Einzelgänger

WHY WE NEED A CODE AGAIN

It seems that, for more and more people, life feels meaningless. We lack clear direction, struggle to define our purpose, and often drift aimlessly. Meanwhile, the world itself seems increasingly chaotic, as though many of the systems and structures that once provided moral direction, stability, and meaning are slowly falling apart.

And while we may have liberated ourselves, enjoying more freedom and individualism than ever before, many of us also seem somewhat lost… unsure of what to truly believe in or stand for. So, in today’s tumultuous and confusing world, would we benefit from living by a code? And could Bushidō be it?

Bushidō is often described as the samurai code, a collection of virtues and principles associated with Japan’s warrior class. Yet there was never a single, universally accepted code that all samurai followed.

It was only in the late nineteenth century that Nitobe Inazō attempted to systematically describe Bushidō in his famous book Bushidō: The Soul of Japan. Drawing on the ideals of the samurai, he presented Bushidō as a moral philosophy for anyone seeking to live a good life.

This week’s video explores Bushidō and whether it can guide us in a world that has lost its code.

1 day ago | [YT] | 1,659

Einzelgänger

A SIMPLE WAY TO BREAK BAD HABITS

We live in an age of instant gratification. Easy pleasures are all around us, and they constantly beg for our attention. We can indulge in social media, online shopping, streaming, gambling, and mature content without even leaving the couch. Various substances and junk food are widely available, at least in the West.

And so, many of us develop bad habits. Some are rather innocent, others can seriously undermine our well-being. And many struggle to get rid of these bad habits and may try for years, only to relapse over and over again.

The Stoics understood this problem well. They saw excessive desire as a passion: an irrational disturbance that, if we follow it, could get us into trouble. Epictetus spoke extensively about how to deal with the passions, including the temptations that so often lead us astray. In particular, he offered a piece of advice that many of us overlook when trying to break a bad habit.

This week’s video explores a simple way to break bad habits, based on the wisdom of Epictetus.

1 week ago | [YT] | 1,884

Einzelgänger

WHY EMPTINESS IS SO IMPORTANT

We often fail to realize how essential emptiness is. Perhaps it is because we instinctively value something over nothing.

We tend to cherish sound more than silence, life more than death, and certainty more than the unknown. Likewise, we often prefer filling our minds, expressing our thoughts, and staying busy over stillness, silence, and simply ‘being’.

To the modern human, what’s emptiness but a deficiency to be filled?

But the ancient Taoists saw emptiness very differently. They believed emptiness has inherent value. In fact, they saw it as one of the most important principles of life, which shouldn’t be avoided but cultivated. The ancient texts provide various examples of how emptiness is important and how it can benefit our lives in profound ways.

This week’s video explores the underrated power of emptiness, based on ancient Taoist philosophy.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 2,494

Einzelgänger

In case you missed it, my latest collaboration with After Skool is now live. In it, we explore Wabi-sabi, the Japanese philosophy of perfect imperfection. You can watch it on their YouTube channel.

Check it here: https://youtu.be/7ioGv11Ww5w?si=XDtUd...

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 769

Einzelgänger

STOP BEING PERFECT

Today’s society is obsessed with perfection. We see people constantly tweaking themselves and their lives, as if “normal” is no longer good enough.

Young men chase facial symmetry and chiseled jawlines, even resorting to steroids and plastic surgery. Young women hesitate to show themselves on social media without filters, embracing unhealthy diets just to ensure they appear flawless on a screen.

Preoccupied with self-improvement, we devour self-help books and follow course after course, attempting to get smarter, more productive, more efficient, and, most importantly, more successful. We have become ‘entrepreneurs of ourselves,’ and our project is self-optimization, a quest that never seems to end.

Our lives as a whole must be perfect, too. We obsess over our minimalist-designed living rooms, fantasize about dream jobs, and set unrealistic standards for potential partners.

And the emergence of AI has enabled us to iron out our flaws – be it in our writings, our voices, our photos – like never before, creating a ‘superreality’ where everything is straight and spotless.

When we strive for perfection, we strive for an existence without fault. But perfection isn’t only impossible and exhausting to pursue; it’s also a bit unappealing, even boring. Imperfection is much more interesting, as far as the Japanese idea of Wabi-sabi is concerned. And, above all, imperfection is real.

In collaboration with After Skool, tomorrow’s video explores a Japanese philosophy of perfect imperfection: Wabi-sabi.

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/7ioGv11Ww5w?si=y5mEX...

3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 2,191

Einzelgänger

WHY HEDONISM GOES DEEPER THAN YOU THINK

Could pleasure be more than just an enjoyable experience? Could it be the highest pursuit of human life, and perhaps even the key to happiness?

