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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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 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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Wu-Wei | The Art of Letting Things Happen
Once upon a time, a novice farmer indulged himself in motivational videos. He became familiar with ideas like the importance of ‘effort,’ the ‘hustle culture,’ and ‘work hard, play hard.’ After binge-watching for days, he walked onto his farm, fired up, and determined to make it a great success. He started pulling one of the […]
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Wabi-Sabi | A Japanese Philosophy of Perfect Imperfection
The pursuit of perfection has become the norm in today’s world, where chronic dissatisfaction, burnout, depression, and anxiety reign supreme. We’ve subjected ourselves to unrealistic standards and rigorously chase an ideal that’s impossible to reach. Advertisements show us snapshots of handsome people enjoying their favorite drink dancing among a crowd of fashion models with ever-smiling […]
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Why Pain is Inevitable, but Suffering is Optional
When we think of pain and suffering, we usually think about more or less the same thing. When there’s pain, there’s suffering. And we can only be free from suffering if we eliminate pain, right? Well, even though these two experiences are interconnected, pain and suffering are two fundamentally different things, as far as the […]
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Taoism for Heartbreak
The philosophy of Taoism revolves around letting go, accepting, yielding, and going with the flow. All Taoist sages seem to agree that it’s better to be detached and indifferent, allow change to happen, and move along with life’s constant transformations than to resist change and cling to what’s already in the past. When we are […]
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