..tell me the difference between tragedy and comedy.(...)A trick. There's no difference. It's a question of perspective. Storytelling is a landscape, and tragedy is comedy is drama. It simply depends on how you frame what you're seeing.

Lotto laughed with the others, not because he was a punch line, but because he was grateful to Denton Thrasher for revealing theater to him. The one way, Lotto had finally found, that he could live in this world.

Grief is for the strong, who use it as fuel for burning.

I hated my violin as a boy until my father made me compose a score as a match was happening on the telly. Tottenham, Manchester, our boys losing. And suddenly, as I was playing, everything that I had felt so deeply without music deepened even more. The dread, the joy. And that was it for me, re-creating that moment was all I wanted to do. I called the composition Audere Est Facere. He laughed.

Lobes of warmth, of cold, always the dazzle. He thrashed away, feeling a good tiredness come over him. He swam until his arms burned and his lungs were salted, and he swam some more.

She, at some point, had stopped loving him. (He couldn't know.) It was the sorrow of his life. But perhaps, right then she did.

She forgot meals, ate dinners of tuna still in the can, spent too much time streaming films in bed. Time clicked by. The days grew colder, darker. Some days she never turned on the light, waking at eight when the sun rose weakly, sleeping at four-thirty when it bled itself out. She felt ursine. Norwegian.

When he came in, it was only minutes after her, but she'd smelled the winter in his hair when he leaned his head against her neck. She held his head gently, feeling his secret happiness moving in him.

Or this: every day they woke in the same place, her husband waking her with a cup of coffee, the cream still swirling into the black. Almost unremarked upon, this kindness. He would kiss her on the crown of her head before leaving, and she'd feel something rising in her through her body to meet him. These silent intimacies made their marriage, not the ceremonies or parties or opening nights or occasions or spectacular fucks.

Was getting a bit bored with this story of a marriage until I got to the middle of it and everything changed. Lives are made of daily details and well kept secrets. Loved it in the end.  ❤︎

Fates and Furies: A Novel [Groff, Lauren] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Fates and Furies: A Novel

history

History

Scenes from a Marriage

Instagram is full of people in love with their image of reading.Reading for learning is not all coffee shops and cosy couches. Most of the time is pen and paper and rereading concepts that are difficult to grasp.You read because you want to know more, do more, grow more. You have a purpose. You're looking for things that could give you an edge, that you could later use in your purpose.

Reading with purpose

Connecting ideas can be a creative action.Use technology to put together ideas from different backgrounds and come up with new insights.

Learning like mixing music

An insight is an atomic self-contained re-usable unit of knowledge.It has emotional value. A gut feeling that you've stumbled over something really valuable.

What's an insight?

Atomic: Is the idea the smallest it can be? If you resonated to multiple items maybe you could capture them separately. Self-contained: The nugget should be valuable on its own. You should get most of the value by looking at it. This means short summarised notes work better than lengthy never-ending paragraphs. Re-usable: The insight needs to allow for methods of interaction. It should be classified in a manner that you recognise, it should point back to the source etc.

What makes a good IDEA?

We sometimes get lost in the process of reading. We go to slow or take too many notes. Here's how to read efficiently, remember & mix new concepts.

For most people music is one the most meaningful (if not the only) spiritual experience. Music can detach you from this world, making you feel a deep sense of harmony, letting you experience a state…

writing

Reading & Writing

education

Learning & Education

music

Music

creativity

Creativity

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

How to learn better by thinking like a DJ

Getting ready can become a distraction.Being prepared is overrated: start before you feel ready.Being successful is not about your ability to plan, but your ability to act. You may make more mistakes at first if you decide to start acting before you feel ready, but the long-term compound effect of learning from these mistakes will get you closer to your goals than any amount of preparation. The illusion of a perfect time to start is holding you back.

A fine line between PREPARATION and PROCRASTINATION

“It takes a long time to feel ready. Everyone thinks it’s an overnight thing, but when you start out, it’s really hard.”

Yes, getting ready is comfortable. But most successful people report feeling uncomfortable when they first got started. Many still feel uncomfortable—or, in the words of Larry Page, “uncomfortably excited”—many years after they achieved what many would consider as huge successes.

UNCOMFORTABLE is good

Instead of preparing and researching, start before you feel ready. Pick a first step and just do it. Repeat that step until you feel comfortable enough, then kick it up a notch. When you look back, you won’t believe how much progress you’ve made.

