Philosophy Blog

After an European whirlwind of a few months, we are back in Ōtautahi. And my intention looking at the sunrise this morning felt very clear: living with philosophy at the centre of my life for the next 8 months, sharing this with others, and see what happens.

I have two masters in philosophy, one including cognitive science. I have used the latter one in my job for ten years, as a learning designer, for schools and universities, in Paris and in Ōtautahi. 

An injury and other personal experiences are now pushing me to try and experience philosophy as it was originally designed for: as a means of seeking wisdom, understanding the nature of existence, and providing practical guidance for living a good life. The word "philosophy" itself comes from the Greek term "philosophia," which means "love of wisdom."

Therefore in the next months, I would love to share this very particular kind of love. 

And today, I will start with quoting Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations" (Book 5, Section 1) 

Ἐν ταῖς ἑωθιναῖς ἐγέρσεσι λέγε πρὸς σεαυτόν, Σήμερον ἐργάζομαι κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, ἢ οὐ πρὸς τό γε ἐργάζεσθαι συνίσταμαι;

This translates to:

In the morning when you rise, consider what a precious privilege it is to be alive, to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.

And off to my Pilates class, followed by the ritual Farmers’ market, and of course the Library borrowing spree!