Category: Philosophy & Mythology

Latin Lover!

Carpe Diem! Ad hoc! Mea Culpa! Bona Fide! Ad Nauseam! De Facto! Ergo! Cum Laude! Modus Operandi! Per Se! Sine Qua Non! Vice Versa! Etc.!

Latin scholar or not, so many expression in our daily life are straight from Latin and they are GOOD! Short and to the point, like the Romans themselves…

SPQR2 2Original Roman inscription “Senatus Populusque Romanus”, The Senate and People of Rome (great font too!)

So why is Latin so enduring despite it being a dead language? It served as the universal language until the 17th century when it was gazumped by French, which was in turn gazumped by English in the mid-20th century (the French are still not over that, but that is another subject!).

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Mythological Rothko

How the philosopher Nietzsche made his “mark” on the painter Rothko

Born as Mark Rothkowitz in Latvia, he abbreviated his name to Rothko after he became an American citizen in 1938. Big scholarly books have been written about Rothko, but I am particularly interested in how mythology and the philosopher Frederick Nietzsche played a role in his journey towards Abstract Impressionism.

BlueRothkoMark Rothko Rust and Blue” – 1953

It is always a treat to see a lot of Rothko paintings together so run to the the Gemeente Museum in The Hague in Holland to see the Rothko Exhibition until March 1, 2015

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That is the Spirit…

I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit.

Khalil Gibran

earth

We are but a pale blue dot in the Universe…

If only we could have such teachers today…

“At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst”.

Aristotle (Ἀριστοτέλης) 384–322 BC

AlexanderAristotle

You will find that I am a great lover of Aristotle, the Greek Philosopher, who was a pupil of Plato and the teacher of Alexander the Great. Aristotelian philosophy is still very applicable to the modern world and holds great timeless wisdom. I find great solace in his observations…

Black Day in Paris…

“Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding”.

Mahatma Gandhi