A Viable Alternative to ‘World Order’?

Some see – globally – either order or disorder and chaos. I see a better solution in a dynamic striving for order that never reaches it entirely but continues dancing around it. This would be a beautiful dance ‘from the inside out’ in which all people can participate. Apparently, we are going from bipolar to Read the full article…

Please be free and brave.

Many people aim to be ‘meaningful from the ground up.’ One cannot be so without being free. One cannot be so without being brave. Being ‘meaningful from the ground up’ is my interpretation of what ‘the free and the brave’ strive for. Of course, it is basically genuine to do so. It should be no Read the full article…

Silos of Babel

I see not one Tower of Babel to start with but many silos. I see not a dispersal at the end of the road but a coming together in worldwide Compassion. At least, this is something to strive for. It seems to me there are many towers of Babel at present. We call these ‘silos’ Read the full article…

From Inner to Outer Peace

Inner peace can flow into peace between people and peoples. Peace is more than the absence of something. It’s a constructive striving for a better world ― knowing that things can quickly deteriorate without this striving. Therefore, to be really durable, there needs to be profound motivation. Surface-level motivation may come and go with the Read the full article…

A Life is a Life

Whether an American, a European, or an African life, a Russian or a Ukrainian life, a Palestinian or an Israeli life — any life. This assertion is so logically obvious and, at the same time, so emotionally contentious. Yet, especially every world leader should take it at heart. Beyond small-circle empathy Getting beyond this is Read the full article…

The 999 + 1 Doors Principle

If all doors are closed to a beautiful space behind the wall, yours is most important. You should not look at the others to keep yours closed ― easier said than done. It’s innate to the human being to be one of the 1000. Historical herd mentality It’s probably a survival reflex ― therefore, Darwinian. Read the full article…

Will Lisa Bring More Work?

At any time, A.I. (including coach-bot Lisa) must support people in the diverse needs presently met by their work. From that ethical basis, we can consider the short and long term. It’s interesting in this regard to make a conceptual difference between work and job. New developments may simultaneously lead to fewer jobs and more Read the full article…

Universal Declaration of Human Values?

No, I won’t solve this problem now, especially since that’s impossible. Nevertheless, we must make valuable strides. How else are we going to see human-A.I. value alignment? One critical stride is the insight into how difficult it is to develop such a declaration ― at least in a sustainable way, even though it’s getting highly Read the full article…

We Didn’t Know ― but We Could Have Known

The first assertion is frequently used as an excuse. But is it enough? This issue is getting more and more consequential with enhancing technological possibilities. When Albert Speer – ‘Hitler’s architect’ – was asked after the war whether he knew the atrocities the Jews were undergoing years before, he answered that “whether he knew” was Read the full article…

Better A.I. for Better Humans

While we need to be afraid of non-Compassionate A.I., the Compassionate kind is necessary for a humane future ― starting as soon as possible. Please read about why we NEED Compassionate A.I. (C.A.I.) in general. In this text, I pass concretely along some fields. In each, the primary focus naturally lies on the human complexity Read the full article…

Asking for a Donation

Philanthropy is about so much more than a financial transaction. It is an occasion for letting humaneness flow and flourish. This may reflect in how a fundraiser asks for a donation. Please read In-Depth Philanthropy. The intellect and the heart One may rationally conclude that the best giving is maximally based on rationality. Many people Read the full article…

One Compassion ― One World

America first ― China first ― Europe first ― Russia first ― all nonsense at first sight. ‘Compassion first’ is central to the only humane future. How do we get there from the present-day worldwide divides that seem to increase? Please note: Compassion is SO much more than pity. It is also much more than empathy Read the full article…

What if All People are OKAY?

In this counterintuitive case, one can ask WHY it is counterintuitive. Spoiler alert: lack of insight. Please put aside a possible first dislike of the idea of ALL people being OKAY. It’s a mind experiment — meant to clarify a way of thinking. Lack of insight Since many people think others are not OKAY – Read the full article…

Cultural Roaming

In AURELIS philosophy, the end of the line is not culture but the total person — the individual (un-divided). Culture must serve nature. See: Culture and Nature. One’s culture can be an essential part of one’s being. This mostly happens outside of one’s personal insight ― not a bad thing, principally, since it can strengthen Read the full article…

Culture’s Motivation

Culture is a complex set of ‘living patterns’ that unifies/binds a group of people. This group can be an entire society or any concrete organization. Being motivational means that it has its own volition ― a challenging situation. Please read first: Motivation at the Center of Life Culture ― motivation ― life? Several insightful philosophers Read the full article…

Against Reductionism

Science is about a search for simplification. The danger is an oversimplification — reductionism. In this text, I use the term ‘reductionism’ as a synonym for the oversimplification we are discussing. Parsimoniousness That’s the highbrow term for the above genuine search. In the philosophy of science, it is seen as one of science’s ultimate goals. Read the full article…

The Wrong Experts

The basic cognitive illusion makes us not see what is always there. Domain experts may be especially prone to this precisely because of their conceptual expertise. Thus, where the mind is invisibly involved, the experts of the day are occasionally the wrong experts. Experts are necessary. This text should not give another impression. We need Read the full article…

The Big Mistake: Mere-Ego vs. Total Self

To me, this is the biggest possible mistake. Unfortunately, it is made ubiquitously and runs culturally deep. Please also read about Inner Dissociation – Ego – Total Self. I think, therefore, I am. [Dixit René Descartes, °1596] But who is the I who thinks, therefore, is? If this isn’t clear, the rest follows in obscurity. Read the full article…

From Inner Dissociation to Many Why’s

The COVID era reminded me that most people usually do not profoundly look at themselves even though it’s what they would profoundly want. Why such a seeming contradiction? The religions-exercise Around 80% of people on the planet believe in a conceptual religious phenomenon — for instance, some God with a name or a face or Read the full article…

The Difference between Work and Job

A job is a job. Work is, broadly seen, the production of something meaningful within a specific structure and using energy. In this sense, work has been essential to life from the start of life itself. The essence of life is 1) to use energy, 2) to do so within a specific structure, and 3) Read the full article…

Let Us Go for Science with a Heart

Human-related science has, until now, not always taken the view from the heart. A.I.-based science may profoundly change this picture. If you are an avid reader of my blogs, this one has little new. Yet by putting things together from a different perspective, a new picture may emerge. Reproducibility Science is about many people being Read the full article…

Super-A.I. and the Meaning Crisis

I don’t know how things will evolve, especially with those unpredictable humans. But it is clear that we are in a meaning crisis at present, globally. With the advent of super-A.I., soon enough, what shall we do? Please read about the meaning crisis. We use(d) to get meaning from fairy tales. No lack of them. Read the full article…

Super-A.I. and the Problem of Truth Governance

Until now, the truth has always been a philosophical conundrum. With the advent of super-A.I., we’re only at the beginning of the problem. Who decides what is or isn’t the truth if objectivity gets lost? ‘Truth governance’ is a new term, denoting the core of this question. Whence objectivity? Let’s start this story somewhere, as Read the full article…

Are You a Trekkie?

Star Trek (popular TV series) is about a future in which a specific economic-moral worldview has been realized ― also shedding light on today’s capitalism. No money In the Star Trek world, there seems to be no need for money anymore. Not just the physical money, credit cards or anything. Also the very concept of Read the full article…

Does Anxiety Dictate Society?

