We're so close to the stories we tell ourselves about our own lives that we often can't see beyond them. If you're like me, you've probably faced a problem that seemed to be the most important problem that anyone on the planet was facing at that time. You're so embedded…
There’s a common argument in favor of the emotion of anger that suggests it’s a useful propellant to prompt action. The claim, in other words, is that it can motivate us to do things we would otherwise have hesitated to do or not done at all. While that may be…
The Stoic sage refers to the person who is perfect in their practice of Stoicism. The sage, for example, meets the high Stoic standard of always acting according to virtue. As such, the sage achieves a state of happiness (eudaimonia) and isn’t susceptible to harm from unpredictable workings of Fate.…
If you’re anything like me, socializing can sometimes feel like the last thing you want to do. Maybe yesterday was littered with frustrating interactions or you know you’re going to bump into a difficult personality this afternoon. Whether today is one of those days or not, Seneca gave us good…
The Courage to be Disliked is a self-help book by Japanese writers Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga that takes the form of a fictitious conversation between a young student and a wise philosopher. Dissatisfied with life, the youth visits the philosopher to learn about the simplicity and happiness that are…
One of the few social media accounts I check every day is that of Niall Harbison (Instagram / Twitter / Substack). Originally from Ireland, Niall now lives in Thailand where he feeds and rescues street dogs. His mission is to save 10,000 dogs a month as he tries to scale…
Desire has a reliable way of making us view our lives through the lens of what we don’t have. This lens obscures from our sight the many blessings we already have and puts us into a discontented state of ungratefulness. There’s a passage in Invisible Cities, Italo Calvino’s novel in…
Becoming a Saint If you’re familiar with the work of Kurt Vonnegut, you’ll know he had a wonderful knack for crafting beauty out of very simple words. He did this not just in his books, but also when giving talks (this one is my favorite) and recounting conversations. Another source of…
Begin at once to live, and count each day as a separate life. These are Seneca’s words from his 101st letter to his friend Lucilius. The message the Stoic philosopher was sending to his friend was that the future is unsure for everyone and that only Lucilius’s lack of focus…
Young Plato is a documentary film that charts the dream of Elvis-loving school headmaster Kevin McArevey. Using philosophy, the maverick teacher sets out to change the fortunes of an inner-city community plagued by urban decay, sectarian aggression, poverty, and drugs. The all-boys primary school Holy Cross in post-conflict Belfast, Northern…