An Arabic legend tells the story of two friends traveling through the desert. At one point, they got into a fight and one of them slapped the other. The hurt friend, without a word, wrote on the sand: “Today my best friend hit me.” They continued on together and reached an oasis where they decided … Read more
A merchant owed money to a samurai. Since he had violated the agreed deadline for repaying the debt several times, the samurai drew his sword to kill him. The merchant, resigning himself to his fate, looked the samurai in the eyes, bowed, and calmly said, “You may freely kill me, but before you do, it … Read more
The Great Song of the Bharata Tribe This ancient Indian epic is often referred to as the Indian encyclopedia of history and mythology, politics, law, theology, and philosophy. In addition to the historical elements that depict the development and changes within the ancient Aryan civilization, the Mahabharata reflects both the world of one of the … Read more
Before we dive into this topic, we need to clarify something: in life, in living beings, and therefore in human beings, there are no absolute values. We do not refer to archetypes of Justice, Beauty, or Truth because in the world of ideas, they exist as absolutes, but in the manifested world, things become relative … Read more
What distinguishes a floating log from a ship made of the same wood is that the ship has oars and can sail against the current. N. Sri Ram I heard these words from Sri Ram in my distant youth. This sentence was not part of his lectures, and I do not know if it is … Read more
Although constructive and destructive criticisms are often mentioned, we disagree with this division because everyday experience shows that criticisms are always destructive. The problem is not in the criticism itself as a rational process, but in the person who acts guided by their emotional and subjective impulses instead of sound reason. We live in a … Read more
This is how I understand goodness: it strives for the common good of all humans, what the Greeks call philanthropy, which is inadequately expressed by the word humanity (as it is used). I call goodness a habit, and good nature a predisposition. As a divine attribute, Goodness is the greatest of all virtues and dignities … Read more
Consider this in your hearts: if you strive with difficulty for anything noble, the struggle passes, but the noble deed endures; if you do anything shameful for the sake of pleasure, the pleasure passes, but the shame remains. Although less known today, Gaius Musonius Rufus (circa 30 – circa 100 AD) forms, together with Epictetus, … Read more
Francis Bacon – On Revenge Revenge is a kind of wild justice, and the more human nature strives for it, the more the law needs to eradicate it. Because as far as the first injustice committed is concerned, it only offends the law; but revenge on that injustice renders the law obsolete. Indeed, the one … Read more
