Showing 254 articles
Science and the Media
Author: Florimond KrinsJanuary 14, 2019
For the scientifically and non-scientifically minded alike, the news media provide a commonly used way of getting in touch with new scientific discoveries. Many news media now include a specific science section to keep readers informed of the latest research findings. However, although it is great that many media outlets present such topics, they shouldn’t [...]
“Old into Gold”
Author: Barley MasseyJanuary 14, 2019
At this time in humanity’s evolution, wealthy nations are living through a highly materialistic time. Vast amounts of resources, time and costs are invested into producing, marketing and acquiring “stuff” which then quickly losses its perceived value or becomes obsolete and is discarded. The excavation of ancient rubbish dumps by archaeologists reveals miniscule amounts of ash, [...]
Understanding Gandhi: An Exchange with Dr. Tridip Suhrud
Author: Harianto H Mehta and Manjula NanavatiJanuary 13, 2019
As the architect of a non-violent civil disobedience movement that led to the independence of a nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi has been hailed as a spirited activist, a courageous freedom fighter, and an astute politician. For his own deeply ascetic lifestyle, uncompromising ethical code, and strict adherence to human values, he won the veneration of [...]
Grace
Author: Tarini VaidyaJanuary 13, 2019
Grace has become an old fashioned word, graciousness and courtesy have become old world values, almost valueless in today’s environment. The world has gone über brash. Billboards extoll the ‘virtue’ of Attitude, with a capital A: “Wear your Attitude,” screams one, as though attitude were an aspirational achievement! A young generation has grown up with [...]
Impact of an Idealist: Ela Bhatt
Author: Manjula NanavatiSeptember 30, 2018
One could attempt to describe Ela Bhatt with adjectives: soft-spoken, tenacious, compassionate, dedicated, principled, self-effacing. Or one could use nouns: lawyer, labor-leader, social activist, banker, author, philanthropist. But all these words together still do not comprehensively encompass her visionary foresight, her inexhaustible energy, her unbending strength of purpose, and her [...]
Solitude of the Leader
Author: Rahil MehtaSeptember 30, 2018
“It’s lonely at the top,” said a school-friend in jest on the eve of a school election for which I was nominated. And although I do not know to whom this titbit of wisdom is attributed, I have often contemplated the truth behind these words. In aspiring for the post or role of a leader, [...]
In the Light of Truth
Author: Yaron BarzilaySeptember 30, 2018
Our recent times are characterized by a phenomenon due to which we may refer to it as a Post Truth Era. Not only are the differences between the real and unreal fewer, and less clear, but they are regarded as irrelevant. This seems to be yet another inevitable step downward in postmodernist thinking, and it [...]
Altruism and the Bottom Line
Author: Kurush DordiSeptember 30, 2018
“If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.” – Albert Einstein Today organizations are under more pressure to perform than they have perhaps ever been before. There are pressures from all stakeholders who incessantly demand increasing profitability every year, while at the same [...]
How Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism shaped Chinese Culture
Author: Julian ScottSeptember 14, 2018
In the beginning, so the Chinese legends say, there was only chaos and from this chaos emerged Yin and Yang, two primordial opposing forces which, when they interacted with one another, brought forth the universe. The continuing interaction of these two opposites produced the constant change that characterizes life. For Chinese thought, it is necessary [...]
The Magic of Thoth-Hermes
Author: Agostino DominiciSeptember 14, 2018
The Western esoteric tradition has its roots deeply embedded in a distant past. An important part of this ‘tradition’ has been preserved in the so-called Hermetic teachings also known as Hermeticism. In this article I am going to highlight some basic aspects of the Hermetic teachings focusing especially on its magical aspect. The main sources [...]
Kant and the Kingdom of Ends
Author: Nataliya PetlevychSeptember 14, 2018
In the second half of the 18th century Immanuel Kant formulated a new a golden standard for human relations: “Act in such a way as to treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of anyone else, always as an end and never merely as a means.” This maxim has influenced numerous other [...]
Brushed by God’s Presence
Author: Kurush DordiAugust 1, 2018
For millennia, specific locations around the world have been regarded with fascination and sacredness. Despite all the materialistic opulence and grandeur of some of the most recent human architectural achievements, there remains something awe inspiring about many ancient structures that have stood their ground for thousands of years. For many, even the most grandiose five-star [...]