Unfortunately, it does so to a considerable degree all over the world. Much of what seems barely understandable becomes clear from this viewpoint. For instance: Why bullying is and remains so rampant at schools, organizations, politics, religious environments, etc. Why many people use their precious voting rights to vote against their own interests ― no Read the full article…

In-Depth Philanthropy

Specific characteristics of human depth-related projects make them more challenging as well as more important for philanthropic cooperation. Doing good isn’t easy. It’s certainly not as easy as it frequently seems. Donating to good causes doesn’t necessarily lead to a better world, especially if the main drive is little more than a warm feeling. This Read the full article…

Giving Peace a Chance

In this video, I bring you some AURELIS-congruent ideas about peace, on the occasion of World Peace Day 2022. [animated video – 13:18′] If you have feedback, please let us know. Here is the full written text. Hi, my name is Jean-Luc Mommaerts. I am a physician with a Ph.D. in Medicine and a master’s degree Read the full article…

Eco-AURELIS

AURELIS is about inner growth. Therefore, it is a ‘green project.’ Healing oneself and healing the planet is the same. As a project, AURELIS is about being aware of this. This is about how green is your mind. This is about sustainability from the inside out. This is about how AURELIS can help or may Read the full article…

Responsibility of Humanism in Modern Times

This responsibility has always been huge ― perhaps even more so in modern times with many essential changes happening, and probably even more (and more essential) to come in the near future. Humanism: the striving to put the total human being at the first place of importance, therefore not a god or religion, nor some Read the full article…

The Cause of War

Worldly factors are causes only inasmuch as they are related to human motivations. No money, oil, or invisible borders wage war ― only humans presently do, and only humans can stop the waging. No pacifism Pacifism would mean choosing a greater evil just for the sake of not-fighting. I prefer the lesser evil. Meanwhile, when Read the full article…

Planetarianism

Own people first. My people = everybody. The aim of planetarianism is to unite without diminishing diversity ― thus to strive for one human culture with due respect for regional cultures. For this, we seek growing embeddedness in a philanthropic ecosystem of giving and taking. For a PowerPoint about the growing project of Planetarianism, click Read the full article…

DailyTwinkles to Planetarianism

The DailyTwinkles project forms an ambitious AURELIS subproject, reaching and connecting people in forty different languages. The aim is to support people to connect in-depth. In accord with the AURELIS philosophy, people are invited to value a combination of rationality and depth – each without detracting from the other – across cultural borders, toward planetarianism. Read the full article…

The Belief in Progress

Some people believe that a profound belief in progress is necessary and even ethically mandatory. To them, one is – or at least looks like – a wrong person if one doesn’t follow. Belief in progress may be needed to surmount societal crises ― as arguably happened in the past. It may counter societal post-traumatic Read the full article…

Costly Ego

Mere-ego is by far the most costly thing on Earth: annually, trillions of Euros, millions of human lives, and an unfathomable lot of human suffering through disease, war, and other mishaps. Moreover, it possibly leads to the end of the human species soon enough. See: The Story of Ego Unfortunately, this is no exaggeration. Also, Read the full article…

Disconnected Childhood

With so many disconnected adults, who will take care of all the disconnected children? To what kind of adulthood are they, in turn, growing up? Disconnection = inner dissociation and its immediate cause+consequence of not being able to properly connect with one’s surroundings, including meaningful others. Children are natural bombs of spontaneity The smiling and Read the full article…

Is Your Wanting Yours?

It feels so mainly because one isn’t conscious of the many influences that eventually shape one’s wanting. But is it, and should it? Theory and practice In theory, if you count genetics to these influences, external forces shape and mold every wanting. This ends the concept of free will ― in theory. A way out Read the full article…

Cultural Norms vs. Inner Strength

Historically developed cultural norms frequently have cultural welfare as their primary aim ― not, therefore, necessarily the Inner Strength of individuals. History of Homo sapiens sapiens In the evolution of the human species, the need to make individual humans adhere to larger groups favored common (to the group) elements to adhere to and conform to. Read the full article…

Rationality Contra Human Depth

For many people, rationality stands opposite to human depth ― a profound misunderstanding. This includes many scientists ― or even especially the latter. Difference conceptual – subconceptual This is a more relevant distinction. If we put merely conceptual versus merely subconceptual, we can talk rightfully about opposites. Of course, nothing is entirely the one or Read the full article…

The Cultures Thing

Can people from different cultures sufficiently understand each other to contribute significantly to the intercultural exchange of profound communications? In other words, does planetarianism presently make a chance? If so, will it make the world a better place? Toward a certain future I believe that people from any culture can evolve in their capability of Read the full article…

Practicalities of Free Will

Free will is a term that stands for many concepts, and within each concept for a cloud of meaningfulness. That doesn’t make it practically less important. Terms and concepts Also, this doesn’t mean there are many free will’s. That would mean one can fight about what is the correct free will. Such fighting is done Read the full article…

The Inclined Plane

This is not a new insight if you know AURELIS. What it does show with a metaphor is the seriousness of the present-day Middle Ages on our way toward straightening the plane. Imagine a massive mental plane. People are living on that plane. Is it the medieval Earth before it became round? Anyway, this plane Read the full article…

This World is One

It just doesn’t make any logical sense that the peoples on it are divided. Yet here we are. Meanwhile, we may be living in a decade that, more than any other, is decisive in realizing oneness. “This world is one.” Of course, I mean this under the assumption that human beings would be fundamentally rational Read the full article…

Creating the Enemy

Is ‘the ubiquitous enemy’ simply a surface-level mental trap into which human beings get caught out of some vulnerability? Or is finding yet another enemy the result of our looking actively and profoundly for one and – if need be – creating one? This text was written on the 11th of November, armistice day. We Read the full article…

Where do You Go to, My Planet?

Nowhere yet for a while, but people worldwide are rapidly going somewhere. Global politics is on the move. Much depends on how we understand and manage ourselves in-depth and how we deal with a pending paradigm shift at the core of who we are. That sounds dramatic enough. Please, first read about the great mental Read the full article…

The Great Mental Paradigm Shift

One can see the related tension becoming more and more consequential in several fields (from healthcare to politics and more) over decades. This can continue getting worse, or we can take action to make the transition go smoothly. About? The great mental paradigm shift is about transitioning from a largely conceptual take on the human Read the full article…

How to Dis-Illusion

How can one get people out of a clear and certain state of illusion? For instance, flat-earthers. My earth is not flat. If yours is, then my task – including with this text – is to invite-guide-bring you toward a different opinion. How should I do that? Not by telling you to look to the Read the full article…

Sleepwalking from World Crisis to World Crisis

The global crises that we are experiencing one after another – or even simultaneously – do not happen by coincidence. In-depth, their common cause is a fundamentally wrong view of the deep-mental side of the human being. Ancient wisdom and cutting-edge science have been trying to wake up humanity ― until now, in vain. Even Read the full article…

Far-Away Matters, in Time and Place

Compassion is concerned with all sentient beings ― not only those of the immediate environment but also on the other side of the world, the universe, and the future: any sentience that can be causally influenced. Effective altruism This is a philosophy, a movement, and also a concrete organization. To be optimally effective, altruism should Read the full article…

Can Compassion Draw Us out of Decadence?

Worldwide, people have been struggling, are struggling, and will do so even more regarding a sense of decadence. That is a bad omen for things to come, but there is a way out. Etymologically ‘Decadence’ comes from the Medieval Latin decadentia = decay. This comes from the Latin decadere = de (down) + cadere (to Read the full article…

Modern Copernicus

We need a new Copernican revolution in which each person acts as a modern Copernicus within his own inner mind-universe. The historical Copernicus (1473-1543) placed the sun at the center of the physical universe instead of the Earth. Likewise, modern Copernicus places the deeper self – rather than the ego – at the center of Read the full article…

How to Unite People from Different Cultures

Depending on how well they know themselves, people from different cultures may be more similar as well as more different from each other than they imagine. This poses challenges and immense opportunities. Please read first: Constructionism – Constructor – Construct A culture emerges and endures through its constructed reality. This is the case especially now Read the full article…

Yin – Yang – YinYang

YinYang is my term to describe the in-depth synthesis of Yin and Yang. (Sub)conceptual While many things can be seen as Yin or Yang, there is a family resemblance within both. In one interpretation, Yin may be more fluid, Yang more solid. I see in Yin the more subconceptual side of thinking, while Yang is Read the full article…

Never Surrender

Keep following your ideals. This presupposes a continual search for what your ideals are. This again presupposes a constant search for who you are. What’s in quitting? This doesn’t mean that you cannot or should not change your mind. What it does aim at is being proud of following your ideals also if they bring Read the full article…

Why the West is Scared

This is a personal, intuitive interpretation. Please take it with a grain of salt. It might invite you to form your own opinion. ‘The enemy’ is frequently used as a means to deal with being scared. This way, outside and inside enemies overlap. Whence Angst? We live in a peculiar time, I mean, for the Read the full article…

