When the world is scary, find comfort in the teachings of philosophers who knew how to handle a crisis
We often think of philosophy as a bookish pursuit or perhaps as the lifestyle choice of bearded old men living ascetically in caves. But Stoicism — an ancient school of philosophy famously practiced by the likes of Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius — is for the real world, and as we face the coronavirus pandemic, its teachings feel distinctly relevant right now.
When the future is scary and we don’t know what’s next, we can find comfort in the wisdom of those before us, those who’ve endured famine, plague, and natural disasters. …
You can’t get back the time you spend worrying
Have you ever said words to the effect of If only I knew then what I know now?
You’re not the first person to express such thoughts, and you certainly won’t be the last.
Many of us are convinced that if we could go back in time and have a chat with our 20-year old selves, then we could absolutely kill at adult-ing and beyond.
A lot of growth occurs in our 20s. Yet, at 20, we convince ourselves we know everything we need to know and we’re ready to nail it.
It does beg the question, though, what would…
A more insidious form of mass monitoring affects people as soon as they leave their homes
This topic has two sides and raises two questions: First, does the government (or any institution or organization, for that matter) have the right to acquire, store, and access a potentially unlimited amount of information about individuals? Second, do individuals have an unrestricted right to privacy? Obviously, the answers to both those questions cannot be an unqualified “yes.”
Societies’ mores constantly change. The changes are slow and rarely happen simultaneously and evenly across all segments of society. That’s why, when lawmakers enact laws to accommodate such changes, it’s generally long after those laws were first needed. …
Popularity has become its own justification
Our culture has been obsessed with celebrity since celebrities have existed. If there is anything that proves the adage here today, gone tomorrow it’s celebrity. Popularity is fleeting. Just look at a magazine from ten years ago — the faces on the cover are all but forgotten, except for the few stars with staying power.
Every major football star, political superpower, major coach, CEO, or A-list movie star fades from view. They all share this one thing in common — once upon a time, they were wildly popular and then their star faded and they fell from grace.
The cult of the celebrity savior is cracking
It doesn’t matter how many times we get burned, there’s just something about humans that leads us into hero worship. Whether it’s an inspirational person in your life, a fiery politician making their name trying to make a positive change, or an innovator who claims they will use their billions to save the world. You would be forgiven for choosing a hero to admire.
It’s something that we all do and just like every other time, we always end up disappointed when we realize that the hero is, in fact, human. You would also be forgiven for missing out on…
Prove yourself to yourself not others.
Are you constantly striving to prove yourself? It doesn’t seem to matter what you do, it feels as though it’s never enough. A thought that floats through your brain almost constantly. You’ve lost sight of your value as a person, you no longer appreciate yourself, you no longer give yourself credit, your well-being has dipped because you don’t look after yourself properly.
We are in the never-ending cycle of self-abuse. You won’t practice self-care until you achieve more so you give more of yourself in an attempt to find peace, fulfillment, and approval.
It sounds rough, doesn’t it? But how…
There’s something for everyone at CIA.gov
Who would have guessed that the Central Intelligence Agency’s official website would be such an interesting place to visit? And who knew they had a sense of humor? From intelligence reports about unidentified flying objects and presidential assassinations declassified under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to self-deprecating stories about intelligence failures, there’s a wealth of information available for anyone to peruse at CIA.gov. Just scroll down to the links at the bottom of the home page.
The CIA Museum page
Among other artifacts, the museum page features stories about the final hours of the hunt for Bin Ladin, monitoring the Soviet Union during…
In defense of being average.
Sadly, sometimes we all feel as though we are just not good enough. Whether it’s because no matter how hard you worked in school there was always one person that much better. Or, because no matter how hard you seem to work, there’s always someone who gets the nod ahead of you. Or every time you look at social media you see everyone’s happy cookie-cutter lives plastered all over your newsfeed. No wonder you feel average.
When was it, though, that being average became such a crime? It doesn’t feel good to realize you have a long list of shortcomings…
The glory of science is that it’s constantly moving forward.
The first Covid-19 vaccines approved by western government agencies were based on what’s called messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) technology, a process never used before in licensed human vaccines. The vaccines’ rollout generated huge media coverage worldwide. That coverage, however, largely overshadowed the technology’s broader medical significance.
To appreciate that significance, it’s worth first looking at how the Covid-19 mRNA vaccines work. An enzyme called RNA polymerase reads the DNA base of the virus and transcribes it into mRNA. …
Your work is to do whatever it takes to realize that.
Have you ever stopped and wondered why you do the things that you do? Have you ever questioned why you spend so much time consuming content on the internet, television, or social media? It’s easy to get caught up chasing goals.
It’s easy to tell yourself the story that you won’t be happy or complete until you achieve x, y, and z. But what if I told you that you’re not lacking an answer. You don’t need more information or more resources or different people to support your goals.
Do you know how you can stop procrastinating? …
George J. Ziogas
I come from a land down under | Manners will take you where money won’t | HR Consultant | OHS Specialist | Personal Trainer
