We can develop new methods of thinking by the synthesis of new neural pathways. When we meditate on the same item in a different way, we don't necessarily create new brain cells; but, we discover new ways to apply the usage of existing neurons! When Siddhartha Gautama ("the Buddha") taught a lecture by holding a flower for an elongated period of time, something fascinating was accomplished. He allowed his disciples to conceptualize what a lecture truly is in a very unique fashion. The lecture was still a lecture, but it was produced and conceived by original means. How is all of this practical? In the last example from the Buddha, the fundamental understanding of lectures was expanded on a relatively wide collective scale. Also note that the Buddha's disciples were likely to think of other seemingly monotonous experiences in unique ways (due to physiological changes in the brain via the creation of new neural pathways). Almost anyone can memorize a large group of words. Still, very few individuals could make another "Romeo and Juliet"! All of the paint needed to paint are readily available at stores worldwide, but it takes the right application and combinations to make a "Mona Lisa". The information to cure major diseases exists, yet the right mind to put this info together is still essential to proper medical restoration.