Hikikomori

Since the late nineties, the phenomenon of hikikomori has hit Japan. The definition is a physical isolation for minimally six months (sometimes years or decades), active avoidance of any social interaction or commitment, and feelings of inadequacy or despondence. According to Japanese government figures, there are presently around 1 million individuals living as hikikomori within Japan, with Read the full article…

Confucianism

Living in a time of turmoil, Confucius was bent on providing guidance to handle this and create a better world. As to the turmoil, the present is no exception. Confucius may still be relevant with a twist. There are many Confucianisms. Allow me to write about my little understanding. A picture of thousand ideas To Read the full article…

Global Problems through Lack of Depth

To many, at first sight, lack of depth seems a far-fetched cause of global issues. I dare to say the opposite is true. Human depth is something we all feel yet is challenging to conceptualize. This is not a coincidence but related to the very essence of depth itself. Inner dissociation. To me, this is Read the full article…

Reaching for the New by Valuing the Old

In rapidly evolving times such as we see across the globe, people are divided into those wanting to move quickly forward and those reluctant to leave the past. On the move or not? Say, progressives vs. conservatives, two sides of the aisle. It doesn’t matter in this what is politically left or right. According to Read the full article…

Is Any War Worth It?

War is definitely not worth the death of even one human being. One doesn’t need to be a pacifist to see that. War may have been worth it in the past. Groups may have fought each other for scarce resources as a matter of individual life or death. Also, they may have done so due Read the full article…

No to Wokism, Yes to Gentleness

In another blog, I define wokism as woke fundamentalism, being an abuse of wokeness as a positive striving to fully respect and tolerate people of many different kinds. I am very woke, but not at all a wokist. Woke should be gentle. Without gentleness, woke tends to fall into the opposite, being intolerance. Woke is Read the full article…

Woke Fundamentalism

Fundamentalism is never OK. Least of all in ‘woke’ since this has the object of making people awake concerning the negative sides of… fundamentalism. Fundamental In this text, ‘wokism’ denotes ‘woke fundamentalism.’ As in any fundamentalism, anxiety and aggression are core elements. As any fundamentalism, it has at the core the reverse of what the Read the full article…

Global Madness is Today

If you feel like this world is growing in madness, you may be right. Sometimes, it seems like the madness is getting World War proportions ― again. The first World War in two stages shows that it is possible to start in an unexpecting environment. Without doomsday thinking, we should also not put it aside Read the full article…

What’s the Worth of Human Life?

The worth of one human life appears to lie between 2 and 2 billion €, more or less. It all depends on whose life, and I don’t get that. I’m not following. I hear it depends on where human worth is measured. That is revolting. Human life is human life. One may still call some Read the full article…

Politics of Compassion

Countering any politics of anxiety, a politics of Compassion seems the best way to proceed. Empathy To start with proper understanding, Compassion is based on empathy, not sympathy. This also makes Inner Strength a necessary ingredient of Compassion. This is not weak ― quite the contrary. Not being naïve in a mentally developing world, one Read the full article…

Politics of Anxiety

Politics, being ethics at the group level, should not be overshadowed by anxiety. Anxiety Anxiety is an irrational mental state with mostly non-conscious origin. Roughly put, this differentiates it from fear. If not properly managed, anxiety tends to float into depression or aggression. One can see that, ideally, all politics should be exempt from this. Read the full article…

String of Enemies

Since time immemorial, humanity is plagued by a string of enemies. Is this ingrained in human nature? Just recently: from viral to geopolitical etc. 2020-2021: two years of the virus. Until now, with 15 million deaths and trillions of USD/EUROS of economic hardship, the war against this ‘enemy’ has prevented any clear sight of the Read the full article…

Compassionate A.I. in the Military

There are obvious and less obvious reasons — time to re-think the military from the ground up. Compassionate A.I. may lead to this. It should be realized asap. Soldiers are human beings just like others, also if they have deliberately chosen for military service. Compassion is equally applicable to them. The obvious Many soldiers return Read the full article…

Enemy Outside – Enemy Inside

I dare say that the former almost never goes without the latter. Unfortunately, it happens ubiquitously. In my view, this is not an innate human condition but a weakness. Imagine a person Imagine a person as a big bubble, and within that big bubble, there’s a small bubble. The big bubble is the total person. Read the full article…

Geopolitical Inner Dissociation

Planet earth is witnessing geopolitical moves by its most successful species of inhabitants. The future depends on how those inhabitants treat each other and themselves in-depth. This is the turnaround text for ‘Global changes start inside.’ Starting from the global side, it may seem a far stretch to track humanity’s biggest problems to the least Read the full article…

The Value of the Individual

Since the world is becoming a village, and people (many individuals) need to live together in this village, we should tackle this issue urgently and adequately to keep things viable. [I’m not an expert in cultural science. This text contains some self-made insights, which I can easily debunk with counterexamples. So, this is an unfinished Read the full article…

Boundaries of Fluidity

Mental fluidity makes life interesting. It provides the ability to grow as a person, discover and enjoy universes inside, and realize them in many ways. But there are boundaries. In-fluidity One may speak of a healthy kind of mental inflexibility, supporting consistency over time and workable behavior that the community may appreciate. It gives predictability Read the full article…

What Deeply Drives Putin?

At least, it’s worth trying to answer this question. The grotesque actions in Ukraine are an immense magnification of what may be almost nothing at the start ― a cognitive blind spot or misunderstanding. A false start would be by noting that one cannot understand a madman, or that the whole of Russia must be Read the full article…

Open Leadership: Listening to Putin

April 2022. The present situation in Ukraine results from a total lack of Open Leadership. Money, power, status Of course, it’s about big money, including recent discoveries of even more oil in the Black Sea and the Donbass, taxes on the use of pipelines and the economic future of Russia versus Ukraine. Of course, it’s Read the full article…

Is Woke Awake?

Many ‘woke’ people are so heavily against intolerance that they make an intolerant impression. This contradiction begs for insight. Several wokenesses ‘Woke’ is a weak term. Behind it also lies a weak concept. There are very diverse kinds of being woke. Unsurprisingly, there are also various ways of looking at wokeness. It’s not always the Read the full article…

Global Changes Start Inside

This is: deep inside the human mind, upon which one has little direct conscious control. ‘Global’ points to what happens between people at the grant and even global scale. Deeply ubiquitous All people share in-depth propensities that can be realized one way or another, thus on diverse domains orienting the streaming underneath in a direction Read the full article…

Rationality – Science – Technology

It all seems pretty clear. Yet there is fuzziness within that clarity. Rationality leads to science. Science leads to technology. Rationality is a specific state of mind. A human is rational if he has that state of mind. From that state of mind, he can think together a body of knowledge that is internally congruent Read the full article…

A Divided World Will be Conquered by A.I.

Seriously. People fighting each other at a geopolitical level will, through competition and strife, build a world in which A.I. follows suit. There is no doubt about this: IF… THEN. As I write in my book ‘The Journey towards Compassionate A.I.,’ we are entitled to be anxious about A.I. – the real one, soon to Read the full article…

What do People Seek in Magick?

People seek pleasure and happiness. For this, they seek a fulfilling life. For this, they seek meaningfulness. Where do they find it? Magick = very broadly, the use of ritual actions with the aim to manipulate supernatural forces. For instance, psychic healing. Magick is frequently opposed to organized religion as well as science, while at Read the full article…

Beyond Grand Narratives

Since immemorable times, people have been going from one grand narrative towards another. Now we are losing them entirely, opening the path towards ‘beyond.’ (Level of difficulty of this text: 3.5/5) A grand narrative is a bunch of stories that fit into a grand scheme. It brings an ideal, a shared purpose ― a comfortable Read the full article…

Gender Equivalidity

People can be deemed equal in worth without any bit of need to adhere to one mold. Crucial is value, not sameness. Gender equality? Men and women are not equal at the outside, nor at the inside ― least of all at the mental side. Therefore, the term gender equality sounds forced. The more one Read the full article…

Unity, Globally

L’union fait la force ― Unity brings power. ‘Strong Together’ or ‘America First’? There is a challenge in the concept of unity that doesn’t speak directly from such slogans, yet this challenge is crucial to our future (together). Global unity grows at the individual level. In unity we thrive. The human being is a social Read the full article…

Whose Identity are You?

