Why Wealth and Possessions Don’t Equal Happiness

To answer this question, you may ask yourself: Are you wealthy? Do you have an adequate amount of savings, the newest designer handbag, and a house by the sea? Sure, these possessions have the essence of luxury, but are they truly what elevate our lives to a level above the rest? 

Simply, not really. This isn’t to say any materialist is wicked, only that the things that make us truly happy are rarely covered in gold-leaf or jewels. The reality is that humans are social creatures. We may brood and desire time alone, but in order to grow, develop, and even live, we require the company of others.  

Henry David Thoreau and the Philosophy of Simple Living

Henry David Thoreau, an American writer and naturalist, called for a simple life. He argued that happiness could and should be achieved through a ‘less is more’ type philosophy. To test this theory, he set out to Walden Pond in 1845, where he was said to have lived in relative isolation for two years. In reality, Thoreau was not at all isolated, but just became more selective about the visitors he spent time with. His goal was not to strip himself of any interaction, but to live simply and want less. 

By an aristocratic definition of luxury, Thoreau lived like a pauper, but what did he really lack? He had food, good company, an abundance of nature, and the time to write. He was thankful for simplicities that, for him, felt, in some way, luxurious. 

The Quiet Comforts That Make Life Feel Rich

We shouldn’t all have to pack up our things and move out to tiny cabins in the wilderness to experience this way of life. Like many philosophies, we can instead apply such a framework to our current lives. What makes us truly happy? Not what gives us the image of happiness or success, but what truly makes our lives worth living. For example, there is true luxury in receiving love and giving it in return.

Although in theory, everyone should be loved deeply and authentically, it is not always the reality. Love is shown in many little actions: your partner making you a cup of tea exactly how you like it, your friend buying you a book they saw in a second-hand bookstore because they thought of you, or the barista who has your order ready for you without you needing to ask. Love is being seen. It is noticing the reflections of yourself in the actions of others; a reminder that you exist, and that people are happy you do.  

Money, Stability, and the Limits of Material Wealth

Money is not useless. We do not exist in a tiny agrarian society where we can trade goods and services with our neighbours; we need to earn enough to be comfortable. American philosopher Jacob Needleman also echoed this thought in saying, ‘Those who criticise the wealthy don’t realize that money is needed to do good things.’

Material wealth does not bring happiness; it cannot force a genuine relationship, but it can bring you stability. However, the true luxuries of life are hidden somewhere else, if only we know where to look. Time passes, and while we cannot stop it, we can savour it. We are often sold the dream that life is about accruing money, and while this is undoubtedly important, it is not what makes us ‘wealthy’. 

Lessons on Greed from Tolstoy and Walden Pond

Leo Tolstoy’s short story How Much Land Does a Man Need? echoes similar ideas. In the tale, a peasant man begins amassing more and more land, yet his greed and wants are never satisfied. Without spoiling the ending, Tolstoy argues that humans do not need an excess of wealth and land for happiness. It is often a matter of perspective. A prince may believe he needs the biggest castle to be satisfied, even though he would have lived perfectly well in Thoreau’s cabin at Walden Pond. 

How to Recognise Luxury in Everyday Life

Many of these simple luxuries aren’t particularly glamorous. They could be sleepy mornings spent with somebody you adore, a glass of wine at a run-down bistro where everybody knows your name, or even reading a book that makes you believe in love once again. These moments are fleeting and must be valued if we want to experience true wealth.

Time is the one currency we cannot buy, and that we spend often unwillingly, so we must honour it by using it well. You could even say that our lives are, in fact, filled with luxury, just in the fact that we are living at all.

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The arts are not just a secondary thought; they are not reserved for only those who are lost or struggling; they are the elixirs of humanity and an occupation that makes life truly worth living.

How Art Shapes Us From Childhood

No matter your age, there are probably certain films that marked your childhood. It could have been during the strange nostalgia of the 80s with Jim Henson’s masterpiece Labyrinth, or the Disney princesses who were losing shoes and dancing beneath the moonlight with their handsome Prince Charming. Whatever film is reminiscent of your youth, it was likely one of your first affairs with the healing power of art. 

Studio Ghibli and the Philosophy of Gentle Storytelling

There is an ‘inner child’ that exists within our souls, the little boys or girls we were many years ago, who love to watch certain cartoons and feel that lost sense of comfort in our adult lives. Japanese animator and filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki is one such provider of dreamy comfort.

His art, in the form of the films of Studio Ghibli, captures a sense of nostalgia and magic difficult to replicate. Although Miyazaki explores detailed, fantastical worlds, he rarely explains them. Instead, he allows viewers to become absorbed by them, to float into the fantastical Spirit Realm or enchanted forests, and simply experience.

