Loneliness is White Loneliness is white, Like a world with nothing in it, And a conversation that you can’t join in. Loneliness is like a dinner for one, And with all this loneliness you’ve gone too. (Poem written by Henry Hanrott, aged 9) Numbers don’t matter. You can feel lonely in a room full of …
A Christmas post about Epicureanism and happiness. The aim of Epicureanism was to help people achieve happiness and live a good life. But how did Epicurus understand the ‘good life’? Epicurus’ idea of happiness is quite different from most recent interpretations of the word. According to him, happiness was to be found only in a …
“There are three classes of men; lovers of wisdom, lovers of honor, and lovers of gain”. (Plato) Epicureans are (or should be) lovers of wisdom, and we will add honor for good measure. The ranks of the lovers of gain, however, are already over-crowded. Epicureans should differentiate themselves by avoiding them.
Education and work have made us all increasingly specialized. The prevalent idea is that we all have to be experts in narrow fields. The other day I came across an Oxford lecturer who specializes in “bad music”. What next? Another lectures in hip-hop, not music, but hip-hop. We are so specialised that we seldom have …
Pope Francis has reached out to atheists and agnostics, reassuring them that the Christian God will “forgive” them as long as they behave morally and follow their consciences. He did so as part of his recent interview with La Repubblica, commented upon previously on this blog. If one has doubts about the existence of a …
