Modern life is deeply attracted to the idea of progress in the 18th century as European societies became ever richer and more technological, the conventional view was that mankind was firmly set on a positive trajectory from savagery and ignorance toward prosperity and civilization. But there was at least one …

The secrets of happiness 1. Stop being so hopeful Expect that most things are going to go wrong marriage, job, holidays, kids Look at the glass half empty and then feel grateful Whenever things aren’t quite catastrophic 2. Stop ranting about how awful other people are Most annoying people aren’t …

So long, since you’ve been at peace. You used to know how to come here… As a child. It’s a place in your head. Focus on the water. It’s a bit of an illness to keep wanting more. This spot isn’t glamorous… …It’s what’s all around, when we focus. This …

Many of us feel that our societies are a little – or even plain totally – ‘unfair’. But we have a hard time explaining our sense of injustice to the powers that be in a way that sounds rational and without personal pique or bitterness. That’s why we need John …

This is going to be a very bad film. It will teach you nothing. You’ll wonder at the end where those few minutes of your life have gone. You’ll feel bitter, resentful, and increasingly furious. Now, that’s a tiny example of what pessimism can do for you. It prepares you …

The story of the Buddha’s life, like all of Buddhism, is a story about confronting suffering. He was born between the sixth and fourth century B.C., the son of a wealthy king in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal. It was prophesied that the young Buddha — then called Siddhartha Gautama …

From a distance, it can all seem very silly. These people have gone to Lourdes, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, in the hope that the Virgin Mary might cure them of cancer and heart disease. These people have gone to Medjugorje in Bosnia Herzegovina to pray they might get …

We’ve come to see living on our own or in a small family unit of our own as a key step in growing up; it’s the dominant image we have of adult existence. So, monasticism, which involves unmarried people working and living together in highly organized communities, can seem very …

Georg Friedrich Hegel was born in Stuttgart in 1770. Intellectually he was adventurous, but in externals, respectable, conventional, and proud of it. He ascended the academic tree and reached the top most branch, head of the University of Berlin, when he was sixty years old; he died the following year. …

Athens, 2400 years ago. It’s a compact place: only about a quarter of a million people live here. There are fine baths, theatres, temples, shopping arcades and gymnasiums It’s warm for more than half the year. This is also home to the world’s first true – and probably greatest – …