Every December, cities light up, carols fill the air, and the scent of pine and gingerbread lingers. For many, Christmas is a season of joy, nostalgia, and connection. For others, it’s just another day, or even a source of stress. But what if the difference between loving and loathing the holidays could be seen in our brains? A team of Danish researchers set out to … Continue reading Can Science Spot the Christmas Spirit in Your Brain?
Reflecting from northern Thailand, I explore life’s big questions amid rapid change and rising AI. Using ChatGPT as a modern oracle, I asked about spirituality, God, and prayer—and shared diverse, thoughtful answers. This post invites you to reflect on technology, uncertainty, and living with intention today.
I Continue reading Navigating Life’s Uncertainty: AI and Spirituality
Spirits, or whatever we call these things, have ways of getting our attention and reasons for wanting to have it. Continue reading Acknowledging Spirits
I often like to use the word ‘philosophy’ in a somewhat unusual way. What I mean is philosophy understood as a craft, skill, or art of living. This is, actually, how philosophy was originally understood and practiced, in the ancient Greek and Roman periods of what we now call Western philosophy. That understanding, and even that practice, has never completely gone away. It has, however, … Continue reading Philosophy as an Art of Living
Have you encountered these difficulties in attempting to live Stoically? (Living philosophically?) After a conversation I had, some time ago, about living as a Stoic philosopher, I found myself wondering what pitfalls and stumbling blocks a person is likely to encounter when they try seriously to integrate Stoic teachings and practice into their life. Four things came to mind almost at once. I’m going to … Continue reading Four ways we may stumble in attempting to live Stoically
I came across something called the Map of Consciousness in a book I’ve been reading recently – Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender by David R. Hawkins. In it he talks about the different emotional levels we operate on. He presents them in a way I’ve never seen before – as a kind of ladder that we can climb. Starting with depression at the bottom … Continue reading The Ladder of Enlightenment
just as Seneca thought Stoics could benefit from various Epicurean principles and practices, so should Stoics be able to use this traditionally Buddhist exercise Continue reading A non-Stoic exercise for Stoic philanthropia
What would we say about the glass to indicate a perspective that is neither pessimistic nor optimistic? Continue reading A “half-glass of water” question
In previous posts I’ve been expanding on four difficulties probably faced by those of us attempting to practice Stoic philosophy. Here is the fourth: a certain lack of effective exercises for developing “philanthropy,” meaning a love of humanity or love of human beings. This “philanthropy” is itself a great topic and matter for reflection, but I won’t go into that here. I want to focus … Continue reading A Stoic difficulty: developing love for humanity (philanthropy)
A lot of Stoic teachings describe the way a sage would see and feel. We of course are not sages. Yet we can easily fall into trying to be one immediately, trying to force our perception and feelings to be other than they must be at this stage of our development. This is one of four ways we may easily stumble, in attempting to learn … Continue reading The pitfall wherein we try immediately to be a sage
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 the belief that everything which happens, happens in accordance with … Continue reading The Pitfall of Reliance on Providentialism
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 to start to begin to learn, to know, in and … Continue reading Note on acceptance, control, and Stoicism
“Enlightenment is when a wave realises it is the ocean.” – Thich Nhat Hanh What does it mean to be enlightened? How would you define enlightenment? How does one attain it? I’m curious to hear your thoughts. *** You can find AP2’s personal blog here at: https://clear-air-turbulence.com You can also find him on Medium at: https://anxiouspilot2.medium.com Or on Twitter at: @AnxiousPilot Continue reading Question of the day: Number 551
Here’s a question for discussion: Is ego really the enemy? I look forward to hearing your thoughts. *** You can find AP2’s personal blog here at: https://clear-air-turbulence.com Continue reading Question of the Day: No. 537
There’s such a push to do more. Don’t you think? It seems like we’re always being advised, persuaded, pushed, to do something more, something further. The advice is: add this other thing on top of all the things you already do. The subtext seems to be: you won’t be happy unless you add this (whatever it is). Maybe it’s the result of one hundred years … Continue reading Do a little less (or not)
“Your perception of me, is a reflection of you. My reaction to you is an awareness of me.” – Unknown. What do you do when you look at yourself in the mirror? Maybe you comb your hair or have a shave. Maybe you brush and floss your teeth. Maybe you correct your posture. Maybe you examine the look in your eyes and evaluate your mood. Perhaps … Continue reading The People Mirror Effect
Sometimes I remember a writer, I can’t recall who, describing a friend who though atheist, sometimes goes into a church and prays. The writer had noticed this about his friend and was perplexed: How, or why, is he praying, if he does not believe in a god to pray to? His friend explained that although he does not believe a god exists, he still likes … Continue reading An atheist praying?
