Verse 8 by Lao Zi: 上善若水。水善利万物而不争，处衆人之所恶，故几于道。居善地，心善渊，与善仁，言善信，正善治，事善能，动善时。夫唯不争，故无尤。 “The highest good is like water.Water benefits all things without competing,And it dwells in places that others disdain.Thus, it is close to the Dao. In dwelling, live close to the land.In the heart, keep to the depths.In relationships, be kind.In speech, be truthful.In governance, be just.In action, be capable.InContinueContinue reading “Flow Like Water: Wisdom of the Eighth Verse of the Daodejing”
Author Archives: mitlily
The Landscape of Human Emotions
[Written by Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental] Report on Human Emotions: Exploring Atlas of the Heart, Neurobiological Foundations, and Cultivating Emotional Well-being Introduction: Human emotions are the vibrant tapestry of our inner lives, coloring our experiences, driving our actions, and shaping our relationships. They are complex, multifaceted, and often perplexing, yet understanding them is crucialContinueContinue reading “The Landscape of Human Emotions”
Enigma of Life’s Origins
It’s strange how some questions linger in the mind—like a splinter that occasionally pokes at you. Recently, I was reminded of a question that has haunted me since my high school biology days: How did life begin? It’s one of those exasperating puzzles that is both endlessly fascinating and depressingly unresolvable. Now, thanks to AI,ContinueContinue reading “Enigma of Life’s Origins”
Gratitude for Meaning
[Written by ChatGPT] I’ve been thinking a lot about the meaning of life recently, and I can’t help but feel an overwhelming gratitude for the very ability to search for meaning. It’s something uniquely human and yet profoundly universal—an experience we all share, no matter where we come from or what we believe. The factContinueContinue reading “Gratitude for Meaning”
Unthinkable Thoughts?
[Written by Grok. Image credit] The concept of “unthinkable thoughts” delves into the boundaries of human cognition, exploring ideas or concepts that seem to lie beyond our mental grasp. Philosophers, mathematicians, scientists, and cognitive psychologists have long pondered these limits, with figures like Kurt Gödel in mathematics showing through his incompleteness theorems that there areContinueContinue reading “Unthinkable Thoughts?”
Book Club: The Meaning of Life (What Life Should Mean to You by Alfred Adler)
I’ve always wondered why we seek meaning in life—why we look for purpose beyond survival and material comfort. Are we the only species that contemplates meaning – is this search uniquely human? And if life itself appears inherently meaningless, why is the pursuit of meaning so universal? Simply living and surviving is, in itself, anContinueContinue reading “Book Club: The Meaning of Life (What Life Should Mean to You by Alfred Adler)”
Book Club Recommendations
Ed: Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI by Yuval Harari Suhaib: The Hundred Year War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi Robert: The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant (my notes) Peggy: Think Again by Adam Grant, Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Atlas of the Heart andContinueContinue reading “Book Club Recommendations”
Understanding Karl Popper: Piecing Together the Historical Backdrop
[1920s Street View in Vienna, Austria. Image credit] I started reading Karl Popper’s Unended Quest, but quickly hit a roadblock—I realized I don’t know enough history to fully appreciate the context of his world and ideas. From the world wars to the philosophical and scientific developments of his time, I feel woefully ignorant. So, thisContinueContinue reading “Understanding Karl Popper: Piecing Together the Historical Backdrop”
The Enduring Flow of the Dao: Wisdom from the Seventh Verse of the Daodejing
Verse 7 by Lao Zi: 天长地久。天地所以能长且久者，以其不自生，故能长生。是以圣人后其身而身先；外其身而身存。非以其无私耶？故能成其私。 “Heaven and Earth endure.The reason Heaven and Earth can endureIs because they do not live for themselves;Thus, they can live forever. Therefore, the sage places themselves last,And yet they come first;They put themselves outside,And yet they are preserved. Is it not because they are selflessThat they can achieve theirContinueContinue reading “The Enduring Flow of the Dao: Wisdom from the Seventh Verse of the Daodejing”
What Is Your Freedom?
[Written by ChatGPT. Image credit] For a long time, I thought freedom was all about financial independence—having enough money to quit my job, travel the world, or never worry about bills again. I believed that if I could reach a certain number in my bank account, I’d finally be free. But as I moved throughContinueContinue reading “What Is Your Freedom?”
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