Tag: life

world map illustration
Creativity

Searching for a Unified Vision: Exploring Different Maps of the World   

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 in larger structures. We interact with others and the natural … Continue reading Searching for a Unified Vision: Exploring Different Maps of the World   

formerwriters4 Comments
Personal Development

Family Traditions: A Recipe For Realization

Nearing Christmas, we are usually getting ready for family traditions. Perhaps you have a religious ritual you perform or a meal you prepare. These traditions add to the ambiance of the experience. Sometimes, though, they create a sense of sacredness, which can be harmful if it limits our ability to adapt, change, and grow. At a family gathering, a young woman was asked why she … Continue reading Family Traditions: A Recipe For Realization

formerwriters19 Comments
woman in red t shirt looking at her laptop
Health and Wellbeing, Work and Life

How Working Too Much Hampers Your Happiness

Your well-being should be your priority, and working too much might hamper your happiness. Our consumerist society often leads us to reverse our priorities in ways that can seriously affect our quality of life and our physical, mental, and emotional health. Ultimately, our happiness. With an increasing rhythm of life, inflation, and bills piling up, we are more and more concerned about working, earning a … Continue reading How Working Too Much Hampers Your Happiness

crisbiecoach16 Comments
silhouette photo of man throw paper plane
Personal Development

Stalling: The Aerodynamics of Life

The Four Forces of Flight There’s an analogy I want to imprint on your mind today. It’s one I intend to come back to repeatedly as I go about writing my high-flying book. It concerns something known in aviation as the four forces of flight. To give you a quick lesson in aerodynamics, those are thrust, lift, weight and drag. Thrust counteracts drag, whereas lift … Continue reading Stalling: The Aerodynamics of Life

AP226 Comments
brown and black checkered handbag
Self-awareness

The Empty Promises of Consumerism

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 is being sold. The advertisement doesn’t present reasons or rational … Continue reading The Empty Promises of Consumerism

formerwriters13 Comments
close up shot of a beautiful woman
Literature

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas: Essay Review

Hallo and guten tag from my new home in Bavaria, Germany. I’ve recently started my master’s program in Philosophy & Economics after a year of planning and preparation. (Preparation as in me just eating at all the restaurants and the food I knew I would miss.) While I am certainly obliged to spend much of my time reading for my courses here, I have no … Continue reading The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas: Essay Review

formerwriters6 Comments
green leafed plant
Creativity

Indigenous Knowledge: A Roadmap to Belonging Again

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 the violence inflicted on Indigenous Peoples and the horrors of … Continue reading Indigenous Knowledge: A Roadmap to Belonging Again

formerwriters11 Comments
accountant counting money
Self-awareness

The Ignorance of the Modern Man

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 see life is a great mystery. Is there still wonder … Continue reading The Ignorance of the Modern Man

formerwriters10 Comments
brown and white concrete houses under gray sky
Work and Life

Living on the Top of the World – An Italian in Estonia

For an Italian like me, living at a latitude of 59.4 could feel like living on the top of the world. During my almost 3 year adventure living and working in Estonia, I have mixed feelings. The biggest downside was the lack of light in winter, but despite that, I recommend a visit. Tallinn is a charming medieval city. Walking in the city centre you … Continue reading Living on the Top of the World – An Italian in Estonia

crisbiecoach18 Comments
silhouette of wind vane
Creativity

East Versus West: A Look at Two Minds  

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 influence culture. Exploring other value systems can open ourselves up … Continue reading East Versus West: A Look at Two Minds  

formerwriters8 Comments
four people standing on top of hill during sunset
Creativity

The Power of Listening

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 stems from our inability to truly listen to one another. … Continue reading The Power of Listening

formerwriters20 Comments
Critical Thinking

What is a difficulty?

Hi everyone! Welcome to Wise & Shine! I hope everyone has had a fantastic weekend! How we define difficulty or problems is variable, or it should be. What is difficult for someone might not be so for another. Likewise, when we look at someone’s life and feel like they have everything perfect, we should not assume that they do not have problems. Sometimes, because of … Continue reading What is a difficulty?

formerwriters16 Comments
sky and clouds
Creativity

3 Stoic Exercises to Achieve Tranquility and Inner Peace

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 compared to the enormity of the universe.  Consider this – … Continue reading 3 Stoic Exercises to Achieve Tranquility and Inner Peace

formerwriters5 Comments