I write about philosophy and culture and the search for meaning in the modern age.
It is easy to be dismissive of mythology in our modern-day secular culture. With the tools of logic, science and reason at our disposal, we arrive at our ideas of truth through rigorously testing our hypothesis with hard evidence and data. It was around the time when I was completing my undergraduate coursework in philosophy … More Diving into the Mythopoetic: A Personal Story
If you are losing your leisure, look out! –It may be you are losing your soul Virginia Woolf In modern society, work has come to dominate almost all aspects of our lives. One’s identity becomes subsumed by their job title. Days become filled with endless tasks and checklists. Ever increasing productivity seems to be our … More Rethinking Leisure in the Age of Total Work
I’ve written before on the downstream effects of small any seemingly insignificant acts of goodness. Through our deeply interconnected world, we can never fully appreciate how our actions will impact others and our broader communities. Recent research being done on the science of awe-inspiring moral behaviour has begun to validate some of these claims. In … More Encouraging Goodness: How Moral Actions are ‘Awe-Inspiring’
High stake situations require complete and utmost concentration. Any distraction or lapse of judgement can shift your attention away from the present moment, hindering your efforts to achieve a state of effortless flow. This could make all the difference in the final moments of a championship game or dictate whether you are in peak performance … More Reverse Engineering Bliss: Hacking the Flow State
It may seem cliché, but we are all born with a unique set of gifts. Each of us is distinct from one another with different genes, cultural upbringings and life experiences. Moreover, we all have our own interests, passions and value that we can offer the world. No one quite sees or interprets things like … More Unleashing Human Creativity: Education and the Revival of Human Imagination
Good riddance, what a year you have been 2022. You have upended the lives of many amidst the economic uncertainty and the rising anxieties posed by inflation. You have put the world on edge as we witness citizens around the world fighting corruption in autocratic regimes for liberty, justice and equality. You have shown us … More Leaning into Uncertainty: Embracing the Unknown in 2023
What does it mean to be at home? A simple sentiment, but one filled with rich metaphorical meaning Home is much more than a shelter which protects you against the elements More profound than a property that stores your possessions It is a refuge not only for the body, but for the spirit Home is … More Longing for Home
Is this the real world or is it fantasy? Glowing billboards. ‘Reality’ television. Instagram influencers. Golden yellow arches crowding large city centers. Fake bodies, fake personalities, fake plastic trees. Flooded with information, memes and seductive advertisements. McDonalds – I Am Lovin’ it. Nike- Just Do It. Coca-Cola – Taste the Difference. Apple – Think Different. … More The Age of the Spectacle
Philosophers have long sought to understand how we make sense of the world. Each have brought forth their own ‘maps’ or ‘lenses’ of how they comprehend reality. Some focus their analysis on the individual while others seek to dissect the patterns of the collective (e.g., society and culture). As social animals, humans are always embedded … More Searching for a Unified Vision: Exploring Different Maps of the World
With Black Friday in recent memory and Christmas shopping right around the corner, what better time to look at the issues of consumerism in our society. Modern advertising is rather peculiar. If you pay close attention, you’ll realize that many of the commercials you come across don’t actually tell you much about the product that … More The Empty Promises of Consumerism
What can we learn from Indigenous cultures about being better stewards to the natural world? After all, Indigenous Peoples were the original caretakers of the land thriving in complex societies long before the arrival of European settlers. As a Canadian citizen, my country along with the rest of the world, has been slowly learning about … More Indigenous Knowledge: A Roadmap to Belonging Again
O’ Modern Man, Modern Man, how you stand up tall with your undeserved pride. You hold infinite knowledge in the palm of your hand, Control nature, much more than it can withstand. Is there anything you can not know? No place where you can not go? Why are you so serious modern man? Don’t you … More The Ignorance of the Modern Man
In search of meaning in life … More The Horizons of Meaning
The art of play … More Embracing the Art of Play
The paradigms, world views and ideas which we inhabit shape how we perceive and interact with the world. They impact our ideals, relationships, and values. That is, who we are and who we aspire to be. It is the task of philosophy to step back and critically examine the dominant frames and driving forces that … More East Versus West: A Look at Two Minds
A Flow State of Mind … More A Jazz State of Mind: Entering the Flow State
Amidst the rise in digital technologies and new avenues for communication, the general quality of our public discourse has declined. As I have explored in this series, modern society has become increasingly fragmented and polarized. We are no longer able to search for areas of compromise or entertain opposing viewpoints. The cause of the issue … More The Power of Listening
The practice of meditation may at first seem counterintuitive or foreign to the Western mind. With the abundance of digital technologies and entertainment options available to us, why would anyone abandon these luxuries to sit alone in silence. Surely there are more productive ways one ought to spend their limited time here on earth. Yet … More The Science of Mindfulness
In this blog post on the philosophy of Stoicism I want to explore 3 practical Stoic techniques that I have found particularly useful for attaining confidence and tranquility of the mind. If you take a step back and look at your life from a cosmic perspective you will realize how small and insignificant you are … More 3 Stoic Exercises to Achieve Tranquility and Inner Peace
Over the course of our lives many of us will have gotten into arguments with friends, family or loved ones which goes somewhat along the lines of: “You are not thinking, can you hear yourself? You need to stop being so hard headed and stubborn, and just listen to the facts. Can’t you just be … More Why We are Mostly Emotional, and Sometimes Rational