Miyazaki works with his hands, rejecting much modern technology and spending years perfecting the animation of his films. Every frame we watch is drawn and coloured by hand, and each expression and movement has been carefully loved for and refined. 

Hayao Miyazaki’s Art of Simplicity and Humanity

No matter how far from reality Miyazaki’s films are, they never stray from his core message: there is beauty in simplicity. Themes of nature, family, and community remain the beating heart in each masterpiece. His characters do not magically gain courage or strength, but they earn it, often with the help of the people surrounding them.

Although his worlds may often look perfect, Miyazaki does not search for faultlessness of character. His protagonists have flaws; perhaps they are naïve or overly timid, perhaps they are escaping a reality they do not wish to face. More importantly, they are human; they are reflections of the people he knows will watch. And, in turn, these characters can give us the strength to improve and serve as reminders to appreciate the people and relationships that exist in our own worlds. 

Can Films and Games Improve Mental Health?

A recent study found that both the playing of open-world games, such as The Legend of Zelda, and watching Studio Ghibli films can increase overall levels of happiness. The overall level of anxiety in the general public is mounting at an alarming rate, and most forms of technology aren’t doing much to help.

Studio Ghibli, however, is a pigeon amongst crows. Watching Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke can do more than improve your mood; it can also reduce your stress levels and even increase personal feelings of worth and meaning. Studio Ghibli seems to possess the unique ability to gently induce a sense of nostalgia across viewers of all ages. 

How Creative Expression Supports Healing

Art can heal, and it is no modern phenomenon. A creative piece of work induces emotion; it can touch us in ways we could never expect, through reflecting a memory or belief from deep within us. Creative expression is not only for the Pablo Picassos of the world, but should be accessible to all.

Art therapy is used to facilitate the healing process and explore complex emotions and expressions through creation. Another study found that spending 45 minutes creating, with the use of collage materials like clay, dramatically reduces our stress hormones. Whether you create or observe, simply being part of the world of art can improve your mental and even physical health.

Finding Meaning Through Stories, Beauty, and Perseverance

The majority of challenges, especially regarding mental health, call for multifaceted solutions. There is no one cure for anything, because humans are complex people who require nuance and attention. In one of Miyazaki’s most beloved films, Princess Mononoke, lies a bittersweet quote: ‘Life is suffering. It is hard. The world is cursed. But still, you find reasons to keep on living.’

Artists are not idealists; they are incredible observers, both of the beauties and the tragedies lying within their lives. Suffering is a natural part of human nature, but so is perseverance. We find the strength to move forward, despite difficulty and sadness, because humans are, above all, creatures of determination.

Whether we read a book or write one, whether we create a film or watch one, we notice that art has a funny way of healing. It takes time and courage, but similar to the characters in the worlds of Studio Ghibli, we all just find reasons to keep on living. 

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The Surprising Cognitive Benefits of ‘Uncool’ Hobbies

There are some hobbies that lack a certain, stereotyped ‘coolness’. In any clichéd movie about high school, you would see the popular kids partying and drinking, whilst the ‘social rejects’ spend their time reading and playing games. These activities were seen as too academic and not socially acceptable. Perhaps it’s time to change this stereotype.

Not only do hobbies like reading and playing strategic games make you an arguably more interesting and reflective person, but they also protect your brain. Psychological studies have linked hobbies like chess-playing, reading, knitting, and completing puzzles to strengthening our cognitive abilities, especially in old age. 

How Chess Improves Memory, Focus, and Cognitive Longevity

If you only relate chess to the novel and the hit TV series The Queen’s Gambit, it may be time to look a little further. When we were children, we might have believed the point of games was always to win, and if we weren’t good at something, then we should give up. Sure, it feels great to triumph, but the real reason games were encouraged as children was less about winning and more about cognitive development. 

From Ancient India to Modern Minds: The History of Chess

Chess is older than most of us realise, originating from the Indian Gupta Empire, around 600AD. Like any modern child, the kids living in this period of time were drawn to the world of play. Chess, in this way, was both a pastime and a mode of learning. Sculptures and paintings depict goddesses, children, and emperors, all fascinated by this world of little squares and statues.

In the beginning, the pieces were laid out like an army before a battle, but over time, they transformed into the modern chess pieces we know and love. Wisdom and intelligence have been vital throughout human history and have enshrined their value in every age. Whether you join a club or play against a loved one or a stranger, chess can help stimulate and challenge those ‘little grey cells.’ 

Why Puzzles Became Popular — and What They Do to Your Brain

Many surprising trends emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, including the astonishing popularity of puzzles. A sepia-filtered memory from childhood, sitting at a wooden table under soft lamplight, unknowingly spending hours to place those last few pieces.

