Life offers many complex situations. Therefore we cannot have one simple rule for every situation. Sometimes we choose between two or more rules, sometimes we make a combination of rules, and then again we might also make an exception to a certain rule. Just like secret police often lies to protect their country. Saving lives is more important in this case than adhering to the rule: ‘Thou shalt not lie.’ The only people who always adhere to one rule are, in my opinion, fanatics. The key ingredient of a fanatic is, I believe, not thinking, always deciding the same way. This may make our live...

I have a pretty harsh inner critic in me, a voice telling me I am not good enough. I read that this comes from my childhood, from too conditional love from my parents. In the sense: “We will love you, if you are good.” Now I am asking myself: How else are parents supposed to raise a child? A human being cannot do anything one pleases, because there are other people on the planet and there have to be some rules. In order to teach the child the rules, one has to motivate her or him. You promise the child to be treated nicely, if the child is good. It dawned on me in this respect that if you have...

I am sure nobody will read this blog post. Boredom being a jewel? Come on, nobody will ever get past the title. It is so against our modern life-style. Thus I can write in peace, for myself, it really takes the pressure off. Even the very writing of this blog post will be boring – definitely something to look forward to. I need boredom in my life right now. I was wondering what people were doing in the evenings and on Sundays in days before TV, before newspapers, internet, smart phones and the Bible being the only book in the house. Surely they could gossip, read the Bible or tell each other fairy...

  I have been reading two very different books the last couple of weeks: a biography of a millionaire-philanthropist and a collection of poems. What a chasm between the two worlds! On one hand the cruel world of business, of the race for profits, of exploiting the workers, of survival of the fittest. I knew from the start that this particular millionaire gave away his fortune after retirement in the form of pensions for his workers and for college professors, in the form of donating libraries and music halls etc. His philanthropy was mentioned at the beginning of the book. Yet, I kept thinking:...