My ideal is to be free of ideals, free of principles, free of isms and ideologies. I want to take to the ocean of life like a fish takes to the sea.
“I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free.”
I am not exactly sure how I got to know the work of Nikos Kazantzakis. It might be through some letters of Lawrence Durrell or Henry Miller. In either case, I am pretty sure the…
Joseph Brodsky on Boredom
I remember reading somewhere a hypothesis that people stopped killing witches because it became boring. You kill one, or see one of the killings, and what is there to be seen next time?
A Few Notes On The History of Clocks
I accidentally started reading about the history of clocks. First, I stumbled upon a sweet book by Swedish historian Peter Englund. Unfortunately, majority of his books are written in Swedish and aren’t translated into English…
Karl Popper on the Distinction Between Creative and Successful Thinking
“It is by logic that we prove, but by intuition that we discover”, said Henri Poincaré, a famous French mathematician. As an expansion on Poincaré’s succinct thought, Popper gives an unsurprising explanation of the intuition part of creativity…
Jiddu Krishnamurti on the Origin of Fear
The First and Last Freedom is an odd book. Being a collection excerpts from Krishnamurti’s public talks and discussions, its conversational style of writing makes me read it hastily, inevitably returning to reread each paragraph.…
The Difference Between the Ancient and Modern Understanding of History; Or How Faith Can Invent A Science
Polybius was concerned with Rome’s history, i.e., with past events progressing toward the present power of Rome. Modern historians who rank with him are concerned with Europe’s future, when looking backward and searching into her…
How Liberalism Destroyed Itself [Book Review]
… Liberalism’s great failing and ultimate weakness: its incapacity to foster self-governance. Liberal individualism demands the dismantling of culture; and as culture fades, Leviathan waxes and responsible liberty recedes. It’s been a while since I…
Hermann Hesse on the Difference Between Knowledge and Wisdom and Why Balance is Your Enemy
Hermann Hesse should be on any soul-searcher’s reading list. Each exploring one’s authenticity and path to self knowledge, Hesse’s novels help you question, understand and appreciate the uniqueness of everyone’s path in life. In Steppenwolf,…