Who needs to gain an identity by being identical? I guess nobody should. No group deserves respect if that respect is not passed on to individuals. Identity politics “A political approach wherein people of a particular gender, religion, race, social background, social class or other identifying factors, develop political agendas that are based upon these Read the full article…

From Group to Team

A group transforms into a team from the inside out. The common goal There is no group or team without a common goal, even if it’s only the goal of being a group. Naturally, a group exists to heighten the fitness of an organism. This may be the group itself or its members, or both. Read the full article…

Power of Ruthlessness

One should not underestimate this power. It is real and present. To negate or neglect it is not Compassionate. Neither is to just whine about it. Ruthlessness asks for profound answers. Etymology ‘Ruth’ comes from ‘reuthe,’ meaning ‘compassion.’ Ruthless = without pity or compassion. In AURELIS-talk, one can say it denotes a lack of Compassion. Read the full article…

Eigenangst

This is the fear of the own deeper layers of mental processing. It’s a powerful direct driver of many negative happenings at the macro and micro scales in the world. ‘Eigenangst’ is a German neologism (by me). I encounter its meaning in the indefinite sound of it. Without conscious awareness One is not consciously aware Read the full article…

Who We Deeply Are and Why it’s Crucial to Know

I don’t want to be a scaremonger. But I’m scared, and I intend to monger until the direction is of utmost clarity. From Afghanistan to the world Yesterday I saw Mahbouba Seraj talking on a program about the situation in Afghanistan. She’s a famous women’s rights activist, and she was talking about this. But I Read the full article…

Tackling Illusions

Homo sapiens as a species has been prone to cognitive illusions from the start. There may have been an evolutionary advantage to this. However, nowadays, it brings a lot of trouble. Several kinds It may be difficult for many who are suffering from one illusion to be compared with other people who suffer from another Read the full article…

Healing Yourself is Healing the Planet

There seems to be no other way to ‘heal the planet,’ so we better take this seriously. As a mindset Many bits make a big? Or, each person wants to be the chosen one who saves the planet? I intend with the title a mindset, a conviction, a promise ― frustrationless desire as a regular Read the full article…

The Tower and the Swamp

Regular medicine is like an unassailable tower. Alternative medicines are like a swamp nearby that continually shifts and is therefore ungraspable. OF COURSE, THIS TEXT IS NOT ABOUT THE TOTALITY OF REGULAR MEDICINE, BUT THE PART WHERE HUMAN DEPTH IS INVOLVED. I didn’t find a picture of swamp + ivory tower. Please use your imagination, Read the full article…

Why People Want Magic

People have always wanted magic. Many continue doing so even in this ‘age of rational thinking.’ We should have gotten rid of it long ago. Of all times. In the New Testament, followers didn’t follow Jesus so much as they were following the miracle man. From the beginning (and even right before) till the end, Read the full article…

Fate

Accepting one’s fate may be very beautiful if it comes from deep inside. Any other kind is worth little. An animal runs away from a predator. The predator grabs it. The animal struggles and dies. It all happens in a short time. Until the last moment, there is little question of fate as far as Read the full article…

Culture Shock

A plea for cultural meaningfulness. As different as cultures may be, one needs to respect the differences. This doesn’t mean that one needs to respect any infliction of human suffering. If some culture leads to human suffering as part of the culture itself, that needs a good reason. Meaningfulness Nature prefers meaningfulness above suffering. This Read the full article…

Revenge = Dissociation

The feeling of revenge needs to be taken seriously in order to transcend it. What has been lost should be restored ― in a different way. Revenge results from the feeling of having lost something. Something has been taken at the meaning level. Revenge is not about the thing itself but the meaning. What one Read the full article…

Are Mental Problems Social Problems?

Psycho-social. There is always an interplay. Looking in-depth, even more so. No issue will be solved by putting one against the other. Meanwhile, individuals need guidance and support as total persons, not as wheels in some clockwork. ‘Mental problems’ For the sake of this text, I categorize as such all issues regarded as psychological or Read the full article…

How Long will Humanism Stay Asleep?

Many global problems will only become worse if this basic philosophical issue doesn’t get resolved in most people’s minds. It’s as – immensely! – crucial as that. Also, as simple as that. Another tradition may explain. ‘Buddha’ literally means ‘the awakened.’ [see: “Buddha-Nature“] In modern scientific terms, this means awakening from the dual Cartesian dream. Read the full article…

Wars ARE Failures

Failures of diplomacy, all right, but more than that, of cultures. Fresh from med school, I almost enlisted as a medical paratrooper. I’m still entirely behind that mindset of mine from back then. Surprise, surprise? Everything is connected. This is true in-depth. Within one culture, seemingly disparate domains are profoundly connected. We may strive towards Read the full article…

One Future, One World

At present, a dream, although an awakened one. Without striving for it, it will never happen. So, let’s dream and strive. I cannot imagine a distant future without far-reaching unity. Hopefully, there will be many diverse cultures and always a lot to discover. Hopefully, these cultures will recognize that we are all very much the Read the full article…

Modernism – Postmodernism – Post-Postmodernism

Twentieth-century Europe has seen the three of them, with huge ups and downs as a result. We still haven’t passed the test cum laude. Conceptual – subconceptual Modernism (in stark form, as is meant in this text) as a movement attempts to conceptualize reality as a whole. At most, “Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must Read the full article…

Arrogance and the Skeptic Mind

Arrogance doesn’t invite skepticism. On the contrary, yet it sometimes appears to go together. Even more, it sometimes appears to be an indispensable combination. And that’s a bad thing for skepticism. Internally, because an arrogant attitude doesn’t optimally invite one to keep thinking. Now, that is precisely what a skeptic mind does: keep thinking. You Read the full article…

Radical Deradicalization

A radicalized standpoint generally does not care so much for rationality. In many cases, there is also little Compassion involved. More Compassion is needed and, from there, rationality. Radicalization People get radicalized into mental mono-culture. There is a lack of attention for other directions. This lack pushes a person searching for ‘salvation’ to believe that Read the full article…

Inclusiveness at Work

This is a worthy, challenging goal that can only be attained by valuing our humanness. As such, it’s about each individual person, including yourself. Inclusiveness Inclusiveness at work is about many things, such as gender, race, age, nationality, and religious denomination. The borders are those of morality. Sociopaths or people who don’t have an inclusive Read the full article…

La Libertad! (Freedom)

Grand ideals are never enough. Many utopias fail. Not the ideals are to blame, but the lack of embeddedness and further support. The ideal of freedom is no exception. Being in a Simón Bolívar mood. This is not just a fickle blog. The lesson is profound. It’s interesting to look at the life of some Read the full article…

Culture Changes when Top-Down meets Bottom-Up

Not separately from each other, but intertwined and as though mutually attracted ― making it personal. Sustainable change is culture change. Top-down (through rules and regulations, encompassing changes on a big scale) This may work when also being carried from the bottom up. This means that rules should only be enacted after the bottom-up has Read the full article…

My People is Everybody

Without diminishing the “XX (= my people) first,” it explodes the XX. There is no first, principally, thus also no second and no last. No zero-sum ― only abundance. Please, read first [see: “Compassion, basically“] One can start from the right of the strongest and win ― especially in a game made by oneself with Read the full article…

Predestination – Karma – …?

