“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” ― George Orwell I hate criticism. Yet, I open myself up to it all the time. Not just because I’m an idiot, but deliberately with my writing. As some of you know, I sometimes write about … More The Write Thing To Do
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
The art of play … More Embracing the Art of Play
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
Quitting a job you hate can be scary but remaining unhappy is much worse and more scary. Here’s my experience of quitting. … More Quitting A Job Is Scary, Not Quitting May Be Worse
Take a deep breath. Open your eyes and observe what is around you. Look at the sun beaming through the blossoming trees. Listen to the birds singing ecstatically with feverous joy. Touch the different textures of plants in your garden as you await a bountiful feast upon harvest. We didn’t earn the pleasures of the … More Living in the Gift
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’
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”
What would you do for a living if money wasn’t an object? I’ve been pondering this question quite a bit lately. I’m curious to see your response. We’ve all heard the saying, “Love your job and you’ll never work a day in your life.” If money wasn’t an object, would you keep your same job? … More Question of the Day: Number 553
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
Please note this is a partnered post and may contain affiliate links. Pixabay – CC0 Licence In a world where big things seem to happen more or less everyday, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. We’ve all grown up with messages around us telling us that we can do anything, we can change the world and … More Why It’s Not Such A Bad Thing To Be “Powerless”
As an empath, I believe in second chances. Life can be difficult at times and can cause people to act out of character. No one is perfect. I always try to find the good in people. This is why I believe in second and even third chances. Encouraging someone to pursue growth and even helping … More Getting Away With Murder
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
DISCLAIMER: I’m not a medical healthcare professional. Please read our disclaimers page here) With the obvious exception for those who have legitimate medical reasons, I believe that making vaccinations mandatory for COVID-19, in the current climate, can be ethically justified. Now, to be clear, there’s a difference between mandatory vaccinations – where certain penalties are … More Should Vaccinations Be Mandatory?
In our day to day lives, many of us are preoccupied with completing the tasks on our never-ending to-do lists. Life quickly passed us by but we rarely take the time to reflect and contemplate on the deeper questions of our existence. When asked what do we want to get out of our lives, many … More The Search for the Good Life
Life as a Stoic … More Stoicism as a Way of Life
A Meditation on Empathy … More A Call for Empathy: A Plea for Compassion
It’s a rainy Monday evening here in Salt Lake City—a perfect occasion to sit on my living room floor and write. Here’s what my mind has been mulling over: A person’s love language is how they feel and receive love. When someone tells me they read my latest poem or article that I posted, I … More Love Languages: A Question for my fellow writers
Take this moment. Just for you. Your body. Your mind. Your purpose. Breathe it in. Then let it out. You are beautiful. . . . SnapDragon is a writer, artist, and donut enthusiast. Follow Snippets of SnapDragon for all kinds of goodness, yo.
I fondly remember the days of grammar-school playgrounds; of brown-bagged lunches; of field trips to museums, caverns, and coal mines. I remember the sense of belonging within those classroom walls. There was a constance amongst us kids: a comradery that strengthened with each lesson, each game, each talent show. The questions we asked were not … More SnapDragon Speaks: On The Same Side.