theblockbard.com

Tag Archives: history

The Subtle Art of Self-Help

In antiquity, Rome and Greece were self-declared beacons of democracy, civilization, art, and philosophic thought. Nonetheless, they were plagued with problems that any civilization in its infanthood would experience.

Self-help books were at the pinnacle of literature. The most admired thinkers – Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Seneca, Plutarch and Marcus Aurelius – all wrote self-help books, whose aim was to teach us to live and die well. Furthermore, they deployed every resource of intelligence, wit and style in writing their manuals so as to ensure that their messages would delight the intellectual as well as the emotional faculties.

What It Means to have a Liberal Education

The beginning of liberalism can be traced back to the Age of Enlightenment, a period brimming with political and religious persecution. A multitude of human experiences including the Protestant Reformation, the American, British, and French Revolutions, and the persecution of all non-Catholics in Europe culminated in the rise of liberal thought which sought to upendContinue reading “What It Means to have a Liberal Education”

How To Start Working Smarter, And Not Harder !

Do you know how to work smart and not hard? I recently read a chapter of Brendan Burchard’s High Performance Habits that spoke to me on a deeper level. The summary of this chapter was this, (said over the course of a few pages) it summed up that: Taking out the trash, while it needsContinue reading “How To Start Working Smarter, And Not Harder !”

Who Needs Creativity?? You! And Here’s Why.

The lives of prehistoric peoples was mired with obstacles, hindrances, and life threatening situations. An environment full of hostilities and challenges requires the ability and skill to detect, analyze, think, and execute the optimal solution to overcome this challenge. Thus, spears with stone or bone points were used to fight off predators and invaders. InContinue reading “Who Needs Creativity?? You! And Here’s Why.”

How The Humanities Hits You in the Heart

If you are able to better understand the basic framework of society and its operations you will inevitably be more adept at analyzing what changes need to be made to drive us forward.
Similarly, humanities provide us with the blueprints for all modes of human thinking and
helps us understand how to make sense of the world around us since we simultaneously shape, and are shaped by it.

Why Fiction is More Important Now Than Ever

Humans tend to relegate myths as things of the past, fabrications that merley stimulate our imagination and creativity. But what if modern civilization was itself based on a set of myths that we have adopted over centuries as we develop and evolve? What if instead of our modern understanding of myths as meagre children’s stories,Continue reading “Why Fiction is More Important Now Than Ever”

The Man, The Myth; The Marcus.

Having been groomed for politics and the art of philosophy, Marcus was destined to become the next Emperor. He was perfect for the job as he was a man of reflection and principle, guided by the ancient Greek philosophers and their mission of acquiring eudaimonia (happiness.)

Marcus was a stoic, an ancient Greek school of thought which stipulated that happiness was found in accepting every moment for what it is, by not allowing one’s desires and fears to be their master, by developing one’s mind to understand the world, and to work together and treat others fairly and justly.