Different cultures, different takes on basically the same. Small glossary Predestination: Christian (mainly Protestant) belief that God has predestined the salvation of some and not others, or even all that will happen. Karma: Hindu belief that all of one’s actions together in this and previous lives predestine one’s future fate. Non-conscious processing From an AURELIS Read the full article…

How to Build a Culture of Compassion

Challenging indeed ― especially in an organizational environment with zero compassion and a lot of fear and toxicity. Some AURELIS-congruent ideas may be helpful. Please read first, [see: “Compassion, basically“]. No coercion One might be tempted to impose some Compassionate rules and quickly get on with the real business. In my view, this is not Read the full article…

The Battle of the Future

This battle is going on already for a long time, but it will shape the future like nothing else. It is a battle inside. Mere-ego and total-person Both are mental states or attitudes. There are no two persons inside one. Yet, to make the distinction by way of talking is important enough. Even more, it Read the full article…

The Meaning Crisis

This is probably the most meaningful of all crises. Yes, surely. Please read about ‘deep meaning,’ which is meant here. [see: “The Meaning of Meaning“] People hold on to meaningfulness. Understandably, why would someone do anything? Because there is a ‘why,’ therefore, a meaning ― agency ― life. So much more concerning deep meaning. Without Read the full article…

Words don’t Matter

Words are things. If not imbued with life, they are like water that flows to the sea on an eternally lifeless planet. Concepts matter. Emotions matter. Depth matters. Beauty matters. Culture matters. People matter. Life matters. Words don’t matter. They’re just letters, one after the other. All the above matters within words ― not the Read the full article…

How to Unify Ideologies

In four steps. I hope this clarifies the direction to take and which one not to take. In-between lies a huge but not insurmountable hurdle. Ideology = deep values In due time, these may become an integral part of one’s conscience. [see: “What about Conscience?“] An ideology is (almost?) always based on preexisting values. It Read the full article…

I Want to Do in Group

This may be the most fundamental motivational sentence. David McClelland’s motivation theory This is arguably the most prominent motivation theory. It suggests three basic needs for anyone: the need for power, achievement, and affiliation. Many see in this distinction three different personalities, promptly dividing people into three classes: a) those mainly bent on power and control; Read the full article…

The Post-Postmodernist Brain

“because your experiences are unique, so are the vast, detailed patterns in your neural networks. Because they continue to change your whole life, your identity is a moving target; it never reaches an endpoint.” [1] This is a quote from a recent book on neurocognitive science. The book (and author) is top-notch in this domain. Read the full article…

The Life that Could Have Been

Every woman with a child in her belly has an emotional bond with it. That is why she calls it a child. If this child’s life is abruptly ended, we have an abortion. When? To some women, this may be the moment of the positive predictor test. To other women, it may be much later. Read the full article…

Problem- vs. Growth-Oriented in Mental Issues

This may lead to diametrically opposed ways of being and many misunderstandings. As a mindset. All of us continually encounter issues, from minor to life-size. This way, there is ample occasion to practice in seeing them either as problems or as invitations to grow. Problems may lead more generally to stress; invitations to positive challenges Read the full article…

You Are Not Your Enemy

More specifically, your nonconscious mind is not something like a tiny dinosaur brain inside your brain-mind that you have to fight with your rational mind to keep in check or otherwise… It’s just not like that at all. Nor are there three brains in your brain. [see: “The Brainy Trinity“] This idea was popularized to Read the full article…

The Basic Denial

Not seeing though an obvious illusion is one thing. Not wanting to see despite immense mayhem for countless people is different. Basic cognitive illusion This is: not consciously reckoning with non-conscious, subconceptual mental-neuronal processing. [see: “The Basic Cognitive Illusion”] This illusion is debunked by a lot of scientific data. For instance, [see: “The Post-Postmodernist Brain”] Read the full article…

Do Not Feign Depth

Coming soon

Meaningful Reality

This is the reality I would prefer to live in. Even if there were no other, the meaningful one would be OK for me. It is also the only one I am sure of. In reality, of course, there are no separate realities. This is about perception and experience ― as is eventually everything. Something Read the full article…

How Modernism Killed Itself (Long ago)

Coming up soon

Daring to Be Vulnerable

Daring to be vulnerable while striving to be as strong as possible is more worthwhile than just showing to be vulnerable. Being vulnerable is not valiant. In many cases, there is confusion involved. The vulnerability may be regarded as an asset, which it is not. Contrary to this, AURELIS strives toward the last two letters: Read the full article…

Constructed Realities

If this piece makes you feel slightly bad, my advice is to continue reading. [see also: “Constructionism“] Matrix? You may know the movie. People are kept asleep in some ‘real reality’ while in their minds, they are artificially entertained in a world of make-belief. This is a constructed, digital second-life where they get fulfilling experiences. Read the full article…

Turtle Vagaries

If you think this is about you, you might be right. Even more, it is about you as total-person. Any ocean turtle sticks out its neck most of the time. Each time it does, it’s vulnerable. The wise turtle knows when to do so and when not. That is how it lives ― sometimes to Read the full article…

Being a Hero

Daring to be as little vulnerable as possible. Then, if need be, daring to be vulnerable. I fail in both directions miserably. [see: “Daring to Be Vulnerable“] [see: “Don’t Be Vulnerable”] ‘Hero’ in a rather narrow sense. The term can be used in a much broader sense, ‘heroic’ being anything admirable. That’s great. It’s not Read the full article…

Culture and Nature

The age-old debate: culture vs. nature. High time it becomes: culture FOR nature ― environmentally and most of all profoundly inside ourselves. We might have forgotten: We are nature. More and more, technology enables us to forget that we are nature. Many know it like it were just a piece of information, but not as Read the full article…

Compassion Connecting East & West

And North and South, of course, and everything in-between ― even past, present, and future. Essential A Compassionate attitude is to be received gracefully after sometimes earning it with huge effort and even danger to yourself. Sacrifices are unnecessary, but the person who is reluctant to make them can hardly attain a Compassionate stance. At Read the full article…

Culture over STEM

Much talk is about the importance of STEM in schooling, while profound culture gets sidelined. STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics Profound culture = what makes us deeply human in future society. In this text, culture is always ‘profound.’ In my teenage years, I was very motivated in both directions. From my first medical school Read the full article…

Wanted, the Truth!

Humans are truth-seekers in many different ways ― a worthy and challenging adventure. Paraphrasing Zhuangzi I don’t know whether I have been dreaming last night and am writing this after waking up, or whether I am still dreaming and writing this, hoping that you, dear reader, will read it in your dream. As far as Read the full article…

Looking at Suffering

We should never forget the suffering. Numbers don’t suffer. People do. Children and mothers and fathers, as you know. Husbands and wives. We know. Should we then all keep thinking about the suffering of so many who are in misery? Yes, we should, in a way. Of course, we cannot, for several reasons. We don’t Read the full article…

Are Cultures Compatible?

Yes! At least, they should be. Compassionately, they are, with individuals and other cultures. Living cultures change all the time. A totally static culture is a dead one. Conservative politicians may put up a smokescreen of static culture. It gives them power over their constituents, as the ones who can preserve this ‘culture’ against its Read the full article…

Three Dangers of Freemasonry

Depth needs effort. Lots of effort ― even more so if one thinks to make enough effort already. There are many forms of pseudo-depth, especially when shrouded in secrecy, Looking for a combination of depth and rationality, a few years ago, I ventured into the world of freemasonry. A lot of information about it is Read the full article…

Gendering the Workplace

The workplace still disfavors women in many respects. Let’s project a future vision of a workplace with gender as a source of joy and interesting experiences, and without any disfavors. ‘Gender inequality’ as a problem to work on, can be turned into ‘gender equality’ to strive for. There is more positivity in this than just Read the full article…

Out of Anxiety. Out of Polarization.

Where there is a way in, there is a way out. Always again: inner dissociation It is so fundamental because it is basic to our naissance as a species. When in a very general mood, one can see it as a side effect of a broad ‘second wave’ in which consciousness appears but cannot very Read the full article…

Social Freedom

Individual freedom is a fundamental human urge. In an increasingly complex society, it may clash with the human being’s urge as a social being. This clash may shape humanity in the near and distant future. Freedom Pondering about freedom. [see: “The Goal: Freedom“] Individual freedom is vital to any organism as an ‘agent,’ separating it Read the full article…

United Democracy

The quality of a democracy depends on the system and the people. A crucial element in this is their degree of polarization. Valuing democracy From the start, more than two millennia ago, it was noted that democracy is dependent on the worthiness of those who form part of it. Democracy is not just a system Read the full article…

Fear of Dying

Many people are irrationally afraid of dying, even while they know they will not suffer when being dead. Many know they are irrational in this, yet they don’t know why, and keep being afraid. Every living being wants to live. Straightforwardly. Well, depending on what you call ‘wanting.’ Does a bacterium want to live? It Read the full article…

Mediation is the Way Out of Polarization

At their core, people are the same. Dissociated from their core, people also dissociate from each other. In due time, they polarize. Mediation serves to bring them back to each other and themselves. Towards the blog title With mediation is meant here the AURELIS kind. [see: “AURELIS Transformative Mediation“] This is directed towards self-knowledge, self-growth, Read the full article…

Why Do People Polarize?

