philosophy
-
Foxes and hedgehogs
•
1 min read
“The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing,” said the Greek poet Archilochus. No matter how clever the fox is, it still gets caught. Meanwhile, the hedgehog protects itself by curling up under the protection of its spines. Those who can do more may do too much. The advantage of specialization over…
-
Feelings of destabilization
•
1 min read
The glut of information can make us feel powerless. In the age of infinity, which sources are to be trusted? For one, we can count on ourselves. Close your eyes and throw on some headphones. While we may tussle to calm the monkey mind, profound epiphanies arise in the blank spaces of thought. Stillness is…
-
How to doubt your fears
•
1 min read
Fears are the mind-killer. They will eat the soul if you let them have their way. But fear is unavoidable — it’s in your DNA to fight or flight. There are no limits to what the lizard brain can fabricate. The imagination toggles with ‘what if’ scenarios, enduring anxiety before ever experiencing an event. Yet the head…
-
Thinker types: Contrarian versus the individual
•
1 min read
Shall one play the contrarian or the individual thinker? It’s not that interesting to be the rejectionist of the status quo just for the sake of it. What’s more interesting is forming one’s unique style or opinion and projecting that with confidence — minus the bombast, of course. What individuates individuals is their desire to…
-
Assume everything and nothing
•
2 min read
We suffer from a surfeit of choice. An excess of options breeds indecision, the cruelest of frustrations. The result? We end up doing nothing at all. Perhaps inertia is the best solution in these dizzying times. Instead of forcing the issue, we let nature take its course. Yet, life doesn’t move unless we do. It…
-
Into the vortex of interestingness
•
1 min read
We try to put things in the right order so we can find and solve even more problems. The lighthouse in our mind is always moving faster than any dimension of reality. First, we act, and then we deduce. Lessons emerge from all the scars. The impulse to learn more keeps the story of life…
-
Awareness makes all the difference
•
1 min read
With the right instructions, the unfamiliar becomes manageable. We follow the recipe with the hope that the convoluted reality seeps away into the froth. Directions become one less drain on our cognitive load. Yet, had we followed our instincts we may not have gotten lost in the first place. Adhering to Google Maps may lead…
-
Came, saw, and self-conquered
•
1 min read
The choir of one conducts an archaeological dig of the self. What else to expect other than massive truth bombs? The head is the instrument of instruments, yet it can’t outsmart the amygdala. The prehistoric brain fires on all cylinders. The inner-narrative searches beyond the mask anchoring down any Shakespearean stage. The ego has the…
-
Life as protest
•
1 min read
The revolution is in consciousness — passing and going into aliveness with a jolt of caffeine. We can fool the brain into thinking that we’re more jazzed up than we are. But one’s attitude and perspective don’t change overnight. We grow into ruthlessness through restlessness. The audacity of hope is an oddball talent. We once…
-
Ignoring the inner-critic
•
1 min read
We paint from what life gives us. We are the sum total of our experience. But how often do we underthink our motivation and overthink action? Sometimes, it makes sense to think big and pull the life out of ourselves. Stop doubting and start doing The doer is a different breed. Dreams are meant to…
-
Gagging on the dizziness of freedom
•
1 min read
Devoid of context, an abstraction so genuine it steers clear the badge of authenticity. We, meaning-seeking creatures are lost in the dizziness of freedom. We follow an inner narrative only to see it conflict with the ideal stories we tell ourselves. Dreams are saturated with misleading formulas that destabilize our consciousness. The truth lies between…
-
The art of doing nothing
•
2 min read
Relaxation is an art, antithesis to our ‘always on’ culture. But it takes work to do nothing. Those tiny hits of dopamine are addictive. The route to super-consciousness is paved with roadblocks, the least bit unplugging from the maelstrom of 24/7 news and unnecessary push messages. We crave novelty Chasing the rectangular glow for entertainment…