Philosophy for me is a combination of the study of ideas and the use of one’s own mind to reason with them and better appreciate the experience of existence. Here are my writings that relate to philosophy or are philosophical in nature.
Every Day is a Good Day I look deep into the eyes of my son and I see my likeness. It is a moment of joy, of perfection. He is happy here and I am happy to be in his presence. The now tired plastic rocking horse lies cast aside… Read More »Every Day is A Good Day: How a little bit of Zen can help lift our mood
Prayer’s place in the human psyche Saying one’s prayers and the act of praying in general is something that an increasing majority of people in the UK are giving up doing (if church attendance statistics are anything to go by). Even many church goers who attend for socio-cultural reasons may… Read More »Prayer compared to Meditation: Dealing better with Ourselves and Others
An idea for what people believe At present, I find myself blessed by recent weather, and still mostly a man of well-balanced leisure time. In light of this, I have taken all of the opportunities available to get out and enjoy the outdoors before the UK winter really closes in.… Read More »On belief: Do people believe in their ideas or reality?
Short lives counted in Days by Death Clocks Is life really short? I recently heard about a feature on a podcast. The feature was a Death Clock extension to one’s browser. Essentially, this is just a clock counting down to the date I may die. In my case, it was… Read More »Is life really ‘short’? Some thoughts on our perception of time
Looking Forward to 2020 The New Year is a time to look forward to the next phase of our lives. Another calendar cycle begins and the days are getting longer (in the UK at least). It’s a period to make plans and prepare, to take stock and forecast for what… Read More »2020: A year for Exploring more Philosophy
The decade draws to a close As the last few weeks of 2019 fly past in a blur of damp weather, Christmas preparations and constant reminders to vote in the General Election, I have cause to reflect. I want to get a little philosophical, but more importantly, draw out a… Read More »Philosophical Musings for the End of the Decade
I recently applied to join an organisation which provides freelance writing services. Part of the application process was to produce a short essay answering a question about freedom. The question was this; Throughout history, men have been willing to fight and die for freedom. Why? It got me thinking. Really… Read More »Why Do People Fight for Freedom?
No-self as a Concept Pretty much a decade ago, I read a book called ‘What the Buddha taught’ whilst travelling in Malaysia and the impact is still with me. While I’m not a practising Buddhist now, certain ideas have had a significant impact on my thought processes. Two notions, in… Read More »No-self : Interpretation of the Buddhist Idea of No Soul
Blue Monday Today is known as Blue Monday. This is apparently as it is roughly two weeks out of the festive season but still two weeks until the end of January. For me, I’m still catching up with people who I didn’t see during the winter celebrations, which is fun… Read More »Recognizing Good Fortune
What is effortless action? There are times in life when everything seems to flow by. One good experience after the other. A seemingly endless stream of positive and empowering experiences. The travelling lifestyle or University days seem to embody this sense of flow. During these episodes, it tends to be… Read More »Effortless Action (Teachings of the Tao Te Ching)
The older we get the more knowledge we have absorbed, the more mistakes we can learn from and the more experience we can draw upon to frame our outlook on life. It follows that a person’s level of wisdom should advance at a similar rate to their chronological timeline. High levels… Read More »Exploring Spirituality
The day to day experience of life has changed dramatically over the last two thousand years but the realities of human existence have not. Over the coming months, I will be working on an undertaking to convey what I think are important lessons from ancient oriental texts. What Lessons? I have… Read More »Lessons from Ancient Chinese Philosophy