Showing 594 articles
Shakespeare: heaven and hell within us
Author: Zahi GlickJanuary 28, 2015
When we speak about Shakespeare we can refer to him as the Philosopher-Artist. An artist who succeeds, in his work, in investigating the depth of the human existence and his relationship with the gods and the universe. Shakespeare, a wizard of words, is a symbol of an artist whose work lives forever because it touches [...]
The dark side of freedom
Author: Sabine LeitnerJanuary 27, 2015
Freedom is one of those words that are usually perceived as 100% positive. Who does not want to be free? Free from any form of outer coercion or restraint, free to do whatever we want. But is the concept of freedom really so simple? What if we don’t use our freedom wisely? Imagine a fridge [...]
Do We Need Tradition?
Author: Gilad SommerDecember 3, 2014
The word ‘tradition’ comes from the Latin trans + dare: deliver, give across. It refers to the transmission of experience which lies at the base of every established civilization. Today, however, tradition has become a synonym of something which is old-fashioned and obsolete, nothing more than an interesting relic of the past to be put [...]
Two Ways of Beating a Drum
Author: AnonymousNovember 21, 2014
Once upon a time there was a drummer living in a small country village. He heard there was going to be a fair in the city of Benares. So he decided to go there and earn some money by playing his drums. He took his son along to accompany him when playing music written for [...]
Androcles
Author: AesopNovember 21, 2014
A slave named Androcles once escaped from his master and fled to the forest. As he was wandering about there he came upon a Lion lying down moaning and groaning. At first he turned to flee, but finding that the Lion did not pursue him, he turned back and went up to him. As he [...]
A Traditional Tale of India
Author: AnonymousNovember 21, 2014
Once a greengrocer and a potter jointly hired a camel and each filled one side of the pannier with his goods. The camel as he went along the road took a mouthful every now and then, as he had a chance, from the greengrocer’s bag of vegetables. This provoked a laugh from the potter, who [...]
The Wounded Swan
Author: AnonymousOctober 21, 2014
One day when Prince Siddhartha and his cousin Devadatta were walking in the woods, they saw a swan. Quickly, Devadatta drew his bow and shot the swan down. Siddhartha rushed to the wounded swan and pulled out the arrow. He held the bird in his arms and caressed it. Devadatta angrily shouted at Prince Siddhartha, [...]
Proposals for a Better World
Author: Georgios Alvarado PlanasOctober 4, 2014
No one can ignore the fact that we are living in a world in crisis, a world of great changes on the ecological, social, economic and even cosmic levels. On the ecological level, this can be seen in the excessive, irrational and selfish exploitation of the natural resources of our planet Earth. Some of the [...]
Why Can’t We Communicate Our Feelings and Thoughts?
Author: Delia Steinberg GuzmánOctober 4, 2014
One of the many paradoxes in life is that in our age of mass and instant communication, human beings find it increasingly difficult to communicate with each other. Today we can know in just a few hours, or sometimes even in minutes, what is happening on the other side of the world. News reaches us [...]
What’s Easy and What’s Difficult?
Author: Delia Steinberg GuzmánOctober 4, 2014
We usually follow what is easy for us or what we master. However, Seneca argues: “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult”. In order to grow, we have to face the unknown. Why wait? Easiness per se does not [...]
Personality Changes
Author: Delia Steinberg GuzmánOctober 4, 2014
In order to deal with some of the problems that afflict modern societies, a lot of research has been conducted into the changes that the human personality can undergo. Clearly, this is something that concerns us all. However, attempting to define the personality is a difficult and complex task and, for the same reason, it’s [...]
Conviction and Fanaticism
Author: Delia Steinberg GuzmánOctober 4, 2014
We are interested in clarifying the difference we see between conviction and fanaticism, so that each one can judge himself and others more clearly. Conviction is a high commitment – psychological, intellectual and moral – which arises from becoming progressively convinced, founded on good reasons, evidence, experience, supporting models and bases. A person with convictions [...]