Category: Life (page 1 of 2)

July 17, 2024 / 0 Comments

Finding purpose outside of work

In our modern age, our lives depend on work, so much so that many of us question our sense of purpose. The economy is built on profit and competition which sees people’s lives depend entirely on their wages. Work-life today means more than household chores but a lifetime spent earning and living. It means having a career – an identity where we earn and spend most of our hours and days away from our family and serving the economy. The established status quo, where we are raised from schooling to work life, would lead us to assume lasting fulfilment is around the corner, possibly found in the workplace. It’s no surprise the talk of who we are comes down to talking about what job or career we pursue. However, the meaning of who we are is not found nor established in our work life. The jobs or career paths we take are mostly circumstantial, carved by events and constraints, at times borne out of a necessity to make a simple living. This is not anti-work but an important reminder that our purpose and meaning stem from places beyond our alienating economy, in our personal lives concerning how we think, communicate and enjoy our spare hours. This article seeks to highlight the lack of purpose in modern work life in which many of us are replaceable numbers. It will then be emphasised that the way we spend our spare hours has a major impact on feeling and maintaining self-worth. Finally, the article will offer some advice for finding passions and building character.

February 20, 2024 / 1 Comment

Is Stoicism still useful today?

With the many different paradigms of human life, the struggle to define a good life has forever been debated. What really is a good life? For all we know of poverty, deprivation and destruction, the qualities of individual peace and harmony are far more than material – our psyches, physical well-being, social belongingness, friends, and family. The list goes on to prove the core pillar lies spiritual. Our current times remind us more than ever that no number of indulgences in food and entertainment, nor developments in Artificial intelligence and technology, can silence worry and sadness. In the real world, of prevailing good and evil, the answer is not utopian happiness but a much bigger mix of individual fulfilment. The ancient Stoics realised this millenniums ago and it is through their philosophical discussions and debates we arrive at the same position, wanting the good life. Stoicism today, however, goes overlooked as being impractical and sterile from the present-day luxuries and social divisions. This article seeks to explain Stoicism, and its core tenets and argue it remains a strong force against today’s overwhelming consumer and information age. As a mental framework for daily living, it offers inspiration to remain principled, yet pragmatic in life’s precarious journey. To uphold essential virtues of good character and conduct through an ever-changing world.

August 17, 2023 / 0 Comments

The Importance of Responsibility and Restraining Pleasure

There is no life without responsibility. The modern age with its all glamour has found itself with an entitlement culture. With instant internet access, video-streaming content, next-day, orders, food choices, and more, many of us could hardly imagine living with less. The vacation of spirituality and religion in a secular materialist world has dragged many into passive consumerism and ditching life’s greater responsibilities. The Western world today finds itself battling its own ideological, spiritual and political fractures. Divided and polarised, what society needs is a return of responsibility and virtue. The duty to oneself and others mixed with a standard for moral excellence has left a compromising chase of individual desires. This article seeks to argue there is greater self-belief and mental peace in embracing responsibility. By striving for a deeper shared understanding of duty and change through moral virtue, we can all tame our expectations of the world. In turn, we may discover there is more contentment and joy to reap from our developing world.

February 25, 2023 / 0 Comments

Why you must fail to succeed – failure as a step to success

There is no succeeding without failing. You probably have heard it countless times from cliché quotes and inspiring speeches about the need to get up and keep going. This general lesson of perseverance, however, comes mostly with images and stories and rarely an explanation as to why stumbling in life is okay. There persists for many an overwhelming fear and shame around failing, only made worse by the glam and hustle culture promoted online. The concern about failure reaches such levels even the currently successful confess to being afraid of pushing further in life because of the potential risks and shame from family and friends in tasting their first defeat. Today many people suffer from this symptom of portentous failure. Whether you are yet to fail or already have, the fear of succeeding has become symptomatic in the social media age. We see the dream lives of celebrities and YouTubers, extraordinary never-seen-before projects, and unimaginable wealth. It is easy to get lost amongst the grand ideals and images of success. We must all get comfortable with failing if we want to pursue lasting success throughout life. This article seeks to remind others that failure is a necessary stage to success in many parts of our lives- by failing we can learn, discover, appreciate and push.

December 17, 2022 / 2 Comments

The Pursuit of Success: small-steps and self-improvement

There are many times in our lives when we can feel left behind. Today’s glamorous world tells us whatever we are doing is not enough. The mark of excellence, achievement and the weight of the rich and powerful stand tall and wide. The globalised world, where our work, lifestyles and knowledge get put into a polyarchy of competition. They show us that progress is not only far but also material. It would appear for anyone to be of relevance they must be capable of reporting back a competing list of extraordinary achievements, wealth and status. There is nothing inherently wrong with striving to be the world’s best. However, chasing success for its own sake can be destructive. For a start, there is no finish line as commonly perceived. The chase will always continue, so you best be sure what you are doing is worth your time. Many soon discover their popular image of success still leaves them unfulfilled. Success in its popular perception derives from a perception of others, failing to consider the more important, personal element- self-improvement. Today’s pressure to succeed now reaches overwhelming levels. The constant pressure to keep up with our peers raises the question- have we all become lazier or are we just chasing too much in a world that never stops demanding? Dr K from his YouTube channel HealthyGamers deconstructs the left-behind mindset, revealing the ways the popular perception of success gives way to deep-seated fears and obstacles. We can learn achievement/success through only social comparisons can become our worst enemies. Success must come from a deeper hunger to improve oneself. By shedding light on the importance of delayed gratification, acceptance and gradualism, success can be a proactive process for everyone. In this way, more of us can stop dwelling on failure and work to bring change in ourselves and others.