Increasing polarization is going on in many parts of the world. We are seemingly not at the end of this trend. Needed is a growing awakening to who we are: total human beings. Different opinions Different opinions may see each other more clearly in the differences as well as in the similarities. They can inspire, Read the full article…

The Intellectual Elite – Leaving Nobody Behind

This is an idea, a concept. It is not a set of people who, for instance, have accomplished something, did some study, or wrote a book. The elite is a goal, something to which anybody can and should strive, certainly also in the business world. One may attain little, perhaps through genetic predisposition or just Read the full article…

Sticky Thoughts

This is the foreword to my book ‘Sticky Thoughts’ that you can find on Amazon (see menu). The purpose of Sticky Thoughts is to bring in a concise way (so that each of them ‘fits on a sticker’) many ideas that may be ‘sticky’ in that they linger on in the reader’s mind. The stickers Read the full article…

About Hope

Where there is Hope, there is at least one good feeling that can guide people – including yourself – through the direst situations. Hope makes one less vulnerable while keeping sensitivity and Compassion alive. Hope versus hope It’s not altogether an easy distinction. As with any other ‘deep’ concept, hope can be meant and understood Read the full article…

Demo Cracy

‘Power to the people’ is not self-evident. Who is this ‘people’? And what kind of ‘power’ is desirable? Eventually, democracy is the only worthwhile way, but in which way? ►►► WHY read this? Democracy itself will increasingly be under pressure if we do not act now.◄◄◄ Demos Cratos Demos = people; cratos = power. Power Read the full article…

A.I., HR, Danger Ahead

Many categorizing HR techniques are controversial, and rightly so. There is little to no scientific background. Despite this, they keep being used. Why do people feel OK with this? In combination with A.I., it is extremely dangerous. People feel a longing for control. Naturally. Being alive is about ‘agency,’ which is about wanting control. Without Read the full article…

Should Business Be Rational?

“We don’t care about science, as long as ‘it works.’” Of course, I don’t agree. ►►► WHY read this?  Rationality is of utmost importance for business sustainability in every respect. ◄◄◄ Mechanic, organic Regarding technology, there is not much of a problem. To everyone his smartphone. Well. This device couldn’t have been made without rational Read the full article…

Singular They, Plural Nonsense?

As a writer, I’m admonished to play by the rulebook. But I don’t. ►►►WHY read this? This concerns everyone who feels threatened by he, she, they, or anything.◄◄◄ Gender involvement I used to write (s)he, awkwardly, so I went back to he. Politically incorrect, humanly correct, of course: He doesn’t downplay women. Women can feel Read the full article…

Social Media versus Irony

It’s actually, nowadays, rather the world versus irony. (q&d = quick and dirty) Quite disturbing A culture without real irony is like a symbolic plant without water. Such can only survive by turning itself into cardboard. I don’t call that ‘surviving’ at all. A culture that shoves irony under the carpet tends to indulge in Read the full article…

AURELIS Social Impact

In AURELIS philosophy, the societal – systemic – impact is crucial. The individual is seen in totality, as an in-dividuum. Precisely through this, overlap with other in-dividua is natural, efficient, and vital. ►►► WHY read this?  Working on yourself in openness is the best you can do for others, and what others can do for Read the full article…

Streaming Underneath

A cultural stream may stream hard, even when it’s not readily visible. The latter may make it more challenging to manage, or even to influence. ►►► WHY read this?  You may feel the streaming sometimes. It’s challenging to take responsibility in this regard. ◄◄◄ What on earth is this guy talking about? I’m talking about Read the full article…

Stress in Production, Stress in Consumption

One leads to the other and vice versa, in a vicious circle from which we better escape. Production and consumption To be able to produce more, marketing departments are set up to entice consumers to consume more products from the producer who owns or regulates the marketing. Nothing new. To be able to consume more, Read the full article…

Tired of Screen Meetings? – 10 Leader’s Tips

Many are getting bored of screen meetings even before they’re getting used to them. Specific attention is needed to this problem, especially in COVID times. Just a “get used to it” doesn’t solve it, of course. Putting an issue as a problem or a wish Always important. The wish shouldn’t be just the negation of Read the full article…

Headscarf Here, Headscarf There

When I see a girl or woman walking down the street with a headscarf and bent shoulders, a bit sad from afar, I wonder if her troubles come from cultural oppression. I want to ask her but don’t, politely. Some bragging: in 1987, I had an Arab year. After eight months of intensive self-study, in Read the full article…

Unborn Life

We’re talking about human lives. Let’s not put the pro and con against each other now. Let’s just posit some situations and think and feel about them. This is about how you can feel about it. It’s not about what’s in a book. It’s not about what anyone tells you, including me. It’s only about Read the full article…

Strongmen Manipulate

A strongman is strong because others are weaker. A leader is strong because others are strong. An Open Leader has Inner Strength. The opposite of an Open Leader. A manipulator is never a leader. A leader does not need to manipulate. Instead, he leads. A ‘strongman’ – what’s in a name – usually sees himself Read the full article…

Is Social Nocebo Real?

Can culturally engrained convictions have a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of many individuals? About placebo A person can have a placebo effect all by himself by being convinced that something is helpful, but by itself, it is not helpful at all. This way, for instance, a sugar pill can be a ‘painkiller.’ Read the full article…

The Source of Discrimination

Whether the discrimination is oriented towards another gender, race, handicap, religious orientation, mental disease, or simply people with a different attitude, it always starts with the discrimination of one’s deeper self. The desire to be on the right side This may be the deepest layer, and it is a positive layer. It is the desire Read the full article…

Is Violence OK?

Without a glorification of violence, being realistic may eventually diminish the need for it. Not running away from violence Running away from violence is, in real-world, sometimes conducive to precisely what one is running away from. As with many things, this is related to gentle-strong-weak-hard. [see: “Weak, Hard, Strong, Gentle“]. It may attract people who Read the full article…

Dictatoriality

= personally imposing things that others have to follow without overt questioning and without prior general consent. At the national level, this can also be accomplished in a democracy. In the past, dictatorial regimes have grown out of democracies more than once. To the dictator, it’s just one more step. And more Dictatoriality can be Read the full article…

All Lives Matter

Black lives too As a matter of fact All lives matter because ‘to matter’ is what life is about. More to the point: it is what life is. If something doesn’t matter by itself, then it’s not life. If something is alive, then it matters, at least to itself. This is another way of saying Read the full article…

Motivating ‘Us’

Again and again, people stick together in the formation of ‘us’ that gets its identity from not being ‘them.’ Can we not all together become ‘us’? At any level People find an ‘us’ at many levels. The ‘us’ generally comes with a ‘them.’ For instance, it may be highly valued to be patriotic and, in Read the full article…

The Future is Open

Open as in Open Mindfulness, Open Religion, Open Leadership. Open as in open-complex. Open to inside as well as outside. Positively Open Openness with a capital O is about overlap. I see this as a positive characteristic in many ways. Internally, it is about the overlap of concepts, leading to a much-enhanced capacity to make Read the full article…

Anxiety

People who apparently feel little anxiety, quite often turn out to harbor a lot, arguably more so in Western cultures. The latter may seem so because it strikes me more. [See in AurelisOnLine: Anxiety] Anxiety, not fear Fear is conceptual. The object of fear is mostly well delineated. One can say: It is mechanical, directly Read the full article…

What Has Been, Is, and Will Be

Humanity is in turmoil. Several of the world’s biggest problems are at present happening together because of an underlying process. There is a need for a comprehensive look to see this process thoroughly. It is not so much related to what happens to us, humans, as to what happens from within us, who we are. Read the full article…

Why Do They Vote Differently?

