The idea of state of nothingness contains the inherent assumption that things are naturally alienated from one another. This is a long argument but it can be absolutely proven to be wrong. In fact, here is no opposition between something and nothing. The unity of something and nothing is embodied in the determinate being that is always becoming; determinate becoming. The problem is not whether there is a something and nothing. The point is your unconscious struggle to merge the two.

The fundamental questions that relate to humans and nature are interpreted in different ways. Understanding the reason for this diversity requires a multi-disciplinary approach. Philosophy is not an island. Neither philosophy nor any other science can only be scrutinised in themselves. They always require investigation through the lens of other(s). Thus, it is needed to understand the reason for seemingly endless variation in philosophical approaches by taking into consideration their i.e. historical, social, cultural, psychological roots. In other words, a significant part of sorting out the jigsaw of philosophy requires us to know where they come from, the circumstances under which they emerged, the need they serve etc. Every question also has many sub-questions. Therefore, the first part is about finding out what is out there and what they want / mean. This is also to know how to deal with an enormous circle of circles. Depending on their level of strength, each individual would either continue with this journey or chooses a harbour. That point / location/ particular philosophical approach become the permanent home of the mind that cannot go on. Those who continue extract the logical nucleus out of every philosophy and gradually form a set of principles that help on the journey. Through critical thinking, open-mindedness, constant questioning, healthy scepticism, constant triangulation etc each principle would get tested until they prove to be invincible, beyond the slightest doubt. It is because the content(s) of each principle coincide perfectly with the modus operandi of life. This method also helps the individual to grow as an original thinker. Mistakes and even frustration would occur, but they do not characterise the thinker, who is able to observe the movements of his / her mind at every step of this journey. Thinking observes and thinks about itself. Being his / her own person, the thinker would develop their own words, concepts and ways of explaining things that necessarily change with more learning, The result is also the well-coordinated totalization process of open-ended body of all-round knowledge. The thinker would already be aware that every philosophy has or had a historical mission / role regardless of whether it sounds right or wrong or anywhere in between.

Every human has a desire to learn, to have, be good or better at something; achieve and transcend. The life force in the human imposes a need to discover and grow no matter how it is interpreted and practiced. The purpose of the human is to make the best of him/herself. This struggle goes on against many odds, for both life as a whole and the individual are tainted with social constructions that release many viruses similar to those in a computer. These viruses act as a barrier between the person and his or her 'self', alienate individual from others, from nature and prevent from seeing the real nature of things. In religion, they are called sins. As a result, individuals do not possess the ability to relate to themselves directly. Everything is scattered around. Disorder threatens at every step. The human, consciously or unconsciously tries to organise the disorder. Thus, the immediate purpose is to be a whole again; becoming one's own non-fragmented self. If the individual succeeds in getting rid of all the viruses, she / he relates directly to life, acquires a perfect clarity. That's when philosophy becomes life itself. When every individual reaches this ideal state, they become the bridge between themselves and whole existence. They can light the whole universe like a brilliant Christmas tree, reconnect everything. (it gets harder to explain at this point) Because, through this ideal state, the purpose of our existence is to give birth to....lets call her a deity. Thus, we are the way in which a greater being gives birth to herself. This is a very real, inevitable process.

Belief is our way of giving meaning to life or any phenomena in it. It may be the pillar that keeps one erect. Right or wrong, belief represents the status or state of your consciousness. It shows where one is in the grand scheme of things, and crystallise in principles that support the endurance of one's soul, dilemmas of the psyche, plan for the next step and the reason for a stasis. In any case, they are who one is, and have to be respected. Life itself would act upon them for confirmation or critique.

Many authors mention the fact that humans preferred to forget about the question 'why they exist' upon failure to find a satisfactory answer. Instead, they concerned themselves with the external world or the nature, hence the science and tech craze. In time, they developed aversion to human mind, its capacity and relation to the interconnectedness of the universe. As a result, humans became the only creatures in the universe who would do anything not to be themselves. The secret of what is god / truth is hidden in the response to why we exist.

The trick is not to separate internal and external or render one superior to other. The problem of the mind is to realize the differentiated continuity between them; the flow that takes a different shape in each sphere. We cannot stop dealing with the internal world as long as we have an internal world. The same is also true for the external world. The more we understand and reorganise the internal world, the more we reorganise the external. Neither our minds, nor the external world are unreal. Similar to everything else, learning to do / realise these things is a matter of process. And the essence of this process is becoming. Free will stems from this gradual realisation. However, human mind is impatient; wants immediate answers, which is an essential part of the becoming of the mind and its free will. Thus, you are searching for free will even when you think you minimised the issue of free will. It is also why people define free will in different ways. Each response is a bus stop for the individual to breathe. What mind needs, mind does throughout ages, until it is neither determined nor needs to determine. In the process, the mind and external reality swing between determinism and indeterminism that is experienced in the microcosm in form of pain, suffering, mistakes, crimes etc.

The most important aspect of learning about philosophical thinking is never being afraid of reinventing the wheel. That is the process in which you get beyond understanding and mere thought.

What one needs to do, while reading philosophical works, is try to establish a set of principles like the one above. These principles should have a common denominator. This common denominator will also be what one can use to judge existing philosophical approaches. One important element of the common denominator is balance and avoiding dichotomies at any cost.

The fate of all philosophical approaches is to evolve toward the internalisation of such principles.

Understanding is picture thinking. It is limited, lacks depth and human thoughts derive from understanding.

how about starting with what it means to think philosophically? and what one's mind is actually trying to do when thinking philosophically? The answer to these would also show the way to answer your questions.