Showing 116 articles
To Be Or Knot To Be
Author: Aidan MurphyJuly 21, 2020
The Legend of the Gordian Knot tells us of an ordinary man named Gordias who rode into the centre of the Phrygian kingdom on his simple ox-driven cart, unaware that a recent prophecy would announce him, as the newest arrival in town, to be declared King. So the capital was renamed Gordium and Gordias went [...]
Give Me Strength & Gratitude!
Author: Akanksha SanghiJuly 20, 2020
As I began to reflect on how our way of living had changed literally overnight when the lockdown was announced in Mumbai, I realised that like most people, I went through various stages of emotions, doubts, and concerns. There were moments of uncertainty, and confusion about the future, the health of loved ones, the suffering [...]
Dare to Live in Harmony
Author: Shraddha ShettyJuly 20, 2020
The times that we have experienced together in the last few months have been unique. There is no doubt that it has been challenging for many, but my attempt in this article is to highlight the special opportunities that I discovered even in such moments. Due to the lockdown across the world, many were physically [...]
Is Being the Highest Giving ?
Author: Sukesh MotwaniJuly 20, 2020
Deeply inspired by great philanthropists in our times, one often struggles with the dilemma of how and what we can do in terms of charity or social service. Generally, such noble intentions first veer towards sending supplies and relief material to victims of natural disasters, accidents or riots. One might also perhaps commit a part [...]
Fortitude in the Face of Difficulties
Author: Delia Steinberg GuzmánJune 13, 2020
When 2020 began, we did not yet know the extent of the difficult times we would have to face. A short time later came the spread of a pandemic, which affected most – if not all – countries in the world, showing that in such cases what we regard as differences do not exist. We [...]
From Obstacle to Opportunity
Author: Gilad SommerJune 1, 2020
A Story of Exile The year was 65 AD, a little less than a hundred years after the assassination of Julius Caesar and the foundation of the Roman Empire. Musonius Rufus, the foremost Stoic philosopher of his times, known by some as the “Roman Socrates”, was accused by emperor Nero to have participated in a [...]
Altruism Exists, and We Need to Cultivate it
Author: Sabine LeitnerApril 26, 2020
There are two quotes from the book Altruism – the Science and Psychology of Kindness by Matthieu Ricard that sum up what is wrong with our world. “To change what we do because something is going to happen in one hundred years is, I would say, profoundly weird.” This was a comment made by the [...]
Motivations
Author: Delia Steinberg GuzmánApril 25, 2020
This subject can be looked at from two angles: being motivated or being unmotivated. Both are expressions that we hear about every day, on different occasions and in relation to many aspects of life. Motivation or lack of motivation affect everyone, including those who have the teachings of a Philosophical Ideal available to them, but [...]
Epigenetics: Taking Responsibility for our Lives
Author: Fernando SchwarzApril 17, 2020
Most scientists used to be convinced that living beings were simply the product of their genes and that we were predetermined and condemned to suffer by a genetic program inherited from our ancestors. The last 20 years of research in the life sciences have completely overturned this belief. They have shown that we can have [...]
The Cancer of Separatism
Author: Delia Steinberg GuzmánApril 17, 2020
When we argued some years ago in our writings and lectures that a new Middle Ages was approaching, the prediction seemed exaggerated and almost fatalistic. We also explained at the time that the repetition of historical cycles did not necessarily have to be seen as a calamity or regression, but as part of the natural [...]
Hoarding Books Versus ‘Living’ their Wisdom
Author: Sukesh MotwaniDecember 31, 2019
I confess: I love seeking knowledge. I read a lot, and also hoard many more books than I can actually read…I am a bibliomaniac. Thomas Frognall Dobson spoke of this fictional “neurosis” that prompts an obsessive desire to collect books. (1) But there is a more fascinating Japanese word for it: Tsundoku, which essentially is [...]
New Year Resolutions And The Power of Will
Author: Malini NairDecember 31, 2019
I am going to quit white sugar. I am going to learn to play the guitar. I am going to lose 10kgs. Sounds familiar? Traditionally the period of transition into the New Year is celebrated with such resolutions. Gym memberships surge in the first week of January, as do the crowds at gyms…only to taper [...]