The other side is always the other side, viewed from what is to them the other side. So, are they voting differently, or are you? ►►► WHY read this? To preserve democracy, we need to answer this question.◄◄◄ Seeing ‘the other side’ is primarily internal. As a human being, one doesn’t see one’s mind, but Read the full article…

You as a Symbol

The symbolic, as used in this text, is entirely the domain of the subconceptual. This is always present. Also, humans may always be symbolic to others. Please read first: [see: “Symbolism: How-To“] Many symbols. Each in-depth symbol is a symbol of you. You find yourself in anything that acts as a profound symbol to you, Read the full article…

Killing Babies? – Nobody Does

No sane person likes killing babies. I don’t like killing babies. I don’t like the killing of babies. I don’t like the idea of babies getting killed. Babies should be respected as human beings. But put one cell together with another cell, and there is no baby. Calling that a baby is disrespectful to babies. Read the full article…

Why Death Penalty is Murder

Taking into account full human being, there is no relevant difference between the accused and the accuser. ‘Taking conscious human life’ This is a quite good definition of murder. In case of the death penalty, it’s murder with full premeditation. In ‘taking,’ one can see a relevant fuzziness which makes thinking about, for instance, euthanasia Read the full article…

Sanctity of Life

At first place, I mean human life. This can eventually be broadened to any life, any ‘sentient being.’ Sanctity To me, life is its own sanctification. It doesn’t need a sanctifying instance, even if there were one. If you want sanctification to come from ‘anything’, then – to me again – that ‘anything’ sanctifies life Read the full article…

Sveltitude

is an attitude. More precisely, it’s an element of an attitude of just-enough. Moderation. Just-enough to be healthy and focused. Just-enough to optimally be. Spirit of Sveltitude Sveltitude is a mental attitude, a vision of what is qualitatively meaningful. It’s not so much about how much you weigh, but how much you ‘weigh upon’. Thus, Read the full article…

Sowing Hatred

Sowing hatred leads to aggression and more hatred. An additional problem is that this happens mainly through subconceptual ways. So to speak, ‘underground.’ Like in nature, seeds that you sow develop underground in such a way that a lot has happened before one can see the result appear above the ground. With the seeds of Read the full article…

Poetry is Not the Absence of Rationality

Nevertheless, to many people, it seems to be so. I find this dangerous. It sets both against each other and precludes a nice being-human in full potential. [see also: “Rationality and Poetry”] Mistrusting ‘the expert’ Experts frequently bend on their rational stance to lend them authority to speak and even decide what others should do. Read the full article…

People, Planet, Profit

One should not be against ‘profit’ except as an exclusive goal. In the latter case, it’s an addiction. In all other cases, it can be an instrument towards doing good. What is Profit? Profit = good striving. The etymology of ‘profit’ is very positive: related to proficiency, from the Latin verb proficere: to accomplish, make Read the full article…

Why Friendliness Matters in Any Discussion

A lack of friendliness aborts any serious discussion. People are afraid to speak out, lest they be verbally beaten down or even expelled from the in-crowd. One needs to stand up against this. Unfriendliness is eventually ALWAYS counter-productive. In the end, good causes lose this way. The final balance is negative. What may be won, Read the full article…

Why Humanism Needs AURELIS

I admit: this title is quite highbrow. I need to do some explaining. [see also: “Humanism with a Vengeance”] Humanism = taking human being into account as-is. Not as some organization portrays it if this runs counter to obvious reality, of which science and rationality are pretty good critics, even if not necessarily the only Read the full article…

Cynicism

Cynicism: a nicely burning fire is no more. From its ditch of retreat, now and then another fire comes forth, meant to hurt and even destroy. Etymology of ‘cynic’: κυνικοι (kunikoi): ‘dogs’ in ancient Greek referring to ruthless behavior and simple lifestyle of a number of their followers, as exemplified by Diogenes, nicknamed ‘the dog’. Read the full article…

Equality?

Everybody knows we live in a world of huge inequality. Indeed. But inequality in what? Where lies importance? Thus, in what should we strive for more equality? In money? Thus: in the currency that can be traded for any other ‘goods’: a car, a house, even a wife in (many men’s) imagination? A strict focus Read the full article…

Being Kind

You are kind. You make people feel good. OK. This way they may have more opportunity to be kind to themselves. Why not? Pay attention though. And of course, pay attention to the attention itself because too much attention may stop all kinds of things that can only be themselves when allowed to flow freely. Read the full article…

Work-Life (in the) Balance

Work-life balance may not be the best start if it brings more emphasis on a divide between both. For ages and until relatively recently people had only a ‘life’. ‘Work’ was what you had to do to stay alive within that life. At times, one had to work really hard… still it wasn’t ‘work’ as Read the full article…

Enlightenment, Kant, AURELIS, Growth

It’s time to bring things together. This is according to me the only way forward. ‘Western Enlightenment’ points to a historical period from +/- 1650 onwards, till +/- first part of 19th century. It was multifaceted, to say the least, and came in several waves from ‘moderate’ to ‘radical’… to even ‘totalitarian’ (à la Robespierre). Read the full article…

Everyday Mysticism

This doesn’t downgrade mysticism to everyday. It upgrades everyday to mysticism. Every day, fleeting moments of mysticism For example, a sense of deep wonder or awe for a beautiful sunrise, in the train from Antwerp to Brussels. For example, a beautiful song that carries me (much) further than usual. For example, a shared insight during Read the full article…

Excellence

One should not be apprehensive to excel as long as this does not interfere with human value. There is a natural drive to excel and that’s perfectly OKAY. [see also: ‘Being of Value’] ἄριστος (aristos) = ancient Greek for ‘excellent’ or ‘outstanding’, being apart / above the rest. You recognize it in the term ‘aristocracy’. Read the full article…

The Problem of the Skeptic

Typically human to run into such kind of problem… Well, we’ll have to deal with it. Hm, by throwing it out of the window? Let’s say you are a skeptic. That means you are a person wishing to you use rationality to ‘think for yourself’, as Kant admonished us all to do in order to Read the full article…

Group Thinking

The French term ‘pensée unique’ is frequently used for what is actually ‘pensée de groupe’ (group thinking). This is a human inclination with dire consequences but which can be overcome through proper support and personal effort. This is related to a quite natural human inclination. In many cases, your brain (thus: you) doesn’t readily like Read the full article…

Beyond Post-Truth

‘Getting beyond’ is as much related to meaning as it is to truth. [Please read before this: ‘Post-Truth’] Let’s get beyond it Which, I admit – without POMO-ing myself – may not be completely possible. There is always more ‘between heaven and earth’ [quoting Shakespeare] not to speak about ‘beyond heaven and earth’. But that’s Read the full article…

Post-Truth

“Not the facts are important but what works. The higher human purpose is to escape literalism and reach the essence, shaping one’s own reality.” No. I’ve not gone mad. And I’ve not gone POMO, fancy acronym for post-modernism. To assure you, the under-title of this blog is as abhorrent to me as I hope it Read the full article…

Humanism with a Vengeance

Humanism: ‘man is the measure of all things.’ Vengeance: this is about the total human being – partly conscious, mostly nonconscious. Many faces of humanism, yesterday and today Among them, I see ‘humanism’ as what puts human being at the forefront, thus not – apart from human being – any organization: no religion, no politics, Read the full article…

In-Group Creates Out-Group?

