It is said that the eminent Russian writer, Fyodor Dostoevsky was famous for the psychological insights of his writing. In his Winter Notes on Summer Impressions he mounted the following challenge: Try to pose for yourself this task: not to think of a polar bear, and you will see that cursed thing come to mind […]

Woe to them who fake Scriptures and say ‘This is from God’ so that they might earn some profit thereby. The Koran   Most of us are familiar with the famous painting by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. It was commissioned by Pope Julius II, a commission only reluctantly […]

I have written a few essays on education in the past, being an area of some interest of mine. I have been thinking lately, that perhaps we should go back and ask some basic questions about education. It is a very ambitious task, I know, but I am going to attempt to address the following […]

Fiddle de dee, fiddle de dee, The Fly has married the Bumblebee Children’s Nursery Rhyme Evolutionary psychologists tell us that monogamy is the most likely natural disposition of human beings when their mating patterns are considered. They draw this conclusion from the fact that whilst men are on average slightly bigger than women and generally […]

The conventionally religious have historically believed that morality is handed down as a prescription by God. They think that Mankind is so debauched they could not possibly develop a moral code that got beyond individual benefit. Plato had a higher opinion of Mankind and believed that human beings were imbued with ideals that were innate […]

Augustus sat at the feet of his teacher, Takygulpa Rinpoche. “Tell me Master, about leadership. What is the quality that most helps someone exemplify leadership?’ “True leadership emanates from a sense of inner strength and equanimity. You know how that is attained for that has been the subject of our practice for many years.” “Yes, […]

Human beings have social needs. The quality of our existence, and sometimes even our very survival, depends closely on our ability to construct mutually beneficial relationships with others of our kind. Human beings have a profound need to feel connected, to trust others and be trusted by them, to love and be loved in return. […]

Although we can never really know, it is believed that after birth, as soon as it becomes aware, the baby believes it is the universe. But after a time it notices that as it is moved around some parts of its world change. This will cause it to realise that it is only part of […]

[Trigger warning: Reader’s should be aware that this essay contains language feminists might find offensive! Be warned also that it contains doses of other unadulterated twaddle.] It would be very easy in the light of recent political events to pontificate on the triumph of Malcolm Turnbull over Tony Abbott and map the details of the […]

Philosophers over the ages have debated the question, “What does it mean to be human?”   My answer would be that it is the special nature of our consciousness that makes us human. Not only can we think but we are aware of our thoughts. Not only are we aware but we are aware of […]