Showing 604 articles
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 [...]
Against Separation, We Need Trust
Author: Delia Steinberg GuzmánOctober 4, 2014
The word “unify” comes from the Latin unus and facere, “to make one”, that is, to bring together various different parts that are coherent with another, and combine them in such a way that we can achieve a harmonious and homogeneous unity. It is an act of coming closer together, of connection, which, if it [...]
Eclecticism, Searching for Truth Beyond Fanaticism
Author: Jorge Angel LivragaOctober 3, 2014
“Eclecticism” is the name given to the philosophical position which, without objecting to anything a priori, analyzes and considers things, compares and relates them in search of the best of them all, with a view to finally selecting the one that is most qualified as worthy of acceptance. But this clear and concise definition, squarely [...]