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.

6 days ago | [YT] | 1,836

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 week ago | [YT] | 2,106

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

2 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,611

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

3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,509

Einzelgänger

WHEN EVERYTHING FALLS APART… BUILD A HUT

The world seems to move faster every year. And lately, it feels less stable… as if everything we rely on could shift or disappear at any moment. Each morning brings new headlines of crisis and collapse, keeping us on edge, worried about what the future might bring.

Over 800 years ago, a Japanese poet watched his world fall apart. Natural disasters, societal chaos, and a life that turned out to be nothing as he had hoped. Like us, he was forced to face a difficult truth: that safety and stability are fragile, and perhaps never truly existed.

But unlike most people, he decided he had had enough. From his perspective, there was nothing lasting to be gained in the world. He saw everything was subject to change, loss, and decay. And so, he turned away from it all and built a small hut, where he spent his days in simplicity.

Living as a recluse, Kamo no Chōmei wrote his famous essay Hōjōki, reflecting on a world in decay, and what it might teach us about how to live.

​This week’s video explores the (Buddhist) wisdom of Kamo no Chōmei’s Hōjōki.

1 month ago | [YT] | 1,758

Einzelgänger

NOTHING EVER CHANGES

Hello everyone! Recently, I began a very slow journey through philosophy, starting at the dawn of Western philosophy, in podcast form. Today I’ve released the sixth episode, which explores the mind-numbing ideas of Parmenides of Elea.

The pre-Socratic philosopher Parmenides believed that not only change, but also motion and even the many separate things we see cannot exist. That everything we perceive isn’t really there at all.

Parmenides didn’t arrive at these claims using the senses, which obviously tell a different story, but through something else: reason. He argued that we cannot trust the senses for obtaining true knowledge of reality. Knowledge must be derived from reason.

Using reason, Parmenides arrived at some very strange conclusions. Contrary to what Heraclitus believed, there can be no birth, no death, no movement, no becoming. There cannot be a river, nor can we step into it. What we see may feel real, but according to Parmenides, it cannot be.

To most people, Parmenides’ ideas sound absurd. But when you follow his reasoning, you might want to think twice about the world you’ve always assumed to be a certain way. He makes you doubt, makes you wonder. In fact, his reasoning was groundbreaking at that time and profoundly influenced the course of Western philosophy.

Parmenides is often considered one of the most important, and certainly one of the most intriguing, pre-Socratic philosophers. In this episode, let’s explore the rabbit hole of Parmenides’ philosophy and see how deep it goes. But here’s a warning: You may not come out the same person.

Listen on Substack: journeyofideas.substack.com/p/006-nothing-ever-cha…
Listen on Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1FULvJUZ01VYKAcn7Ix94a
Listen on Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/journey-of-ideas/id1…

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 719

Einzelgänger

WHY DO PEOPLE WASTE THEIR LIVES?

Lately, I’ve been seeing more and more people online opening up about how they’ve wasted their twenties, thirties, or even forties, making bad choices, missing opportunities, chasing the wrong things, and now living with regret. These stories are often meant as cautionary tales for younger people to avoid the same traps.

In just a few lines, Pink Floyd’s song Time captures something similar. It paints a picture of how we tend to live aimlessly when we’re young, thinking we have all the time in the world, only to suddenly realize the years have passed, and feel a sense of disappointment.

The lyrics of the song, written by Roger Waters, don’t spell out exactly why we waste our lives. But they seem to suggest that it’s a common but tragic part of the human experience; something we tend to fall into.

So the question is: Why do we seem to waste so much of our lives, often realizing it too late, when many opportunities have already passed?

​This week’s video explores why people waste their lives, based on ‘Time’ by Pink Floyd.

1 month ago | [YT] | 2,373

Einzelgänger

WHY BUYING MORE IS NEVER ENOUGH

Shopping isn’t always necessary… or harmless. Often, we buy unnecessary items: impulse purchases, gadgets we saw advertised somewhere, or fancier cars just to keep up with the Joneses.

