Why We Need Contrarians

While the year is slowly approaching its end, and we live through another turn of the annual cycle, it is worth taking some time to reflect. Why do we do what we do? What motivates us to have the dreams that we have? Can we imagine, perhaps even allow ourselves to imagine, a different way? … Continue reading Why We Need Contrarians

Why Is The Lightness Of Being Unbearable?

If you have read Milan Kundera's novel "The Unbearable Lightness of Being", published in 1984, you might have asked yourself this question. Why is the being light, and why is lightness unbearable? Here are my very brief reflections. Don't worry if you have not read the book, there are no spoilers in this post. Just … Continue reading Why Is The Lightness Of Being Unbearable?

Can We Understand Meaning Without Language?

Is language fundamental to our understanding and interpretation of experiences? Can something be experienced as meaningful without our participation in a language-world and its structures of meaning? Would we even consider something an experience if we couldn't make sense (i.e., create a meaningful unity relying on meaning structures we inhabit) of that "something" we encountered? … Continue reading Can We Understand Meaning Without Language?

How Many Opportunities Are Enough?

Big cities offer more opportunities than smaller ones. It is such a familiar statement that it feels almost empty. Yet, we tend to repeat the things best known to us. That is how habits form and are reinforced - repetition. Patterns of thought. Everyday motions that are second nature to us are born out of … Continue reading How Many Opportunities Are Enough?

Greek Philosophers In The British Museum

In the collection of the British Museum, there is on display a row of four philosophers from Ancient Greece. All four busts are Roman copies of lost Greek originals, and all four are more than 2000 years old. I had the chance to visit the museum and took this picture. Meet the philosophical version of … Continue reading Greek Philosophers In The British Museum

Philosophical Quote About Our Self-Understanding

"We always find ourselves within a situation, and throwing light on it is a task that is never entirely finished. This is also true of the hermeneutic situation—i.e., the situation in which we find ourselves with regard to the tradition that we are trying to understand. The illumination of this situation—reflection on effective history—can never … Continue reading Philosophical Quote About Our Self-Understanding

Ikigai Diagram and Your Life Purpose

The ikigai Venn diagram unintentionally became a global phenomenon after its creator Marc Winn combined several other people’s ideas he had heard into the visual and used it in his 2014 blog post. His primary focus was not the Japanese culture’s understanding and experience of ikigai but rather the Western thought of finding your life … Continue reading Ikigai Diagram and Your Life Purpose