Live while you are alive
To Epicurus, one of the most important ingredients of a full and happy life was friendship. But he had it easy compared with us. In ancient Greece (ancient anywhere) the population was small, sparse and local. It stayed put, more or less. One grew up with a small number of people and knew them well, …
What is the point of being lucky in life, of being in the right place at the right time, or of inheriting a fortune if you can’t enjoy the money, share it, and have a good time with it? A notable skinflint was Paul Getty, the oil magnate, who, long before cellphones appeared had a …
Yesterday, in beautiful Spring sunshine, I worked in my front gardem, planting flowers. Many people passed by and admired the flowers, but one woman stood there, simply gazing at me in disbelief. She came, I guessed, from Burma. “You are doing your own gardening,” she observed. “Yes”, I replied,” I always do my own gardening” …
“Consider the place of lies in the social economy of life. We all know that lies can keep the peace in domestic life, save embarrassment (to others as well as yourself), calm the frightened, reassure when reassurance is vital, cover important information that the enemy might be seeking, and much more. Lying is not always …
“The study of the past and its follies and failures reveals one surprising ground for optimism. In the long run, the idiots are overthrown or at least they die. On the other hand, creativity and achievement are unique, exciting, liberating and abiding. The discoveries of scientists, the inventions of engineers, the advances in the civility …
