Plato’s Republic
Joshua Parkinson
“Imagine a multidimensional spider’s web in the early morning covered with dew drops. And every dew drop contains the reflection of all the other dew drops. And, in each reflected dew drop, the reflections of all the other dew drops in that reflection. And so ad infinitum. That is the Buddhist conception of the universe in an image.” –Alan Watts
In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, becoming, and reality.
Personally, I am on a mission to popularize three philosophical propositions: the self does not exist, so abandon your fantasies of ego; the world is in a constant flux, so abandon your anxieties about permanence; and it is not possible to satisfy the soul, so abandon ideas of radically transforming the world, and focus instead on attitudes of repair and care.
Second Thoughts (Jack Self, Real Review 12)
This constant self-flagellation is tiring and depressing. The work itself, no matter how hard it may be, does not lead to profound tiredness. Even though we can be tired after work, it is not the same as a destructive tiredness. Work at some point comes to an end. The pressure to perform that we apply to ourselves, on the other hand outlasts the working hours. It torments us in our sleep and frequently leads to sleepless nights. It is possible to recover from work. But it is impossible to recover from the pressure to perform.
Byung-Chul Han: “I Practise Philosophy as Art”