August 28, 2022 / 1 Comment

What is an HSP- reframing our understanding of sensitivity

In 2018, the Oxford English Dictionary added a new meaning to a snowflake- “an offensive word for a person who you think expects special treatment or is too sensitive to criticism and easily upset”. The polarised political scene, amidst global change and crises, has pushed a series of attacks on the age of millennials and gen-zs. It is not too surprising to hear another rant about today’s youth being described as too sensitive, lazy, stubborn and compulsive. The extent to which this is true or not, a question emerges what does it mean to be too sensitive beyond the political scene, in the mind and body? I recently encountered the term HSP- a highly sensitive person and learned there can still be surprising acceptance for sensitivity, including using this personality trait as a strength in today’s precarious times. In her seminal work, The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You (1996), Dr Elaine Aron takes the reader through neurology and psychology to show sensitivity is not just about tantrums and stubborn children. The characteristic of being highly sensitive reveals an ability to process the world at a deeper level, possessing an intuition to notice and react to the world in greater detail. Her study beginning in 1991 continues to be a foundation for harnessing not denigrating sensitivity in its strengths and battles in improving mental health.

June 5, 2022 / 0 Comments

Being introverted should not mean loneliness

Being introverted is not the same as being lonely. Despite living most of my adult life alone, withdrawn from all social settings, I now realise this is not healthy. The digital age has been a gift to introverts like me. There are more ways than ever to tune out from the world and enjoy our presence. Yet by relying on more escapes, does disconnecting from people go further than just being introverted? Introverts may already be overlooking their loneliness. The condition reaches points deeper than mere social isolation- disconnection from people and reality. This article hopes to open the discussion about loneliness and make serial introverts question if a solitary life is really what they want. I do not mean to toxify the desire for alone time but to remind everyone about the need for human love and companionship in a fast-moving world. Loneliness is a deep issue, transcending personality types. The duty falls on us to help each other discover meaning through friends, family, neighbours, colleagues, social groups and more.

February 14, 2022 / 1 Comment

Break Time and Video Games

In a world that never stops demanding, everyone needs a worthy mental escape. Each year seems to bring more responsibilities as we age and explore discover new directions in life. Many of us begin to realise how little time and energy is left to ourselves. The narrowed space leaves us to crave for a widening escape, to forget about the world’s troubles and be entertained. Some dash off to party their night away, others reach for the beer bottle, while most just crash on their sofa binge-watching their favourite series. What about gaming?! I understand how we relax is not a comparison and will always depend on time and interest. But it is strange to see how few of us express video games as being a good mental break. Video games can be a healthier, more stimulating and social experience than many other choices. This blog post takes time to express appreciation for the world of gaming, its development and its offering.

December 29, 2021 / 1 Comment

The Age of Information- Postmodernism and Uncertainty

Anxiety and the modern world. In the age of information, we live in a realm of ever-increasing change and intelligence about the world. We know far more about each other, the history, culture and rights that intertwine and make us strive for a better world. But not all changes and information make us better. A generation now sits absorbing headlines trying to keep up with myriad demands and pressures, all without a second thought. Many studies point towards rising anxiety and depression as features of the modern world- a ‘silent epidemic’ where expectations and social pressures rapidly change over a compressed time. This blog post takes some time to reflect on today’s age of information. The struggle to find an identity appears submerged in information excess. More people feel lost, empty and lonely. There is so much to know, so many opinions and seemingly infinite doubts about where we belong. In a fast-flowing world, finding a spiritual ground and disconnection appears vital to managing today’s information storm.

September 27, 2021 / 1 Comment

Anxiety and Uncertainty

Anxiety wrote this article. The culmination of stress, worry and doubt has always been difficult to encapsulate and express. The feeling is often too melancholy. I refuse to give in and remember writing remains the strongest outlet for the feelings and thoughts buried inside me. Today’s movement for mental health encourages me to share my experience. Anxiety is a normal response; humans naturally feel worried and doubt when faced with uncertainty. The modern age, however, brings new pressures, an overabundance of expectations, interactions and information that are all too difficult to restrain. I describe my experience, conversing through the first anxious responses to the deeper-seated anxiety found in social interactions. I then explore some means to managing anxiety. A paradoxical truth remains, more exposure to uncomfortable situations forms the primary means to overcoming fears and doubts. One may still desire an immediate prognosis which Action Commitment Learning offers through brief practical steps. The battle with anxiety may not be about eliminating such feelings entirely but managing how it affects us.

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