Language is our finest tool and our deadliest trap. Language is what makes us capable of loving, building states, writing poetry, and shaping the future. Language is what holds us in civilization. But lurking behind its use and beauty is an icy paradox: Do words...
Creation is generally considered to be one of the greatest powers of mankind. We construct art, technology, music, relationships, and entire civilizations. To create is to construct something that did not exist before, to leave some trace that did not exist before....
We're taught at an early age that knowledge is the stuff of certainty. The right response is the one teachers like, we esteem intelligible voices in society, and we'll pay those who "know what they believe" unconditionally. Uncertainty, though, is likely weakness, a...
Life itself, though, is a cycle. We get up, we eat, we work, we sleep, we rest, and do the very same thing the day after tomorrow. Generations pass, seasons pass, nations and empires rise and fall, and history over and over and over does the same things, war,...
Strength is arguably the most admired attribute in human society. We admire the strong, bodily, politically, or mentally, and attempt to follow in their footsteps. Hero myths, king myths, and conquest myths all idealize the belief that strength is the force behind...
We're indoctrinated with the notion that knowledge is power, and that education leads to freedom and happiness. That's the foundation of society today: the more you know, the more powerful you become. Schools, libraries, even the computer are all institutions working...
Freedom is a term that somehow possesses an electricity. We first read it and feel as if it is a promise: the promise of self, of possibility, of living on our own terms. Nations are based on it, revolutions are ignited in its name, and parents vow it to their...
Knowledge has always been mankind's ultimate goal. From the earliest cave drawings to modern scientific advances, our species has been spurred on by curiosity, the persistent desire to understand the world around us. But with curiosity also comes a tough question: is...
We're typically reminded that we're unique, one of a kind, distinct from everyone who's ever lived. It's a comforting idea, one which gives value to our lives and makes us expressive. We're encouraged as kids to "be ourselves," to be honest, to be unique. But...