Tag: wisdom

code projected over woman
Uncategorized

The Search for Connection and Solitude in a Digital Age

The Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had a mission to break down spatial and geographic barriers and connect the world. In many respects he has succeeded. You can now instantaneously connect with family members or friends living across the globe. Moreover, you can virtually keep up to date on key milestone events in the lives of loved ones or distant acquaintances. Despite the hyper connectivity that … Continue reading The Search for Connection and Solitude in a Digital Age

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Uncategorized

Drifting with the Tao: Drifting Like Water

Throughout history water has represented a powerful symbol and metaphor in different cultures, philosophies and religions. It has been viewed as a symbol of purity in the Christian tradition while being embodied as the Greek god of Poseidon in the ancient world. Water is life-giving. It is vital for the health and existence of life on our planet. As we are all well aware, we … Continue reading Drifting with the Tao: Drifting Like Water

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man in formal suit jacket holding his necktie
Health and Wellbeing, Purpose, Work and Life

Redefining Success: Beyond Your Job Title

In the modern world, our job titles tend to be the centerpiece of our identities. When you meet someone new at a social gathering, the first piece of information that they will likely disclose to the question ‘what do you do?’ is the details of your chosen profession. Your answer to this question will dictate how you will be perceived by others. If you tell … Continue reading Redefining Success: Beyond Your Job Title

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art city clock clock face
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Racing Against the Clock: A Meditation on Being Human in a World of Endless Possibility

On a planet that has existed for billions of years, the human lifespan is remarkably short. Assuming I live to 80, the average age of a Canadian male, I have about 4,000 weeks on this earth. If I am lucky and healthy enough to make it that long, that gives me about 2,500 weeks left. [1] Given the limits of our short existence, why is it … Continue reading Racing Against the Clock: A Meditation on Being Human in a World of Endless Possibility

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planet earth
Pointless Overthinking

Expanding Circles: Spiritual Exercises as a Bridge Towards Cosmopolitanism

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 environment. As humans, we exist in broader networks and are … Continue reading Expanding Circles: Spiritual Exercises as a Bridge Towards Cosmopolitanism

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silhouette of woman reaching the moon
Uncategorized

Erich Fromm on Having Versus Being

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 an individual defines themselves by what they have or own, … Continue reading Erich Fromm on Having Versus Being

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brown landscape under grey sky
Pointless Overthinking

The Meaning of Yin and Yang

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 the ‘bad’, we come to realize the flawed logic of … Continue reading The Meaning of Yin and Yang

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close up portrait of lion
Pointless Overthinking

A Stoic Approach to Fear

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 status in ancient Rome as a politician and financial clerk, … Continue reading A Stoic Approach to Fear

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photo of men having conversation
Pointless Overthinking, Self-awareness

The Wisdom of Being Wrong

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 uncomfortable. We crave certainty and straightforward responses. We are inclined … Continue reading The Wisdom of Being Wrong

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silhouette of person sitting beside body of water
Pointless Overthinking

Marcus Aurelius: On Humility and Duty

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 internet and social media, we long for instant gratification and … Continue reading Marcus Aurelius: On Humility and Duty

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sea waving near sandy coast in evening
Self-awareness

Attention – A Gateway to the Mysteries of the World

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, it dictates what we see and how we interact with … Continue reading Attention – A Gateway to the Mysteries of the World

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Self-awareness

The Flow of Life: The Wisdom of Wu Wei

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 of the river; like running faster and faster as you … Continue reading The Flow of Life: The Wisdom of Wu Wei

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