A fundamental ingredient of happiness, and even one that can stand on its own, would be progress, whether real or supposed, i.e. the impression that we are improving in one of the dimensions of our existence. The fact of feeling an improvement gives us confidence and makes us look positively at the future. Without progress, it is difficult to remain…
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A digest of Michael Greger and Gene Stone’s book, “How no to die? Food tips and tricks for all those who want to live healthier Certain foods have preventive and curative functions with respect to diseases. Poor nutrition is the main cause of premature death Meat, dairy products, eggs and processed foods (from the food industry) are bad for your…
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From blue collar to hoodie You have no doubt noticed that we are in the midst of an economic upheaval, and employment is particularly affected. We are experiencing creative destruction on a large scale: 85% of the jobs of 2030 do not exist today(1). What are the implications of such a reshuffling of cards? Let’s analyse together the future changes…
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For many of us, a successful life consists in climbing the steps of Maslow’s pyramid one by one. Physical security is replaced by material security, which in turn is replaced by emotional security and so on. What to do when we get stuck on one of these steps? Are we condemned to dwell on the bitter fact that we could…
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Marcus Aurelius, described as a philosopher emperor, was the most powerful man in the world in 161 A.D., as the Roman empire he led was at its peak. Although resolutely endowed with immense power, his questioning and reflections made him a person deeply sensitive to the human condition. Having come closer to Greek stoicism through his readings and his preceptors,…
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… especially if you have responsibilities The word humiliate comes from the Latin humus which means “soil”. To humiliate oneself would consist in keeping one’s feet on the ground if not at least keeping one’s head on one’s shoulders. When one lacks humility, one disconnects in a way from the real world, one can become despicable and a fortiori despicable.…
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To solve a problem, it is not uncommon to resort to the same type of solution. We often function like a mechanic with a single screwdriver to fix things: we want to patch something up with the only tool we think we have. With such an approach, it is not surprising that our efforts are ineffective. Imagine having to repair…
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Are we making good use of our time? This is perhaps the question we ask ourselves most often. Here’s a different way to answer it. Instead of trying to make every second of your life a moment of optimization, settle for doing one great thing every day. Why do this? Because the feeling of such an accomplishment radiates your day…
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The scarcity of a commodity In a society of affluence, the last thing we have access to is gratitude. How can we explain this paradox? Is it the fact of possessing that makes us hostage to our own possessions? Or is it that the consumerist ideology is incompatible with gratitude because it induces an ungrateful satiety? Gratitude = happiness? Gratitude…
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What if boxing taught us to live our lives better? In order to become better, we often have to test our limits. When we decide to learn a sport that prepares us for competitions, whether it is team sports or individual sports, it is more than necessary to get used to confrontation. Boxing is obviously no exception to this rule.…
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