Peaceful protest against injustice can take many forms. Very common is the gathering of a group, walking in concert through the streets with banners and shouting paroles. Writing letters, discussing the issue, protest songs, satirical video clips, pamphlets, the list goes on and on.
Recently I came across one of my favorite forms of protest: the [...]
Health care is both a complex and an emotional topic. On the one hand one life is all we have and as such it should be protected and nurtured but on the other hand each one of us is responsible for his own life, both in terms of rights and of consequences.
In this light I [...]
Suppose you are walking to work and by the side of the road there is a pond. Before your eyes a three-year-old, who was playing a bit too close to the water, falls in. What do you do? Do you risk your expensive suit and jump in or do you pretend not to notice and [...]
For a couple of months now, I have been thinking a lot about long and short term goals – and therewith, you could say, about purpose – which has attracted my attention to definitions of success. Fellow Gibburtian Robert had pointed out to me the very eloquently presented idea of Alain de Botton on this [...]
In my previous post for Gibburt there was mention of an imaginary creature called the cattywampus. This creature was used to teach children that they should never turn off their powers of judgment and not to accept anything on without proper consideration. Unfortunately this ‘turning off your own judgment’ in the face of authority (doctors, [...]
A comment posted in response to my previous article for Gibburt, contained a reference to the excellent TED talk of psychologist Barry Schwarz. This presentation touched upon a few critical issues regarding how we deal with our daily choices. Especially the mentioned phenomenon of self-blame intrigued me and convinced me to write a Gibburt article about it.
Amsterdam, summertime. Aided by a healthy dose of magic mushrooms, some 20-odd years old tourist decides that the fact that he has never flown before has been a consequence of right wing government propaganda rather than of his personal skill in unaided flight. Now his eyes are open and he is more than ready to [...]
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