Skip to main content

Posts

Top Post

It is never personal, you're not the protagonist

It's so easy to become offended. It actually comes pretty natural. Someone says something.  You feel it's directed at you Strong reaction follows No need to react, it's got nothing to do with you as a person Imagine some remarks about academic work versus manual one, a bit dismissive about the latter. You don't have a degree and never wanted one. You know very well it takes years of experience and training to do what you're doing. Talent is involved too, as some people do have "two left hands".  You still feel you should add something to the conversation, but not sure if it is going to be well-received. No need to enlighten the other party right now Most people think in terms of opposites. If it's not this, it's that and it can't be anything else. Certainty of one's convictions is also a form of self-reassurance that everything is stable in one's world. Other points of view cannot be allowed because they are disruptive. Cognitive disrup

Compulsiveness, the old enemy within

                        It is worth putting up a fight in defence of technology as a liberating force. Various Cassandras are prophesying a future of lives lost to non-flicker screens (before the pixel revolution, the flickering was an aggravating circumstance). With implacable periodicity, a study will unveil to the world cases of 'digital addiction', with most unfortunate consequences. Suddenly, going back to scratching beautiful drawings on cave walls  is desirable pastime and sending messages by word of mouth looks like a sane solution. Some say that technology is a ferocious creature that eats up its children, like ancient Cronus. Mythological allegories are always useful for doomsday scenarios. What if Cronus is actually eaten by its children? Not all of them, just those that would eat too much whatever is put in front of them. I was inspired to turn the allegory upside down by a videoclip with Sadhguru. He makes a very insightful comment about the ti

Two legs good. Is it ?

No words. No, it's not cheat day on daily blog posting.

The advantages of a classical education

We never step twice into the same river, let alone walk in the same forest As an armchair philosopher, quotes attract me. I devour them wherever I come across anything that looks like being a quote (such are the advantages of multiple digital channels), I automatically memorise them and even worse, I use them in otherwise normal conversations. I never tried to go any deeper into the mystery of having such a fantastic memory when it comes to famous quotes, while the same brain does not seem to care about house keys or mobile. Can it be a case of acquiring "fast wisdom", in an age of ads that promote "faster fast food"? Reading a whole book is is a slow experience, and wisdom, if any at all, comes in dribs and drabs. The reader is told lots of metaphors or small facts, goes through the maze of literary infrastructure and at some point, if paying enough attention, stumbles upon the memorable phrase. Take John Milton, for instance. How many people ca

We are all Narcissus (part 2)

Narcissus was about 15 when his adoring mother asked Tiresias, famous for his prophecies, if her son would live to a ripe old age. Tiresias answered in his cryptic way, that old age was within reach if the boy would never recognise himself. Otherwise put, if he would remain totally oblivious of his own appearance. Why was the mother so keen on probing the future? Was she anxious that her son’s beauty would give rise to jealousy in others, potential rivals in a girl’s affections? This seems to be the most linear explanation, but something is missing. Did the mother keep the boy away from anything that would reflect back his image? Ovid’s Metamorphoses do not provide any clue. All we know is that Narcissus kept rejecting any amorous advances, spurred by an ego that could not find anyone satisfactory enough. Hubris never went unpunished in the Classical world and Narcissus was no exception. At the end of a hunt, his thirst made him stop by the clearest of spot of water that had

We are all Narcissus (part 1)

How can anyone not be fascinated by the origin of words? Half of misunderstandings and miscommunication would disappear. The other half would be sorted out painlessly, usually round dinner tables or in cafes. Take photography for instance, and its fast-growing progeny, photos. Thank heavens for digital photography, otherwise the end of the world could come from a deluge of photo prints.  Dictionaries tell us that 'photography' comes from two Greek words which, taken together, mean "drawing with light'. It is such a delicate, almost diaphanous combination. Unfortunately, the weightless, imponderable nature of photography is not felt beyond its name. Once it's taken, a photo becomes the object of continuous scrutiny and if it is a portrait, or just a snapshot, recriminations and self-abuse follow. "You should have told me you're taking a photo", "I told you I didn’t like my photo taken', "Let me put on some make-u

Mobile-friendly not

A very short blog post, as befits the non-mobile friendly template. Honest, I would have thought that in this day and age, whenever inspiration takes us, we can just let run free and wild. Not on mobile.

Mourning becomes us

I don't know how to write about death without using words which have already been exhausted by intensive use. I don't want to be original either,  it would be a terrible act of self-indulgence and ultimately psychopathic behaviour. For short, I have no idea how to express what I feel whenever I hear of someone's death, especially when it is someone close. Am I saddened by their fate or mine? The realisation that someone is no longer within reach, be it remotely, always comes as a surprise.  It is hitting the same nerve, imaginary or not, that never learns. Sudden deprivation, loss of a certainty, however vague and infrequently remembered, fear of one's own inevitable death? No, fear is not the right word, although it has been mentioned by many as the dominant emotion when confronted with news off someone's demise. There must be something different, heavily tinged, at times, with the guilt of not having made that phone call or visit. Pre-death behavio