According to Professor Marcel Danesi, completing puzzles can give our brains a sense of order in our increasingly chaotic worlds. Danesi says even young people, so often addicted to the easy dopamine of social media, have found immense pleasure and reward from completing a puzzle.

The connection of touch and cognition – feeling the pieces and the satisfaction of finding the right spot – has a longer-lasting impact than the short-lived joy of electronic entertainment. Recent studies have also suggested the neurological benefits of puzzling, including improved cognitive abilities like memory recall.  

How Reading Strengthens Memory and May Increase Lifespan

You might have guessed it, but of course, reading makes the list. The studies not only indicate a relationship between reading and improved memory, but also a lengthening of lifespan. Reading lights up our brain, answering its need for stimulation. And not the mindless, short-form stimulation we may get on a social media application, but quality engagement that enriches our lives.

Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, ‘Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.’ Of course, Roosevelt’s philosophy requires nuance; calling a mind ‘great’ or ‘small’ is not as simple as their social conversations. 

Why Engaging with Ideas Keeps the Mind Sharp

There is merit, however, in the importance of discussing ideas. Or rather, of engaging with complex and multifaceted concepts, of reading something and asking yourself what you actually think about it. Whether you pick up a daily newspaper or Albert Camus’s absurdist novel The Stranger, you’ll likely always consider what you read.

When we read short-form content on Instagram or even headlines of articles, we often do not have enough time for reflection. We are spoon-fed a point of view, what to believe about a certain topic, and have less and less space to form our own opinions.

Reading is a gentle rebellion. It allows you to explore bigger ideas, sink your teeth into something real. Evidently, it also keeps your cognition agile, so you can continue gaining wisdom whilst also questioning it. 

Simple Leisure Activities That Support Long-Term Brain Health

However you feel about the days passing, they will pass, and our wisdom will grow. Our brains are fundamental to our humanity and need to be fed and nourished just like each and every part of us. Turning towards classic leisure like a humble game of chess or a classic novel we’ve been meaning to read, may do more than bring us joy. In fact, they might just be the key to protecting our cognition. 

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Sure, we’d like to know what they think of us, but do we ever stop and ask ourselves what we think of them? Newness is great. Breaking a routine can refresh your brain. However, there is an undeniable hidden power in the intimacy of a small social circle.

Your Friends as a Personal “Library” of Influences

If you are reading this article, you are likely a fan of the written word, an avid book enthusiast, or a writer. Think of our friends as titles that compose our own personal library. We invest in them, we go to them for comfort and knowledge, and they guide our thoughts about the world and the future.

Of course, every so often we’ll stretch our wings, living wildly enough to try another genre, or buy that book that everyone seems to be talking about. We may even enjoy our little experiments, but that doesn’t mean we hadn’t already curated a very good library before. Our own curation of friends, our bibliothèques of people, are living reflections of our current selves as well as the people we are striving to be.

The Value of Curating a Close Social Circle

Any good editor would tell you that sometimes you need just a little rephrasing. Instead of deeming ourselves antisocial, perhaps we should recognise that we simply like keeping our circle small. It can take months, even years, to make good-quality friends. Trust needs to be built; it is never guaranteed. Time is the only trial that can prove to us the strength of a friendship, so it is only logical that we hold onto the people who have endured such tribulations.

Deep Conversations vs. Small Talk: What Really Connects Us

Oscar Wilde once said that ‘the bond of all companionship, whether in marriage or friendship, is conversation.’ Profound conversations, the ones that last until the awakening of the world or the falling of the sun, are necessary for human happiness. To be understood, one must be known, and who knows us better than our most trusted friends? Many enjoy the softness of small talk, but for some, it remains a pointless ritual that serves little purpose.

Lighter conversation topics are not unimportant, but they can feel like a barrier to getting somewhere deeper, to having the kind of discourse that changes and builds a person. Your circle may indeed be small, but it is more than likely filled with the type of people who can harbour meaningful conversation. People who know you, who know the person behind the social conventions and expectations, allow a greater level of connection. 

How Social Media Fuels Comparison and Loneliness

Despite knowing all of this, we cannot deny the fact that popularity still holds weight. Social weight. Humans have always been creatures of comparison, but the age of social media has fashioned a digital world of constant evaluation and appraisal. Our social media feeds are mirror balls reflecting our own insecurities from the intimate discomfort of our hands.

Watching others at new events or fabulous-looking parties, surrounded by unfamiliar and exciting new faces, can subconsciously feed us that we aren’t participating enough. Having a never-ending social group is great for the likes, and, in some ways, our social currency, but the rewards stop skin-deep. 

The Difference Between Connection and Noise

Yes, socialising is undoubtedly good for our mental and physical health, but only when it is quality. We may be living in the Age of Connection, but both young people and older adults are feeling increasingly overwhelmed and isolated. You can feel just as lonely surrounded in a room humming with people as when you are alone in your bedroom.