Start before you're ready

You don’t know what you don’t know. The best and quickest way to learn is through experienceAvoid the illusion of productivity. Reading tutorials or watching fitness videos feels good, but it’s just a way to trick your brain into thinking you’re being productive by keeping busy.Momentum takes time to build up. Over time, your efforts will compound. Any time spent not acting is time wasted.

Just jump

Procrastination is such an obstacle for creative perfectionists that sometimes we could use a reminder to just do things. Stop overthinking. 

You should start before you feel ready. Getting prepared feels good, but it’s a way to trick your brain into thinking you’re being productive.

productivity

Productivity

habits

Habits

timemanagement

Time Management

startup

Startups

Being prepared is overrated: start before you feel ready

Neuroscientists have found that the pleasure of grasping a new concept is a biochemical cascade that triggers a dose of natural narcotics. The process in itself of struggling to understanding is not fun, but once you get it, you feel fabulous. This breakthrough in understanding rewards the brain with opium like substances.

The brain getting its fix

The brain starts craving for a fix.This motivates humans to maximize the rate of which they absorb knowledge. Opioid receptors in the brain are linked to comprehension and interpretation of images. The greater the neural activity in this area, the greater the pleasure.

Knowledge junkies

Knowledge addiction is linked to mate selection. Perceived intelligence is more attractive (a brain over muscles preference). Gives a whole new meaning to 'sapiosexual', doesn't it? Neural Darwinism or competitive learning shows that a preference for novel concepts has evolutionary value.

Knowledge has evolutionary value

Competitive learning means that inhibited neurons are now free to code other stimulus patterns. More free thinking and more variable connections. We show an incredible real time selectivity for experiences that are richly interpretable and novel.

Unquenchable enthusiasm for new things

Amazing scientific insights on why humans learn: a connection between chemicals in our brain and the desire to understand the world around us.

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

'Thirst For Knowledge' May Be Opium Craving

He published his for essential paper all in his one miracle year of 1905.He was 'meh' at poetry or violin playing. He refused the job of being the Israel's president (he didn't quite fit the job profile now, did he, with all that wild hair). :))

Was Einstein really all that smart?

Words cam with difficulty to him, but images came easier.He wasn’t mathematically brilliant, but could pull his weight. He was different. He had a clear way of thinking that wouldn’t register on an intelligence test. His first paper on special theory of relativity  can be understood by ordinary mortals: no jargon, just simple ideas, inescapable logic. Just brilliant in its simplicity.

Einstein was a bit of a weirdo.

He ran little experiments. At age 16 he wondered about riding alongside a ray of light. What does light look light for a moving observer? Light would always look like it was moving at the same speed. Other's were thinking about this also, but his thoughts were more visual.When thinking about theory of gravity, he imagined riding a falling elevator. He was also extremely stubborn. He didn't trust experiments not confirming his ideas. Trusting his instincts was mostly correct.

Einstein's way of thinking

Einstein seems like this larger than life figure, but his weirdness makes him likeable. Makes him more human and approachable.

How did a man who had been working as a patent clerk publish four groundbreaking papers about space, time, atoms and the strange nature of light -- all in one year? A look at Albert Einstein's unique intelligence. 

sciencefiction

Science Fiction

problemsolving

Problem Solving

How Smart Was Einstein?

The phones are not the problem. We are. We can turn these time-wasting machines into instruments of focus.

Focus Phone for Productivity & Mindfulness

They help with your productivity and work flow: <ol><li>Forest App for pomodoro timer</li><li>News app from Microsoft and Google</li><li>Medium, of course</li><li>Twitter for guilty pleasure</li><li>Deepstash for learning new ideas and thoughts 🖤</li></ol>

Apps & Time

<ul><li>Calls and internet access (obviously)</li><li>Navigation apps</li><li>Short form reading oriented apps for productivity boost and learning something new on the toilet or break time (Deepstash 🖤)</li><li>Pomodoro timer app to use during work hours</li><li>Tasks list for big goals of the day</li><li>Some utility apps such as Optimizer and flashlight</li><li>Mono tone solid color background to remind yourself that this phone is not fun</li><li> </li></ul>

What to keep  

<ul><li>No Messaging app</li><li>No Media and streaming apps such as Netflix, Twitch… (no apps that generate audio and videos)</li><li>No Games except if it helps you learn something</li><li>No widgets</li><li>Limitation on Social Media app (I failed and still have twitter for catching up news)</li><li>Minimal UI to limit “phubbing” and avoid opening apps that you are not planning to</li><li>Get rid of android bloatwares somehow (hiding it or uninstalling it)</li><li>NO work related apps in there</li><li>Don’t use this mobile number to receive junk SMS (promo, offers, coupons)</li><li> Don’t subscribe any SaaS services to reduce notifications</li></ul>

What not to keep 

Our phones may not be the problem for our lack of concentration, but the way we use them by overcrowding them with distracting apps & notifications.

