Live while you are alive
Epicurus believed, contrary to Aristotle, that death was not to be feared. When a man dies, he does not feel the pain of death because he no longer is and therefore feels nothing. Therefore, as Epicurus famously said, “death is nothing to us.” When we exist, death is not; and when death exists, we are …
Howard Becker is a major figure in American sociology (and also a star jazz player) He is the subject of an article in the New Yorker (January 12) by Adam Gopnik. What particularly drew my attention was his contention that “any social group, insider or outsider, ends up by divorcing itself from the group it …
The British Ministry of Defence has published a “cut out and keep” guide to the hierarchy of military rank after senior officers complained that they were no longer being properly saluted by their juniors. The problem was said to be particularly acute during joint operations, when the Army, Navy and RAF work together. But lax …
A study, called Waiting for Merlot: Anticipatory Consumption of Experiential and Material Purchases, published in Psychological Science, tracked how 100 college students and over 2,200 randomly selected adults felt about material goods and experiences. People got excited about both things and events. But they felt more positive about experiential purchases, and their feelings about material …
Continue reading ‘Experiences more important than buying things’ »
“Despite the enthusiastic example set by their former premier, Silvio Berlusconi, it appears that Italian men are going off sex. According to a study conducted by Rome’s Institute of Clinical Sexology, the number of Italian men seeking professional help for loss of libido has soared 40% in four years. “Until ten or 15 years ago …