​The ‘will-to-buy’ comes with sacrifice. Shopping requires money, money requires labor, labor requires time and energy. Some people look to bypass this mechanism by taking loans or buying on installment plans, so they can have what they cannot afford. Yet now they have taken on the burden of debt, which still requires sacrifice to resolve.

​And what to do with all the stuff? Material possessions need maintenance, which often costs money, time, and energy; the same resources we needed to buy what now demands our care.

​Also, we often get attached to our stuff, even the inessential things, loathing the idea of losing what we own. And often, quite subtly, we let our possessions decide our lives. For example, why adopt the healthy habit of walking to work if we have an expensive, fancy car to drive us?

​But at least owning stuff makes us happy… right? Not really. Buying stuff could make you happy, but only for a while. We quickly get used to new possessions, then look for something better. And when we get that, we get used to it too, and start looking for something even better.

​The will-to-buy is an insatiable need that promises much but delivers little, always demanding more, and never really ending.

​This week’s video explores why buying less sets you free.

2 months ago | [YT] | 1,647

Einzelgänger

WHAT SPONGEBOB GOT RIGHT ABOUT LIFE

SpongeBob SquarePants isn’t what we would call ‘successful’ in today’s achievement society. He lives alone in a pineapple (okay, he has a pet). He works at a fast-food restaurant. He has no impressive résumé, no status, no ambition to climb. And most people around him see him as a fool, which, by the way, doesn’t seem to bother him in the slightest.

SpongeBob lives in a curious little town named Bikini Bottom. At first sight, it seems like an idyllic tropical paradise, but when we look more closely, it’s actually a pretty imperfect place full of broken people. And it’s not very safe either, considering the natural disasters it faces, like volcanoes and earthquakes, as well as many external threats, like the Alaskan Bullworm or King Neptune, which led to the town’s destruction.

Also, Bikini Bottom’s inhabitants seem to be in constant struggle with themselves and each other. We see this constant danger of a megalomaniac trying to seize power, a greedy businessman trying to enrich himself in any way he can, and a cynical, failed artist who mainly isolates himself from social life, yearning for recognition. Add to this the mass hysteria that often sets in the little town, usually over trivial matters, and we see that Bikini Bottom is a volatile place.

But the constant adversity and the irrational (sometimes downright malicious) people around him never seem to bring SpongeBob down. On the contrary, SpongeBob seems to be the happiest character in the entire show, even when things around him fall apart. He seems an absurd character, sure, a fool who makes us laugh. But could it be that, behind the ridiculousness, lies a secret to living well?

From the viewpoint of Aristotle, SpongeBob might actually be a truly happy person. The upcoming video explores SpongeBob from an Aristotelian perspective to see what he can teach us about happiness.

2 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,563

Einzelgänger

WHY IGNORANCE SOUNDS SO CONFIDENT

Time and time again, we hear strong opinions expressed with great confidence, without much understanding of the subject. You’ll see it among MAGA supporters, progressives, religious fundamentalists, conspiracy communities, and everywhere in between.

It’s confidence over competence, presentation over substance, and emotional appeal over careful reasoning.

As a result, we’re drawn to overly simplified explanations of reality. We accept claims not because they are necessarily true, but because they align with what we already believe (or want to believe) or because they’re delivered with strong rhetoric. For the same reason, we embrace narratives such as conspiracy theories despite the lack of evidence.

So, how does confident ignorance arise, and why does it spread so effectively in modern-day culture?

One explanation is the Dunning–Kruger effect.

In 1999, psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger found that people with low ability in a given domain often overestimate their competence, largely because they lack the insight required to recognize their own limitations.

By contrast, those with real expertise often doubt themselves because they understand how complex the subject is and how much there’s still to learn.

The upcoming video explores the Dunning-Kruger effect, as well as other reasons why ignorant people often sound so confident and why this phenomenon can be so dangerous.

2 months ago | [YT] | 1,454