Book Review: Ikigai The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Ikigai (生き甲斐 Reason for being, Japanese n. Having a clear purpose in one’s life that makes it worthwhile, give one a sense of satisfaction and give meaning to one’s life. Read more on Wikipedia InContinue reading “Book Review: Ikigai The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life”
Tag Archives: Philosophy
Comforting Thought: Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself
To forgive is to assume a larger identity than the person who was first hurt, to mature and bring to fruition an identity that can put its arm not only around the afflicted one within, but also around the memories we carry of the searing emotional blow. We imagine ourselves in the light of ourContinue reading “Comforting Thought: Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself”
Comforting Thought: Doubt is a virtue, certainty is blinkered tunnel vision
If I know, then I don’t need to listen “In our risky society, you have to be sure about things to be heard. You need to issue out confident proclamations: ‘Research shows that serotonin deficiency in the brain is the cause of depression’; ‘We now finally have a diagnostic system that deals with mental illness.Continue reading “Comforting Thought: Doubt is a virtue, certainty is blinkered tunnel vision”
Comforting Thought: The pursuit of our ‘true feelings’ infantilises us
Or to put it more bluntly and less delicately – Fuck your feelings! At least that’s the general idea that I extracted from this quote by Danish philosopher and psychologist Svend Brinkmann. “There is nothing about feelings in themselves that means we must trust them – let alone express them. In an ever-changing cultural situation,Continue reading “Comforting Thought: The pursuit of our ‘true feelings’ infantilises us”
Comforting Thought: ‘Being yourself’ has no intrinsic value whatsoever
It is without a doubt better to be an inauthentic Mother Theresa than to be an authentic Anders Breivik. Indeed, being yourself has no intrinsic value whatsoever. “On the other hand, what does have intrinsic value is fulfilling your obligations to the people around you, with whom you are connected (i.e. doing your duty). WhetherContinue reading “Comforting Thought: ‘Being yourself’ has no intrinsic value whatsoever”
Words and Music: Pets, plants, places and people long for the intimacy of touch
Ka tau te kārohirohi te katoa O te taiao nei I have learned that… Pets, plants and places And people long for The intimacy of the Human touch Kua rongo ake au… Na, tirotiro ana mō te aroha me te rangimārie Mehe e tirotoro ana kei whea te rangimārie ka kitea e Te aroha eContinue reading “Words and Music: Pets, plants, places and people long for the intimacy of touch”
Art shows us that not all scars are ugly
Art has a strange negotiating ability between people, including people who never meet and yet who infiltrate and enrich each other’s lives. It create intimacys; it does have a way of healing wounds, and better yet of making it apparent that not all wounds need healing and not all scars are ugly.
Words and music: A Homage to Tāne
Here I stand in the sacred domain of Tāne I look within the forest for the family To the many birds, to the many trees To all of the creatures of our world For they give life to everyone Tū ana ahau ki te wao tapu nui a Tāne Ka titiro atu ki te whānauContinue reading “Words and music: A Homage to Tāne”
Ancient Word of the Day: Rema
Rema (Shetland Scots) The mirror-calm surface of the sea on a calm day. A body of water with a surface as smooth as cream. Comes from the Scots word “reyme”, meaning “cream”). Rjómalogn (Icelandic) Cream-calm, used to denote profoundly tranquil weather or sea. Arafin (Welsh) Calm or slow weather in Welsh. blikkstille./ blekkstille (Norwegian) AContinue reading “Ancient Word of the Day: Rema”
Book Review: Into the Silent Land by Paul Broks
Genre: Non-fiction, Neuropsychology, psychology. Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Publisher: Allen and Unwin *No spoilers. Into the Silent Land is a non-fiction book about neuropsychology that explores the vast and unknowable terrain of people’s minds. Paul Broks is an English neuropsychologist and writer. This book was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book award. InContinue reading “Book Review: Into the Silent Land by Paul Broks”
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