Tag: Philosophy + Existence

'Til death do us part

A delightful woman I’m married to sent me this column by Drew Magary from Defector. While primarily a sports website, he answers all types of questions from readers—typically in a fun, playful tone. However, in this edition, he received a more serious, challenging question. A reader named...

Our job is to love others

“Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody’s business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy.” —Thomas Merton

Time is the substance I am made of

“Time is the substance I am made of. Time is a river which sweeps me along, but I am the river; it is a tiger which destroys me, but I am the tiger; it is a fire which consumes me, but I am the fire.” —Jorge Luis Borges

The pleasure of finding things out

“We absolutely must leave room for doubt or there is no progress and there is no learning. There is no learning without having to pose a question. And a question requires doubt. People search for certainty. But there is no certainty. People are terrified — how can you live and not know? It is not odd...

Plutarch’s Ship of Theseus

Throughout the history of mankind, the subject of identity has sent poets to the blank page, philosophers to the agora, and seekers to the oracles. These murky waters of abstract thinking are tricky to navigate, so it’s probably fitting that to demonstrate the complexity, the Greek historian Plutarch...

Our lives are made in these small hours

“The really important ‘great’ events are never center stage of life’s dramas; they’re always ‘in the wings.’ That’s why it’s so essential for us to be mindful of the humble and the deep rather than the flashy and the superficial.” —A Christmas...

In a 1000 years time

Take all fiction and religion books and destroy them.Take all science books and facts and destroy them.In a 1000 years time …

Why I love Han Solo

In a world obsessed with light and darkness, Han Solo lives in the grey. But what I love most is that when courage was required—he was a loyal friend and let that love guide his choices.

The first enemy and the last

“I don’t think it’s our purpose to understand. Except one thing — we’re soldiers. We have to know what we’re fighting for. I’m not fighting so some man or woman I barely know can sit on a throne made of swords…[I’m fighting for] life. Death is the enemy. The first enemy and the last…The enemy always...

What money can't buy

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others’?” —Martin Luther King, Jr.

The religion of kindness

“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.” —Dalai Lama

A Christmas blessing

Love is our greatest treasure. May we celebrate. May we share. May we never tire of doing what is good. And let us always be thankful for the time we have together.

This is water

“This is Water” An excerpt from an address to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College by the late David Foster Wallace. It takes my breath away with every listen. If you are curious about the type of living that I pursue and aspire to – this is it.

Different answers to the same questions

It’s not always necessary to part company when our answers to the same questions differ. But we must always be in pursuit of the wisdom to understand the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, truth and lies.

We are all different and that is beautiful

Why are we so quick to see the ugly…when we stand before the beautiful?