On the Duality of Life
April 30, 2022
Emerging through hardship … More On the Duality of Life
Tag: wisdom
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
Erich Fromm on Having Versus Being
April 16, 2022
In To Have or to Be? the sociologist Erich Fromm argues that there are two distinct modes of existence. These are unique ways in which we relate to others and the world around us. Having The first is the ‘having mode.’ This is characterized by an attitude of acquiring or possessing things. It is when … More Erich Fromm on Having Versus Being
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
The Wisdom of Being Wrong
February 19, 2022
If only things were that simple. If only events could be packaged into neat containers of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ or ‘good’ and ‘evil’. Despite our proclivities towards binary and dualistic thinking, life is a whole lot messier. Many circumstances are morally ambiguous and uncertain. Being in this metaphorical ‘grey’ area of not knowing can be … More The Wisdom of Being Wrong
The Unmasking of Beauty Within the World
February 12, 2022
The unfolding of beauty … More The Unmasking of Beauty Within the World
Marcus Aurelius: On Humility and Duty
February 5, 2022
We ought to do good to others as simply as a horse runs, or a bee makes honey, or a vine bears grapes season after season without thinking of the grapes it has borne Marcus Aurelius, Meditations In this day and age it is far too easy to become addicted to our ego. Through the … More Marcus Aurelius: On Humility and Duty
Living in the Mystery
January 29, 2022
A look at John Keat’s negative capability … More Living in the Mystery
Sharing Wisdom
January 26, 2022
In March of 2001, I trekked to Everest Base Camp with my friends Phil and Sue who were attempting to summit Mt. Everest that year. They had invited a few of their friends to join them on the 30 mile trek in and we’d assembled in Katmandu, Nepal to gather our last few supplies before … More Sharing Wisdom
Attention – A Gateway to the Mysteries of the World
December 11, 2021
Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity Simone weil Our lives are the collective sum of what we choose to pay attention to. Each passing moment a spotlight is cast into the world and reveals to us what we focus on. In one sense nothing can be more important than cultivating one’s attention, … More Attention – A Gateway to the Mysteries of the World
On Solitude
December 4, 2021
If I could, I would spend the better part of my time in solitude. Preferably it would be surrounded by the beauty of nature. The splendour of the trees and flow of the sparkling rivers drown out the noisy sounds of the busy city streets. For what is nature itself but a grand cathedral. It … More On Solitude
Stoicism as a Way of Life
November 20, 2021
Life as a Stoic … More Stoicism as a Way of Life
The Power of Art: How Beauty Can Save the World
November 6, 2021
How beauty can save the world … More The Power of Art: How Beauty Can Save the World
The Flow of Life: The Wisdom of Wu Wei
October 23, 2021
Why is it that we spend so much time and effort pursuing goals and desires that go against our natural intuitions and inclinations? Motivated by the longing for external praise and validation, we chase lofty ambitions which ultimately feel inauthentic and unnatural. This is akin to trying to swim against rather than with the flow … More The Flow of Life: The Wisdom of Wu Wei
How to Manage Uncertainty: Lessons from Philosophy
October 16, 2021
If there is anything that we seem to fear most in this world, it is uncertainty. The great unknown, the darkness that lies in the abyss. Uncertainty about how the future will unfold is the source of many of our anxieties. This is because we desperately crave certainty. We dream of secure and orderly lives … More How to Manage Uncertainty: Lessons from Philosophy
A FEW THOUGHTS ON WRITING FROM A FEW POINTLESS OVERTHINKERS
August 18, 2021
Billy Osogo Pointless Overthinking’s byline is: Understanding ourselves and the world we live in. Such an apt encapsulation of my experience here so far. One of the things I enjoy the most from being part of the Pointless Overthinking tribe is the richness of wisdom that manifests itself in our comment sections. It’s mind blowing! … More A FEW THOUGHTS ON WRITING FROM A FEW POINTLESS OVERTHINKERS
CALLING ALL READERS
July 7, 2021
Billy Osogo In my post last week I quoted Mario Vargas Llosa and made a clarion call to all writers. This week, I am maintaining Llosa as my source of inspiration and calling on all readers. In his amazing book Letters to a Young Novelist Llosa writes: “Read constantly, because it is impossible to acquire … More CALLING ALL READERS
CALLING ALL WRITERS: ASSEMBLE!
June 30, 2021
I find writing to be an immensely rewarding investment of time. Whether it’s writing poems like my friend Ellen or plays like my friend Jack Canfora. Whether it’s journaling, writing short stories or full length novels. I came across an excerpt that struck a chord. It’s by Nobel Prize Winner Mario Vargas Llosa. In his … More CALLING ALL WRITERS: ASSEMBLE!