I am part of a unique generation. Or so we were told. Insofar as I can deduce from the literature of previous generations, my contemporaries were virtually the first wave of children to be told — practically en masse — that “You are special. You are unique. There is no one else in the world like […]
Are you capable of reflective, constructive self-criticism? Here’s the test: think about a proposition you believe as true. It can be anything, for example… Apple products are superior to Microsoft. Human carbon emissions are increasing global temperature. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The New York Yankees are the best team in baseball. Herbal […]
It seems that from the beginning of our existence we are judged by this nebulous criteria known as “success.” Even before our birth our parents determined themselves (and were critiqued by others) as to whether they would be “successful” in their plight of rearing children. No matter who is describing success, it is usually exemplified […]
The most effective delusion is the one which holds you captive to the illusion of your own freedom. For if your freedom depends on a certain belief, ideology, device or lifestyle — if you can’t truly be free without it — then are you not actually a prisoner to it?
Somebody produced an image1 that went viral throughout corners of the Internet. The graphic is comprised of an enlargement of Facebook’s Like button, under which is cited this passage from George Orwell’s novel 1984: ‘Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall […]
Question: Should achieving happiness be the primary pursuit of your life? Srikumar Rao thinks so: In some way, shape, fashion or form you are devoting your entire life to being happy. Everything that you do — your job, family, children, relationships, whatever — is a quest for happiness.1 The Dalai Lama agrees: I believe that the […]
After you… photograph the present; record the present; video the present; check-in at the present; ’Like’ the present; tag the present; tweet the present; post the present; share the present; comment on the present; …is it still the present?
“How many of you expect to die?” she asked. The audience fell silent, laughed nervously and only then, looking one to the other, slowly raised their hands. “Would you prefer to be old when it happens?” she then asked. This time the response was swift and sure, given the alternative. Then Dr. Lynn, who describes herself as an […]
Walking is probably the most thought-provoking way to travel. Of all the methods used to get from one place to another, traveling by foot exerts the least demand on the mind, prompting contemplation. The ancient Greek word for walk, peripateō (literally, “tread around”) was used to describe the actual physical act of putting one foot […]
Is a “status update” made for the benefit of the sender or the receiver? For whom is a tweet intended? The question calls to mind Jacques Lucan’s interpretation of The Purloined Letter: …the sender, we tell you, receives from the receiver his own message in reverse form. Thus it is that what the “purloined letter,” […]