Like The Deer That Yearns

In the article Happiness and Personal Integrity, I introduced the ideas of World-view, Life-Project and Life-Style. Below is graphical presentation of it. The Eye and the Ear are symbols for the World-view, the Heart, for the Life-Project, and the Hands for Life-Style. For an explanation of this... Sign in to see full entry.

Happiness is intimately related with the integrity of a person. This is the whole idea behind Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, the essence of the Neo-Confucian doctrine of the Tao and the meaning of Psalm 1, the Jewish introduction to the Wisdom Books of the Bible. By personal integrity, I understand... Sign in to see full entry.

The pursuit of happiness cannot be separated from self-knowledge. The oracle of Delphi had the following statement plastered across the gateway that led to the shrine: Know Thyself. But self-knowledge, like all forms of knowledge, is always preceded by a choice whether conscious or not: we know what... Sign in to see full entry.

" All men desire to be happy," wrote Aristotle at the beginning of his book on Ethics. But what kind of happiness are we talking about here? Is it the happiness of a drunk? One can be drunk and show the signs of "happiness" (that is, laughter) and yet still be unhappy. How many times have we seen... Sign in to see full entry.

There are three things that one needs to be happy, and these are life, love and truth. It is quite understandable that one needs to be alive to be happy; happiness is for the living. And so in order to be happy, one needs to be alive, and to sustain oneself in life. But to be a happy human being, to... Sign in to see full entry.

An opinion blog with the title "Like The Deer That Yearns...?" What is it really about? The title of this blog is taken from Psalm 42 which was written during the time of the Jewish exile, probably by a priest who in a foreign land misses the country where he was born and raised. The psalm, in fact,... Sign in to see full entry.

"Faith is a leap in the dark," wrote Soren Kierkegaard once. And that preacher-philosopher knew what he was talking about. He knew the drama involved in faith; didn't he write "Fear and Trembling" where he describes the anguish of Abraham as he leads his son Isaac up the mountain of Moriah,... Sign in to see full entry.

An article from Time Magazine December 22 issue (you know, the one with Saddam on the cover with the announcement "We Got Him!" splashed across it?) seems to have "shaken" the faith of certain people. The article is about the so called " Lost Gospels." One comment read: " This only proves that all... Sign in to see full entry.

Every time we whine about how tough we have it, apart from the fact that we look ridiculous, we make it harder for people around us to appreciate how much we have. We encourage people to overlook the things we do have, the gifts of man and nature. We provide a context to dismiss everything as not... Sign in to see full entry.

Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. … Remove vexation from your mind, and put away pain from your body; for youth and the dawn of life are vanity. (Eccles. 11:9-10) Life and Death In a... Sign in to see full entry.