The Cyrenaics believed that pleasure was the highest good, and they logically defended this view. They stated that the goodness of pleasure and the badness of pain is self-evident. The experience of both pain and pleasure proves whether it’s good or bad. Furthermore, they saw the experience of pleasure and pain as the only reliable experience of the external world.

We interpret the external world through our senses: seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling. Our senses pick up information, which we assume comes from an external realm and thus generates our experiences. But what we perceive aren’t the things in themselves, thought the Cyrenaics; it’s the sensory information from our senses. So, the Cyrenaics believed that we can’t really know the outside world.

Let’s take a look at colors, for example. I cannot know if what I perceive as yellow is the same yellow someone else perceives. Even though we collectively call a specific external appearance ‘yellow,’ who knows: maybe you see yellow as I see purple?

So, how certain can we be about the external world? How can we truly understand what’s virtuous or not, or what’s good and evil? Most of these things are based on manmade ideas. Pain and pleasure, on the other hand, give direct information.

Read more on Substack: journeyofideas.substack.com/p/food-sex-and-partyin…

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 1,233

Einzelgänger

WHY LIFE NEVER REALLY STOPS HURTING

Why does life hurt so much? Why do we have traumatic experiences and walk around with unresolved anger or grief? Why does life sometimes feel like a series of unfortunate events, an ongoing tragedy that just doesn’t seem to end?

The Norwegian philosopher Peter Wessel Zapffe believed it’s not so much the world itself that causes us suffering, but the way we are conscious of it as human beings. Unlike most animals, we human beings are equipped with a mind that allows us to think and reflect deeply on virtually any aspect of life, which may seem like a great thing, but it also has downsides.

Zapffe believed that our consciousness is so overdeveloped that it has become a profound source of suffering, leaving us aware of far more than we can bear. And so, we spend much of our lives running from pain, a cycle that seems impossible to break.

So, how exactly does human consciousness lead to profound suffering? How do we cope? And is there a solution?

This week’s video explores The Last Messiah, Peter Wessel Zapffe’s pitch-black philosophical essay.

1 month ago | [YT] | 1,859

Einzelgänger

SOME THINGS AREN’T WORTH THE PRICE

When we look at other people’s lives, it often seems like they’re doing much better than us in many ways. They have successful careers, attractive partners, beautiful kids, nice homes, luxury vacations, and vibrant social circles.

Seeing all these success stories around us, we can’t help but ask, “Why not me?” And before we know it, envy sets in. We start wanting what others have and become dissatisfied with our own lives.

But Epictetus reminds us that, in most cases, these things take sacrifice. And we often don’t realize what it really takes, as we cannot look beyond people’s facades. So, we don’t know how much they’re sacrificing; the money, time, and stress they put in.

And since we, in all likelihood, are not paying the price they pay, we don’t really have a claim to what they have, argues the Stoic philosopher. In other words, to have something, we must be willing to pay the price.

The question is then: Is it worth it?

This week’s video explores what Epictetus said about this, showing us that some things… just aren’t worth the pain.

1 month ago | [YT] | 2,110

Einzelgänger

WHY WE LONG FOR A PAST THAT NEVER EXISTED

Have you found yourself longing for the past lately?

Maybe you once had a better job, a more fun and understanding partner, and closer friendships, while today, your work feels unfulfilling, your partner’s flaws outweigh their strengths, and you find yourself wondering why you no longer see your friends.

And on top of that, doesn’t the world today feel like nothing but trouble, like everything is falling apart, unlike years ago, when it all seemed better?

You may feel like an unfortunate passenger of time, watching your life grow more dreadful as the years go by. And the more you recall those times long gone, the less you want to be in the present. Because back then, happiness was... so ‘normal,’ while today it feels hard to find.

Longing for those good old days is common. The problem is, though, that our minds aren’t all that reliable. In many ways, they deceive us, presenting us with a past that never really existed. And this human flaw comes at a great cost; not only to our happiness, but also to how we treat one another.

This week’s video explores a toxic, misleading form of nostalgia that is alluring but can also be dangerous.

WATCH IT HERE: https://youtu.be/4u-Wqw2qNlE

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,612

Einzelgänger

WHY WE GROW BITTER AS WE GET OLDER

Why do some people grow bitter with age? Why do some older adults seem cranky, as if they’re simply done with life? Is life actually getting worse, or do we just begin to see it differently?

When we see older people who seem a bit distant, down, or even bitter, it’s easy to say they have only themselves to blame and that they should simply “be positive.” But maybe their bitterness wasn’t entirely their fault. Maybe it’s the result of life’s illusions about happiness; illusions that have begun to wear off with age.

For the pessimistic philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, it’s not all that surprising that people aren’t too thrilled about life anymore. Because if we’re really honest, isn’t life, by and large, a disappointment?

​This week’s video explores why people become bitter as they get older, based on Schopenhauer’s philosophy.

WATCH IT HERE: https://youtu.be/Zcz_WYbnjUA

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,508