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An Essay on Laziness
Today we rather intended to write an essay on Laziness, but were too indolent to do so. Christopher Morley Christopher Morley was an American journalist, novelist, essayist and poet. Among his works there is one which I particularly found amusing; it’s his essay on laziness. On the one hand, his laziness essay is charmingly eloquent…
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The Unbearable Heaviness of Learning Chinese
Note: Ever since the Chinese incursions became a frequent theme along the Indo-China borders, the thought of what if started spooking those of us who live alongside the Himalayas. This post is a result of yours truly’s repeated efforts at learning Chinese, all of which, sadly, went up in smoke. There are two ways of…
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Do You Have a Moment?
How dreadful boredom is — how dreadfully boring; the only thing I see is emptiness, the only thing I live on is emptiness, the only thing I move in is emptiness. Søren Kierkegaard Kierkegaard is right — only that he lived in the 19th century. Lethargic activity can be debilitating and depressing; but for us,…
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The Meaning of Huzun in Islamic Philosophy
What is the meaning of Hüzün? Orhan Pamuk answers this question in his book Istanbul: Memories and the City. According to Pamuk, it was Hüzün that kept the people of the city rooted in what it was, but at the same time, inspired them to go forth and discover what could be. It is the…
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The Philosophy of Euthanasia
The new era of technology has created knotty ethical dilemmas and agonising choices. One such dilemma is regarding the underlying philosophy of euthanasia. Or voluntary death, in simple words. In 1976, the landmark case of Karen Ann Quinlan focused attention on the issues involved in the process of dying. For a year, twenty-one-year-old Karen had…
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Spirituality for Modern Times
Spirituality, like Science, is a field of research and study. We want to understand ourselves, the world around us, and what it means to be alive on Earth. We want to discover who we really are, and we want to understand our suffering. Understanding our suffering gives rise to acceptance and love, and this is…
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Women in Marco Polo’s Travels
Marco Polo experienced a number of cultural shocks during his travels in the east, especially regarding how women lived in different cultures. Let’s see what he meant.
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A Brief History of the Middle East (Part Four)
In this episode of our History of the Middle East series, we now arrive at the Roman Empire and its influence on the region. Let’s begin then. The next few centuries of Roman rule meant efficiency, good order and justice in accordance with Roman law. The road and tax systems were greatly improved. Egypt became…
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