I have an old android phone but a decent performance lying around. About a week ago, I got an idea of utilizing it as a 2nd phone and thinking of a purpose for it. My primary work and personal-ish…

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

And the biggest irony is that all this is happening at a time when we as humans - regardless of race, gender, religion, class or ethnicity - are supposed to be more connected and empathetic and free than ever before, with far more opportunities at our disposal to express ourselves than our grandparents could have dreamed of, given the proliferation of both digital and media platforms. How is it possible then that in an era when social media was expected to give everyone an equal voice, so many continue to feel voiceless?

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.﻿

Stories bring us together, untold stories keep us apart.

We are made of stories - those that have happened, those that are still happening at this moment in time and those that are shaped purely in our imagination through words, images, dreams, and an endless sense of wonder about the world around us and how it works.  In losing our voice something inside us dies.

My first instinct as a storyteller is to dig into 'the periphery' rather than 'the centre' and focus my attention on the marginalised, underserved, disenfranchised and censored voices. There is a part of me that wants to understand, at any moment in time, where in a society the silent letters are hidden.

The moment we stop listening to diverse opinions is also when we stop learning. Because the truth is we don't learn much from sameness and monotony. We usually learn from differences.

They limit wisdom that connects the mind and the heart, help us reach beyond our mind and engage with others around us. We must become intellectual nomads that keep moving, keep learning, spend more times in the margins, with the minorities, where real change happens.

About groupthink or social media bubbles

We dont' quite understand how the internet works but we don't want to say that aloud because everyone else seems to be ok with that, so we must accept it too. More and more it feels that, when it comes to digital technologies, all the decisions are taken without us and despite us. We are confused - but confused has now become a way of life.

We are exhausted by anxiety, consumed with anger, our minds and defences all too often overwhelmed.

We have become bad listeners and even worse learners.  Nuanced debates are not welcomed anymore, but dualities are exarcebated. People are more interested in making a point, than learning.

Social media and group narcissism

Feeling systematically unheard, unsupported and unappreciated can make me painfully resentful, and abiding resentment will probably turn me into a reluctant listener.

The truth is, there are plenty of negative sentiments all around and within us - anger, fear, discontent, distrust, sadness, suspicion, constant self-doubt... but perhaps more than anything, an ongoing apprehension. An existential angst. All these emotions are very much part of our lives now. Even digital spaces have become primarily emotional spaces.

We assume that we are alone are stumbling under their weight while everyone else is unencumbered, getting on with their lives just fine. Emotions, we are taught to believe, make us look weak. The less we are capable of addressing negative emotions openly the longer it takes us to realise how many people are, in fact, struggling as we are, and how debilitating these silences are to our relations and interactions with others, and how, in an infinite numbers of indirect ways, they shape our societies.

Mass destruction doesn't start with concentration camps or gas chambers. It doesn't start with putting marks on neighbours' doors, just because they are 'different' - or imposing law for minorities to carry particular signs or wear certain clothes. Discrimination always starts with words.It starts with language.

Knowledge requires reading. Books. Indepth analyses. Investigative journalism. Then there is wisdom, which connects the mind and the heart, activates emotional intelligence, expands empathy. For that we need stories and storytelling.

Now we are universally aware that history can go backwards, that progress is beyond such concerns. Now we are universally aware that history can go backwards, that progress is neither guaranteed nor steady. Democracy is hard to achieve, yet easy to lose; it is an interconnected system of checks and balances, conflicts, compromises and dialogues.We all need to be more engaged, more involved citizens in whatever we might happen to be in the world.

Do not be afraid of complexity.Be afraid of people who promise an easy shortcut to simplicity.

Powerful words for a time when wars and pandemics create an existential angst that is difficult to coexist with. Shafaks's words nudge us to question our place and our attitude in this world. 

