A central theme in the Tao Te Ching is to be soft, fluid, changeable. To be fluid means to be like a child, who has not yet developed self-awareness. Because the child is not self-aware, he does not question his movements and does not lose presence. The more self-conscious you become, the less fluid you … Read more
We are used to classifying behavior as good or evil, but Lao Tzu urges us to reconsider this tendency. Since change is inevitable, so it is impossible for evil to remain evil and for good to remain good. People are capable of amazing transformation in either direction. The Tao, being the natural order of things, … Read more
Chess grand masters win because they don’t make a mistake. Poker players win because they don’t lose their stack. Investors get rich because they don’t go broke when others do. Athletes become stars because they don’t get injured. It is wiser to follow advice that warns you of what not to do rather than tells … Read more
Behave is a book by Robert Sapolsky about the biological underpinnings of human behavior. The Triune Brain Model Your Brain is Part Reptilian, Part Emotional and Part Neocortex A good way to understand how the human brain works is the Triune Brain Model, which divides the brain into 3 parts: 1) The Reptilian Brain (responsible … Read more
In a memorable graduation speech, the writer David Foster Wallace explained the real purpose of a liberal arts education. It is not to download literary and historical data into your brain, but to teach you something much more fundamental: to give you the power to choose what you want to think about at every moment. … Read more
Imagine losing everything you own, your health, and everyone you love. Too depressing, I know. But for the Stoics, this was a daily routine. And not for nothing, the Stoics realized that there was something about human psychology that worked against us. We lose a sense of urgency and relish for life when things are … Read more
“The Nature of Things” by Lucretius is an epic masterpiece of philosophical poetry, exploring the vast expanse of Epicurean philosophy against the backdrop of a universe in constant motion. It unfolds the principles of atomism, the infinity of the universe, the nature of the mind and soul, and human perception, as well as the role … Read more
“Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our actions.” Epictetus These words by the Stoic philosopher Epictetus closely resemble the Serenity Prayer from … Read more
It is difficult to understand the human mind without understanding its pathology. One of the ideas that struck me as odd and pathological is masochism – when people derive pleasure from the experience of pain. Freud defined masochism as any action that brings harm to oneself. At work, the masochist repeats his mistakes or gets … Read more
The Philosophical Trend The Ancient Greeks had much to teach us. They set the foundations that would later transform our moral philosophy, science and politics. But Ancient Greek philosophy was far from homogeneous. There were many competing schools of thought, and they all saw the world in fundamentally different ways. The Stoics were influenced mostly … Read more