The Great Illusion of Separation
July 2, 2022
A vision into our interconnected selves … More The Great Illusion of Separation
Tag: Philosophy
The Pitfall of Reliance on Providentialism
June 21, 2022
In a previous post, I mentioned that reliance on “providentialistic” views was one potential difficulty for present-day Stoics. Today I’ll explain this a bit. When I say “providentialistic” or “providentialism,” I’m referring to what theoretical discourses term “divine providence,” or perhaps more accurately, a belief in divine providence. In short, belief in divine providence is … More The Pitfall of Reliance on Providentialism
Redefining Success: Beyond Your Job Title
June 18, 2022
In the modern world, our job titles tend to be the centerpiece of our identities. When you meet someone new at a social gathering, the first piece of information that they will likely disclose to the question ‘what do you do?’ is the details of your chosen profession. Your answer to this question will dictate … More Redefining Success: Beyond Your Job Title
Racing Against the Clock: A Meditation on Being Human in a World of Endless Possibility
June 11, 2022
On a planet that has existed for billions of years, the human lifespan is remarkably short. Assuming I live to 80, the average age of a Canadian male, I have about 4,000 weeks on this earth. If I am lucky and healthy enough to make it that long, that gives me about 2,500 weeks left. [1] … More Racing Against the Clock: A Meditation on Being Human in a World of Endless Possibility
It’s Not a Bug; It’s a Feature
June 6, 2022
This past Saturday, I got up early because I had a Zoom meeting with a Pointless Overthinking colleague who lives on the other side of the planet. Despite my best efforts, I’d gotten up a touch late and was in a hurry to get breakfast eaten so I wouldn’t be tardy for our online rendezvous. … More It’s Not a Bug; It’s a Feature
Lessons from Taoism: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times
June 4, 2022
It was at a university book sale where I was first introduced to the ideas of Taoism. Hidden away deep in the philosophy section, I picked up what initially seemed like a strange esoteric book – the Tao Te Ching. It was a short text, under 100 pages, that was filled with often puzzling language … More Lessons from Taoism: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times
Uvalde, the State of the Electorate, and a Rant
May 31, 2022
San Antonio, Texas, the city where I currently live, is located about eighty miles away from Uvalde, a town that has been in the news a lot in recent days. Unless you’ve been doing a Rip Van Winkle lately or are someone who lives outside the United States, I probably don’t need to tell you … More Uvalde, the State of the Electorate, and a Rant
Lessons from Nature
May 28, 2022
Below is a poem I wrote inspired by the peace, joy and reprieve being in nature provides me. What do you find in nature? Let me know in the comments below. Nature, teach me how to live To embrace change and Flow effortlessly like the steady stream To embody the wisdom of the trees Who … More Lessons from Nature
The Three Sieves Test
May 24, 2022
This story is attributed to the famous philosopher Socrate but the source is not that sure. It is also known as the Triple Filter Test. This anecdote teaches us not to pay attention to rumours and untrue, hurtful, and useless messages. It can be referred to regular gossip. However, it can also be applied to … More The Three Sieves Test
Note on acceptance, control, and Stoicism
May 23, 2022
I sometimes get the impression that Stoicism is often taken as, and practiced as if it were, a way to finally control everything, including our feelings. Yet this is quite incorrect. Stoicism is not about becoming able to control everything. It is about finally starting to begin to acknowledge that we don’t and can’t, and … More Note on acceptance, control, and Stoicism
The Value of Acceptance: Saying ‘Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything’
May 14, 2022
A review of Victor Frankl’s ‘Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything’ … More The Value of Acceptance: Saying ‘Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything’
On the Duality of Life
April 30, 2022
Emerging through hardship … More On the Duality of Life
The pitfall wherein we become unfeeling
April 29, 2022
I think one pitfall we tend to encounter, when we try to put Stoic teachings into practice, is that of becoming unfeeling, “like a stone.” I mentioned four such difficulties in a previous post. Here, I want to expand on this particular one. What this expression means, becoming or being “unfeeling like a stone,” is … More The pitfall wherein we become unfeeling
Expanding Circles: Spiritual Exercises as a Bridge Towards Cosmopolitanism
April 23, 2022
As noted by the philosopher Aristotle, humans are ‘social animals’ who exist and thrive in communities. We have the ability to devise sophisticated institutions enabling us to co-operate with others across cultures and borders. We can see how interwoven our lives all are through the complex interdependencies in our economies, societies and in the natural … More Expanding Circles: Spiritual Exercises as a Bridge Towards Cosmopolitanism
On the philosophy of loving and losing
March 26, 2022
Happy Sunday to my fellow bloggers and blog-lovers. In my corner of the world, it feels like summer is jussst around the corner. I’m not sure about you, but I’ve been feeling a little drained lately. There’s a pile of things pulling me in all different directions today. So in lieu of that, I’m going … More On the philosophy of loving and losing
A Reflection on ‘Amor Fati’
March 26, 2022
Amor Fati- The Love of Fate There is no doubt that we continue to live in uncertain times. No one quite knows where we are going and what the future holds. We exist in a liminal space of unknowing; a time of transition between worlds. It is easy to cling onto the promises of ideologies which … More A Reflection on ‘Amor Fati’
An Exploration of Martin Buber’s “I and Thou”
March 19, 2022
Martin Buber’s book “I and Thou” is an inquiry into how our relationships with others shape our reality. His main thesis, which runs throughout the course of the book, is that there are two different modes in which we encounter the world, namely through ‘I-It’ or ‘I-Thou’ relationships. Let’s take a closer look at these concepts in … More An Exploration of Martin Buber’s “I and Thou”
The Power of (Agape) Love
March 12, 2022
The Power of (Agape) Love … More The Power of (Agape) Love
The Meaning of Yin and Yang
March 5, 2022
Night and day. Light and darkness. Masculine and Feminine. Chaos and order. Life is comprised of a series of interconnected opposing forces. Everything that exists has an opposite, just as there is always two sides to the same coin. Although we are inclined to seek pleasure without pain or cling onto the ‘good’ while banishing … More The Meaning of Yin and Yang
A Stoic Approach to Fear
February 26, 2022
Seneca: A Stoic Life One of the things I admire about the Stoic philosophers is that they embodied the wisdom that they preached. Seneca, one of the three notable Stoics (along with Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus), used the philosophy of Stoicism to navigate the turmoil and uncertainties during his life. Although he maintained a high … More A Stoic Approach to Fear