It feels like the world is falling apart. So how do we keep hold of our optimism? How do we nurture the parts of ourselves that hope, trust and believe in something better? And how can we stay sane in this world of division?In this beautifully written and illuminating polemic, Booker Prize nominee Elif Shafak reflects on our age of pessimism, when emotions guide and misguide our politics, and misinformation and fear are the norm. A tender, uplifting plea for optimism, Shafak draws on her own memories and delves into the power of stories to reveal how writing can nurture democracy, tolerance and progress. And in the process, she answers one of the most urgent questions of our time.

books

Books

The must-read, pocket-sized Big Think book of 2020. It feels like the world is falling apart. So how do we keep hold of our optimism? How do we nurture the parts of ourselves that hope, trust and believe in something better? And how can we stay sane in this world of division? In this beautifully written and illuminating polemic, Booker Prize nominee Elif Shafak reflects on our age of pessimism, when emotions guide and misguide our politics, and misinformation and fear are the norm. A tender, uplifting plea for optimism, Shafak draws on her own memories and delves into the power of stories to reveal how writing can nurture democracy, tolerance and progress. And in the process, she answers one of the most urgent questions of our time.

Elif Shafak is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Elif Shafak has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Elif Shafak's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.

Elif Shafak

How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division

Even at that age, Mariana was dimly aware that attractiveness had something to do with the internal world: an inner confidence she lacked.

After we die, Mariana thought, all that remains of us is a mistery; and our possessions, of course, to be picked over by strangers.

It’s the seed- the seed inside the cone. The seed inside us- the spirit within the body. It’s about opening your mind to that. A commitment to looking inside and finding your soul.

Ruth always said that forgiveness could not be coerced- it was experienced spontaneously, as an act of grace, appearing only when a person was ready.

A beautiful thriller, a true page-turner, that is dense with classic reflections about the Self. 

**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** "Alex Michaelides’s long-awaited next novel, 'The Maidens,' is finally here...the premise is enticing and the elements irresistible." —The New York Times "A deliciously dark, elegant, utterly compulsive read—with a twist that blew my mind. I loved this even more than I loved The Silent Patient and that's saying something!" —Lucy Foley, New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient comes a spellbinding tale of psychological suspense, weaving together Greek mythology, murder, and obsession, that further cements “Michaelides as a major player in the field” (Publishers Weekly). Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alike—particularly by the members of a secret society of female students known as The Maidens. Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana’s niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge. Mariana, who was once herself a student at the university, quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But why would the professor target one of his students? And why does he keep returning to the rites of Persephone, the maiden, and her journey to the underworld? When another body is found, Mariana’s obsession with proving Fosca’s guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything—including her own life.

**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** "Alex Michaelides’s long-awaited next novel, 'The Maidens,' is finally here...the premise is enticing and the elements irresistible." —The New York Times "A deliciously dark, elegant, utterly compulsive read—with a twist that blew my mind. I loved this even more than I loved The Silent Patient and that's saying something!" —Lucy Foley, New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient comes a spellbinding tale of psychological suspense, weaving together Greek mythology, murder, and obsession, that further cements “Michaelides as a major player in the field” (Publishers Weekly). Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alike—particularly by the members of a secret society of female students known as The Maidens. Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana’s niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge. Mariana, who was once herself a student at the university, quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But why would the professor target one of his students? And why does he keep returning to the rites of Persephone, the maiden, and her journey to the underworld? When another body is found, Mariana’s obsession with proving Fosca’s guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything—including her own life.

Alex Michaelides was born and raised in Cyprus. He has an M.A. in English literature from Trinity College, Cambridge University, and an M.A. in screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. The Silent Patient was his first novel and was the biggest-selling debut in the world in 2019. It spent more than a year on the New York Times bestseller list and sold in a record-breaking forty-nine countries. Alex lives in London.

Alex Michaelides

The Maidens

If you cling to life, you'll lose it. If you're ready to lose life, you'll gain it. A bit christiany, wouldn't you say? :))A capacity for freedom is a natural feature.  However, the concept of freedom changes through times. Human thought is responsive to actual reality. So history  can be seen as the development of ideas about freedom.History is the progress and consciousness for freedom.I'm free because I can act on my desires. Or better yet, I'm free because I give up on them. It becomes a freedom of the pure self. But it becomes too abstract and you cant commit to any activity.