One frequently encounters the idea that a group gets formed by building defensive walls against other groups. Is this the best way? People are groupish. This is: we like to ‘be in a group’. Yes, with quote signs, because the group may be of very diverse kind. For instance, it may be quite abstract: a Read the full article…

The Real Power of a World Model

A world model is not only a model of the world. It is also a model that comes from the world (the world in a certain model) and that can act upon an individual in a very powerful way. First of all, dear reader, it can act upon you too. Allow me to be very Read the full article…

Peace

It’s the people who create the war. Of course. A similar cliché is: peace only starts within yourself, and nowhere else. But what does that mean, ‘peace within yourself’? Peace does not start at the enemy, but at the enemy of the enemy. At yourself, thus. And then also at the enemy. Because even that Read the full article…

Politics: Left, Right, Up, Down

We see a lot of confusion in present-day politics. This may indicate the need for a fundamental shift in direction, not of some party or system but of the very idea of politics itself. What is left and right in politics, tends to change a lot especially over a number of decennia. At present, one Read the full article…

‘Doing Good’: Not as Easy as It Seems

Imagine you are a ‘special kind of therapist’. Good. All kinds of people come by your place with a ‘problem’ and they leave with a sense of relief, glad they came along. After a while they come back and then the same phenomenon occurs. Friendly faces. Nothing to worry about. ‘Doing good’ seems evident. Is Read the full article…

Dissociation at World Level

In other words and at the same time as stated earlier: ‘soul’ getting lost. But then across the world. The first time that such a thing as AURELIS came to mind (in my mind, as a rather naive post-adolescent), was in the year 1984 in Brazil. In a pediatric hospital in a favela (slum) of Read the full article…

Zombification

Disclaimer: this text is not for overly sensitive readers. The term ‘zombie’ probably comes from the West African nzambi, which means: a dead person who is made alive again, but who has no own free will. In the Afro-Caribbean culture this is an essential part of voodoo (originally from West Africa). So, we are in Read the full article…

Object-Science Versus Subject-Science

Science about objects: physics, chemistry… Science about subjects: psychology, history… Both sciences are different and important. Alpha, beta, positive etc. Let’s skip that and simply talk about object- versus subject-science. This is related to, respectively, closed-world versus open-world phenomena. Explanatory analogy: A cloud (‘open world’ with lots of possible influences in all directions) doesn’t fit Read the full article…

Hooray it Works!

It seems like the basis of this culture. Not so much the phrase in itself but rather the direct stop at its end. It is a culture of minimal effort. If ‘it works’ … what more do you want? It is also a culture of ‘many’. Many things. Something works and off you go to Read the full article…

Possible Meaning of AURELIS in the World

AURELIS is a way of standing in the world, a way of ‘being’, or at least: an attempt to this end. Nobody is perfect, thank God. You could consider AURELIS as a form of ‘therapy’. Then it becomes a part of health care. People have problems/needs and they are trying to find a solution. On Read the full article…

Do Not Turn the Other Cheek…

… unless you think it’s worthwhile. I have a lot of respect for other-cheek-turners. If however, nothing gets learned from it, one may keep turning cheeks indefinitely. If someone slaps you on the cheek, then I think that it’s better to look at that person than to turn your gaze away while offering the other Read the full article…

From Identity Politics to Utopia

Identity politics = “based on or catering to the cultural, ethnic, gender, racial, religious, or social interests that characterize a group.” Gay versus straight, black versus white, Palestinians versus Israelis, Catholics versus Protestants, Englishmen versus immigrants (see Brexit)… To many, the own group is ‘the box that I and others think I belong to’. I Read the full article…

Two Racisms – One Way Out

At the surface, racism is simply about a feeling of superiority over people from another race or ethnicity. Here ends the easy part. Why do people rank other people as inferior or superior based on inherited characteristics, be it visible in color or anything else? With due respect to those being racially discriminated, I want Read the full article…

Teen Spirit

An adolescent brain is not just an immature brain. There is a purpose: daring to experiment in an open quest for meaning. The term ‘adolescent,’ etymologically ‘one who is becoming an adult’ arguably puts the norm on adulthood: adolescence as a preparation for adult life, complexified by hormonal changes and an ongoing cognitive and emotional, Read the full article…

Monogamy?

You might not like this. Please bear with me until the end. I will repeat that this idea is not unconditionally applicable. About ‘mono’ in monogamy Is it merely about a one-on-one relationship at a superficial level? As in “Thy Shall not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Consort”? Or is it primarily about a deeper level, as Read the full article…

Against Aggression Against Terrorism

Aggressively fighting terrorism is putting fuel on terrorism. There are other ways. Relatively (!) seen, terrorism is not the biggest problem. Worldwide, there are 11.7K terrorism deaths per year – mostly in Africa, versus for instance 450K through homicide, 1.3M through traffic accidents, 184K through drinking sugary beverages… Of course, each premature death is one Read the full article…

The End of War

War is not inevitable. At some point in the future, there will be no war ever anymore. We can think about what is needed towards that. No war is worth it. Let’s be reasonable. However, an argument against pacifism is that it leads aggressive opponents to seek their chances on war or economic invasion. Right. Read the full article…

How Green Is Your Mind?

Inner mind is pure nature. Therefore, a  true environmentalist sees nature outside and inside as worthy goals. They form a natural and logical synthesis. People who want to take care of the environment should also take care of themselves in-depth. The environment deeply is their cause ― no matter whether they are rich or poor. This Read the full article…

About Conservatism

Conservatism – as seen by many – likes freedom and responsibility, based on a view upon human beings as free and responsible entities. According to a main viewpoint by ‘conservatives’ worldwide and which I adopt in this text, conservatism is generally about this one thing and then another: Individuals should be allowed as much personal Read the full article…

Deep Diplomacy

The highest standard in diplomacy leads to welfare for all. Getting the best deal? Diplomacy is not a commercial act! Far more than deal-making, deep diplomacy is about making a better world. Thus also understanding what an ethically better world should be. This is about aligning one’s side and ‘the other side’ through common goals, Read the full article…

Imagine – Peace and Unity on Earth

Peace and unity within you. Then: overflowing towards others and the planet. Back to flower power? Yes, with a twist through modern science. It starts and ends within you This is of course a huge statement. At first sight, it is quite individualistic. Is this not a Western bias? Perhaps. But ‘individualistic’ brings the connotation Read the full article…

A Deeper-Self Political Primer?

The ‘total human being’ is important not only to individual health but also to a lot of societal questions and domains. Let’s mind-game a political party that would stand for the total human being, with deep respect for the present situation as well as for a desired change towards a more open future… Are we Read the full article…

81. The war on terrorism is fought in the heart

OK folks. Let’s face it. We are, at the dawn of the third millennium, living the Third World War. As in every other World War, there is of course an enemy. Or at least we think so. Do we? ◊◊◊ Yeah! It’s the war against terrorism! Or is it against terrorists? Should it not be Read the full article…

From Sexual Harassment to Being a Gentleman

A ‘no’ is a no, even between quotation marks. In any ambivalent situation, you should not sexually harass any woman – or man – in any way. But we should start tackling this issue from a positive side… To me, ‘gentleman’ is still a nice word. I hope it will stay so forever. What it Read the full article…

Lady Justice’s Blindfold

Will in the future all criminals be seen as in need of coaching rather than punishment? Lady Justice, also known as Themis in ancient Greece As a goddess, she didn’t need a blindfold. She could see everything anyway. Themis also didn’t have a sword (of punishment). Both were added in the 15th century. The blindfold Read the full article…

44. Puberty: the time for respect

Children in their puberty ask (in many cases very loudly) for respect, although they can have a huge difficulty in giving it themselves. The voice of protest is never far away… and I think they are essentially right. I also think that to become a grown-up in a profound way means to keep one’s own Read the full article…

From Deep Meaning to Post-Capitalism

We seem to be stuck in capitalism, yet capitalism itself seems to be stuck. Can ‘deep meaning’ help us to get beyond? Monetary values are measurable. For pure-capitalism (!) to work perfectly, everything needs to get a value that is measurable, comparable, thereby making the valued thing tradable. The most abstract trade is of course Read the full article…

A Demagogue Is an Abuser

A demagogue is like a train, not stopped by things that would stop other people. Take care. In due time, he can go harder and faster. A resemblance strikes me with the Pied Piper of Hamelin, luring children away into a cave, to never be seen again. The tale’s pied piper did so out of revenge. Read the full article…

One Individual’s Euro-Take on US Politics

Democrats are losing in the US and together with them: rationality, empathy, tolerance, equality, freedom…?? I’m a progressive European. So I probably feel more ‘democratic’ than ‘republican’ in US parlance. In any case, it’s unfortunate that the divide between both becomes ever more pronounced. Worse still: This is a divide that more and more becomes Read the full article…

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