Living in absolute poverty, the great cynic philosopher Diogenes slept in public places and begged for food. One day, he begged in front of a statue. When someone asked him why he did so, Diogenes answered: “to get practice in being refused.” For a beggar, being denied food is part of his existence. And even […]
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We Worry About Problems We Don’t Even Have
Two people attend a house party, where they socialize with the same guests, drink from the same beer tap, and are exposed to the same music and atmosphere. They decide to share a taxi and drive home when the party is over as they live closely together. “That party really sucked,” one person says. “The […]
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The Loner’s Path
The path of nonconformity is alluring to those who don’t seek to follow the herd known as a society. Instead, they want to make unique individual choices in life, disregarding other people’s opinions and defying society’s norms. And in doing so, they follow their inner compass, their own definitions of right and wrong, and ideas […]
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What Cats Teach Us about Happiness | A Cat’s Philosophy
Most of us would agree that cats and humans are vastly different. We tend to think of ourselves as more developed, as a higher species, not just because of our superior intelligence but also because we gave ourselves the gift of morality and ethics. Unlike cats, we know about what’s good and evil, right and wrong, […]
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Signs of a Toxic Friend | Buddhist Philosophy
At some point in our lives, we begin to question our friendships. Some friendships have stood the test of time and can still be considered sources of mutual enjoyment and growth. But other friends do not seem to add any value to our lives. Or worse: they’re downright destructive. The latter category is often referred […]
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The Social Minimalist | Can we be Happy without Friends?
A minimalist lifestyle concerns itself with minimizing the number of material resources we need to be satisfied. A tremendous benefit of this approach is the reduced cost of living. The less we need, the more time, money, and energy we save. So, can we also apply minimalism to our social connections to gain the same […]
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The World isn’t Nearly as Horrible as We Think (or is it?)
As soon as we turn on the radio or television, or scroll through our social media feeds, a rush of tragic events scourges our minds. From pandemics to street violence, from clashes between countries to changes in climate: if we immerse ourselves in these messages long enough, the world becomes a terrible place. It’s not […]
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The Surest Way Out of Misery | Arthur Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer is infamous for his pessimistic outlook on life. He saw life on Earth as a cosmic disaster and felt that the universe would have been a better place without it. Human existence, as a whole, he compared to a prison sentence. And he also claimed that our lives are not inherently enjoyable but […]
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All I’m Offering Is The Truth | The Philosophy of The Matrix
[This piece contains spoilers] The Matrix, a science fiction film created by the Wachowskis, is probably one of the most influential movies ever made. The story starts when computer programmer Thomas Anderson, operating as a hacker under the alias “Neo,” discovers the truth about the world he’s living in, as he becomes aware of the […]
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Paradoxical Intention (Viktor Frankl)
The neurotic who learns to laugh at himself may be on the way to self-management, perhaps to cure. Gordon W. Allport, The Individual and His Religion Austrian psychiatrist, philosopher, and author Viktor Frankl spent four years in different concentration camps during the second world war. From the ashes of his horrific experiences during his imprisonment […]
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