What is Hegel's freedom?

You need a middle ground mediated by society, so that you reflect your desires in society. Hegel looks at each civilization and the concept of freedom that it embodies.The Reformation seen as  inner spiritual freedom, inner fate, not through external authority.state-individualThere's a codependent relation between state and individual. Most of our desires are the result of the world we live in (We don't 'need' Pepsi, but you learn to need it.)I can't craft my own identity without the others around me. A metaphisycally bankrupt idea.

No history without society

Original history - is done by the person at the time happening. The likes of Herodotus and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thucydides">Thucydides</a>.Reflective history - is like a narrative of the past from the present which also want to draw a moral lesson from it.Philosophical history - there is more to history than dates and sad stories of war. There's progress. Hegel wants to see progress.The end of history - is about a conceptual closure (regressive move, going backwards, dystopian world, Handmaiden tale vibes).

Types of histories

Listen to In Our Time: Philosophy on Spotify. 

marketingandsales

Marketing & Sales

leadershipandmanagement

Leadership & Management

In Our Time: Philosophy

Julie d'Aubigny's  father might have worked in the stables of Louis XIV, maybe as an ex musketeer, anyway, a soldier good with horses.She moves to Versailles following her dad at about 9 years old where she witnessed some of the greatness of Louis XIV's court.Her hobbies are riding and fencing. For practical reasons she would dress in boys clothes and she would kick ass with a sword.She was also an opera singer and she saw opera performances hosted in the Versailles stables. Quite some stables, apparently.

Julie who?

She becomes a mistress of her dad's boss: she's 14 and he's 46. Gasp!Then she get's married off just to keep up appearances (husband sent away, while she stays in Paris with the old dude). Get's another lover, this time a more adventurous guy, a fencer. They flee Paris together because he does an illegal duel.They become a duo fencer. They flee to Marseille where they give fencing demonstrations. Julie does mixed gender fighting while wearing men's clothing, so people assume she's a bloke. When people misgender her, she flashes her boobs, silencing the crowd. Gasp, again!

She has a very busy a sex life

Her dad and her official husband are not around, so she's more in charge of herself than other women in her time.She sings duets with the adventurous guy in the Marseille opera and gets admired for her low voice and her beauty.Then she gets herself a new lover: a woman this time, a daughter of a local merchant. They fall in love, but her family sends her to a convent. Julie enters the convent as a novice and then they escape when a fellow nun dies and they steal her body and burn it. They escape while the nuns try to put out the fire. They get caught and Julie dodges an execution.

Woman lover

She is challenged to a duel by a dude who doesn't know she's a woman and she wounds him. Then she takes care of him, and not surprisingly, they become lovers for a while.She's off to Poitiers next where she's taking singing lessons.Meets a baritone singer, becomes her lover, goes back to Paris. Get hired to the Opera. She's only 17 by this time (talk about really living!!!). Now is when she takes her stage name Mademoiselle La Maupin. She's a star.

Famous & very busy sex life again

Goes to a Paris party dressed as a man and kisses a woman. She get's asked to a duel by some jealous men whom she defeats.She then runs to Brussels and gets involved with a Bavarian prince like figure. Maximilian, the princely dude, can't handle her and tries to give her money just to go away. Auch! She doesn't take them and leaves.She obviously had a temper and allegedly attacked her landlord when he refuses to make her dinner (hangry much?). No judging, I would do the same! :))She beats an actor who tries to seduce her because he's too pushy (wohoo!).

Temper and fights and more lovers

A bit of opera is written for her where the main character is not a soprano (quite unusual). The character is a muslim sword fighting woman. A lot like Julie wouldn't you say?Finally in 1703 she falls in real love with Madame la Marquise de Florensac (a super beauty) and they live together for 2 years in total happiness,  until the Marquise falls ill and dies (soooo saaad).Ironically, it is said that Julie entered a convent (again with the nuns) where she dies at 33. Talk about living fully.

Finally true love (but also death)

Julie d'Aubigny seems to have been quite a character for her time. A famous bisexual sword fighting opera singer who had tones of lovers, amazing success in her career, and managed to find true love, even if short lived.

Scenes from a Marriage

How to learn better by thinking like a DJ

Being prepared is overrated: start before you feel ready

'Thirst For Knowledge' May Be Opium Craving

How Smart Was Einstein?

Irina Bălan