for thinking people
April 18, 2020
Lord Byron’s “Prometheus” is one of my favorite poems. Once, in a discussion about poetry, someone asked me why. I impulsively replied: “Because ‘Prometheus’ teaches you about not giving a fuck”.
Needless to say, the discussion became lively and several arguments and counter-arguments followed – all polite and civilized, which is rare these days.
I was asked to explain myself. I did. And I decided to transfer the conclusions from that discussion here.
February 1, 2020
Why friends disappear might sound like a social topic. And yet, as you can see, I’ve chosen “Experiencing” as the post category. The reason is that this post is, like every other, entirely selfish.
Don’t get me wrong; if you can find answers to your questions, I’m happy. But first and foremost, this post is a stream-of-consciousness-like effort (not unlike recalling almond trees or Greek coffee) to find answers to my own questions.
Yes, my friends have disappeared. Others have reappeared. Then they, too, disappeared. Years pass, friends come, friends go. I’m definitely not a good example for friendships lasting a lifetime.
You might be tempted to think that I’m the common denominator, hence, I must be part of the reason. You wouldn’t be wrong to think that, but not for the reasons you might expect.
Yes, my friends have disappeared, and I’m the focal point of my friends that disappear. But so is something else: space-time. Blame my academic research interests, but it’s hard for me not to put everything in a space-time box. Humans are temporal beings.
July 28, 2019
For some of you, the point of the title might be absurd. “The difference between nihilism and fatalism?” you might ask with incredulity. “Why, these two are the exact opposite of each other!”
But I’ve learned the lesson well: Never assume anything. This is especially the case when it comes to other people’s ideas. For a long time I naively assumed that if I could see the truth of something, others would too. But, apparently, self-delusion is what many people prefer.
In actual fact, most people to whom I’ve talked about nihilism seem to confuse it either with fatalism or depression. Let’s get this latter part out of the way: depression is, according to the American Psychiatric Association, “a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act.”
Depression is an illness. Nihilism and fatalism are philosophical viewpoints.
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