Goal of Meditation
Mostly said: meditation has no goal. What is meant: no conceptual one. Then why meditate? The goal is non-conceptual ethics. (This is not an easy text.) Spiraling inwards Morality: the relief of suffering. [see: ‘Morality Is the Relief of Suffering’] Which is related to why people do what they do, their motivation. Which is related Read the full article…
Symptom = Problem?
A ‘symptom’ is primordially just an issue that you give some of your attention to. It only becomes a ‘symptom’ when you experience it as such. The reason why we see a psycho-somatic symptom as a problem is because we see it as some kind of entity that doesn’t really belong to who we are. Read the full article…
An Exercise in Stressional Intelligence
Stressional Intelligence is how to rationally deal with stress in deep respect to yourself. Some principles are always applicable. This exercise may show so. Nature gave our ancestors a continual amount of stress. Thus, we are basically made to function with stress. We all need it, physically and mentally, in diverse amounts. We also all Read the full article…
Listening to Music… with Ears of Soul
Any music will do, but I think this goes better with gentle sounds. At least that is true for me. Ears of soul, that is to say: from inside. Ears of soul, that is to say: from within the music. Ears of soul, that is to say: from within your deeper self. Do you feel Read the full article…
Stress is a Perception of an Imbalance of Perceptions
Stress is played out at the level of perceptions. That doesn’t make it less real or bodily or worthy of many people’s attention or less capable to deeply influence the bottom line of any company. Responsibility, no guilt It’s always important to note: the fact that stress is a perception, doesn’t make you guilty. It Read the full article…
Everyone Wants You to Be ‘the Best’!
Fortunately, people are easily satisfied. Human perfection lives in imperfection. In the first place in a leader. A leader can hold on to the idea that everything he does is ‘perfect’ anyway, just because he simply is the leader. Such a character accepts no contradiction because that would undermine his leadership position. Clearly: if the Read the full article…
Subtlety
Something is subtle when related concepts are semantically close to each other or even overlap each other, while the distinctions are relevant and yet hard to grasp. One is easily mistaken, which has important implications. Subtlety is different from hairsplitting. This is very important! … and in a number of cases it is subtle too. Read the full article…
The Brainy Trinity
The ‘triune brain’ is a popular concept: reptilian – mammalian – human. Yet the brain functions as a whole. This has huge implications. Evolution, no engineering Evidently, a mechanically engineered brain would be very different from the organically evolved one that we may call ‘home’ in the most literal sense. We are organic. Any naturally Read the full article…
Simply Beautiful
Eventually, what is beautiful is simple. Also when this beauty is surrounded by complexity. Simplicity in beauty Beauty doesn’t necessarily mean ‘not much’. It always means ‘not too much’. At least, no superfluous complexity is standing in the way. So as much as possible, beauty can flow where it wants. According to me, beauty is Read the full article…
Opening Religion
This is, as I see it, mainly to be done through opening related concepts. ‘Opening concepts’ One should see this rationally / conceptually AND, even mainly, sub-conceptually: meditatively. This brings a difference in methodology as well as in results. Both are to be seen much more as ‘creative’. As any of my writing, actually. A Read the full article…
Difficulties are Solved. Challenges are Taken Up.
One stumbles over a difficulty. One jumps over a challenge. The difference between difficulty and challenge is larger than simply a new name for more or less the same. E.g. a white sheet of paper for the writer of this text or for a business plan: difficulty or challenge…? Difficulties cross your path, initializing the 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…
Mind-Body Column – Intro
‘Mind-Body’ texts are written mainly for healthcare providers but also for broad public. These texts are intended to let readers each time again reflect for a while about psyche-related subjects in an intriguing way. Philosophical now and then and nevertheless also with concrete relevance to medical practice. The basic idea is that in medical thinking Read the full article…
The Leader and the Boss
A boss shouts, even when he listens. A leader listens, even when he talks. In ‘Open Leadership’ philosophy we look in an open way at the total person of the leader as well as of his co-workers. We are interested in the conscious thinking AND the non-conscious thinking in as far as we can get Read the full article…
Landscape of Empathy
This drawing is an attempt to make appropriate distinctions in a complex reality around ‘empathy’. Terms that are used to point towards the distinct parts – as always – contain arbitrariness. Disclaimer Please take this with a grain of salt. The drawing is a metaphor to make some things clear while other important distinctions are Read the full article…
38. An Addiction is No ‘Bad Habit’
You are doing everyone a favor by pointing at the ‘circle of addiction’. Many people who are seriously addicted, see this as a ‘bad habit’. They say, “I will stop smoking if I feel like it, but that is not the case yet.” Okay, but what if this “I do not feel like stopping yet” Read the full article…
37. The Thorn in the Eye of the Needle
Acupuncture is a matter of art and philosophy, not of steel and energy. It exists already for so lang. Surely that cannot be true if it would not be effective? But of course it can. Just as a reminder: until the early nineteenth century, we in Europe have been happy with ‘body fluids medicine’, for Read the full article…