Breathing is one of many life functions. But it can also symbolize life as a whole. Breathing is cyclical, and humans go through the cycles of birth, maturation, and death that are common to the other animals. Yet, humans can also "control" or "hold" their breath; they can "take deep" breaths and even "focus on" their breathing. Like many other...
"Perspective" originally referred to a technique in painting that would allow the viewer to view the canvas as if they were looking through a window onto a scene. Today, "perspective" refers both to one's personal "point of view," or way of thinking about things, and to the capacity to view things in their true relations.
One cold winter's day, a number of porcupines huddled together quite closely in order through their mutual warmth to prevent themselves from being frozen. But they soon felt the effect of their quills on one another, which made them again move apart. Now when the need for warmth once more brought them together, the drawback of the quills was...
While the secularization of the public sphere is often considered a hallmark of modern democratic societies, religion has not vanished from contemporary life.
Why, what, and where is "art" today?
With generative AI, people are finding new ways to carry out creative tasks, such as brainstorming, writing, and image making. At the same time, this new technology raises many questions about the nature of creativity.
From novels to gossip, theater to cinema, we all enjoy a good story. Stories can "hook" us; good stories are "compelling." But are stories more than entertainment?
When we say something is "superficial," we often mean that it lacks substance, or that it leaves a washy impression, soon to be forgotten. By contrast, something with "depth" indicates some unchangeable aspect and leaves us with a lasting impression.
For many of us and many of our days, time is structured by deadlines. Some deadlines are hard to meet because the work is quantitatively large. But some deadlines are hard to meet because it is difficult to make ourselves do the work. Delaying such tasks is called "procrastination."
Ambition is a form of desire, characterized by a strength of enthusiasm or commitment. 'To have ambition' means 'to be driven.' On the one hand, some forms of ambition have clear motive forces: for example, some people "are driven by" financial success. On the other hand, some forms of ambition are flexible and adaptable. In that case, when someone...
Get clear. Avoid waste. Stay focused. Go deep.