Reducing loneliness means seeking authenticity and filling our lives with individuals who see us for who we are. The accounts we see online are a different kind of curation, one that serves to distort reality. 

What Psychology Says About Strong Social Bonds

Psychology has something else to say. Studies have found direct links between life prosperity and social connection, showing that strong social connections increase your quality of life, reduce your risk of mortality, and make your academic and professional achievements more consistent.

Having close friends who understand you can increase feelings of personal self-worth and can give you the courage to not only have dreams, but to reach for them. Other research argues that communities with strong social bonds are safer and healthier than communities with weaker social connections. 

Like a beautiful but curated library, the friends we keep are more than just our societal currency; they are our sanity and happiness. Humans are meant to seek connection, they are meant to try new things, but they are also meant to seek things that last. Your circle is your chosen family, born not of blood but of choice, with bonds that run deeper than any shallow societal expectations.

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Libraries as Beacons of Hope and Equality

Eliot, as many other writers have, saw libraries as beacons of hope. Of progress. There needs to be more love letters to libraries, not simply the beautiful, elaborate ones situated in the middle of Paris or Vienna, but even your humble, local library.  

Unlike a regular store, a library is not a place that simply holds things; it does not exist to sell or make a profit. It provides a community with knowledge; it can change the trajectory of someone’s life. Like little Matilda in Roald Dahl’s book of the same name, finding a local library and beginning to read can pull you onto a different path than the one life has set out for you. 

How Libraries Break Cycles of Poverty

Education, according to the United Nations, has proven instrumental in changing cycles of poverty and providing vulnerable, marginalized communities with greater opportunities. Access to books, both fiction and non-fiction, enables individuals to access better jobs with higher earning ranges. Even in the wealthiest of countries, opportunity is often afforded by privilege. Libraries softly challenge this norm, allowing communities to access a plethora of texts without requiring payment.  

The Decline of Third Spaces — and the Library’s Crucial Role

Do not, however, let the gentleness and openness of the modern library deceive you – libraries have been under attack ever since their creation. Power comes in many forms, and knowledge is arguably the most prevailing.  Any person or group seeking control knows that libraries are a source of quiet but certain defiance. Flowing sources of information that serve also as spaces of meeting, sharing ideas, and connection. These kinds of third spaces can certainly be a threat to people who seek control and obedience.

Ray Oldenburg was the first to coin the term “third spaces.”  A space that was neither the workplace nor the home, but another space vital for providing connection and community. Third spaces are disappearing in the Western world, our days are getting busier, and we have less time for life outside of our first two spaces. Libraries, however, have stayed put.

They host book clubs, classes, films, and workshops, amongst other things. Libraries remain areas of transformation, as well as havens of comfort and safety. Moreover, there are limited spaces where young people can pass their time without cost. Sure, a café is great for writing or reading, but it comes at the price of a warm drink and may not be sustainable for a whole day. 

Libraries vs. AI: Why Human Learning Still Matters

Yet, some may still argue: Who needs libraries when you’ve got a shiny ChatGPT search bar that can give you answers in mere seconds? What is the point of learning when you can simply attain the information without understanding? 

If you cannot hear the tongue-in-cheek sarcasm, rest assured, this is not an advertisement for abandoning the real world for the virtual. Instead, a gentle reminder that having all the world’s knowledge at our fingertips does not necessarily grant us wisdom. Reports suggest that using ChatGPT can decrease the quality of our critical thinking; our brains have come to expect to attain knowledge without reflection or consideration. When reading a book, our brains are more active; it takes effort and consciousness. Reading can retrain our brains, can ensure that we do what humans do best: think. 

Why Libraries Are One of the Last Truly Public Spaces

Libraries are a moment of repose. The silence is welcoming, the books are loved, and the workers are passionate. The world can stop for a little while, and we can lose ourselves in the loving embrace of a library. A young student can study for his final exams, a mother can show her little child the magical stories she herself read, and an older man can fight loneliness through being surrounded by his community. Time passes slowly, softly, and with no judgement.

A Brief History of the World’s First Library

The word ‘library’ is derived from the Latin word ‘Libraria’, meaning ‘a place storing books.’ This vital third space is not something of the new age, but an institution that has existed for much of human history. If you were to time-travel five thousand years ago, you may arrive at the world’s first ever library: The Library of Ashurbanipal. Whilst it wouldn’t have been filled with pretty, cosy lighting and bulletin boards of community events, it was still home to a plethora of knowledge that has allowed for much of our modern understanding. 

The Library of Ashurbanipal was home to a collection of around 30,000 clay tablets with various languages and texts, including the world’s oldest poem, The Epic of Gilgamesh. Nineveh, the city where the library stood, was once burnt to the ground by invaders. If the knowledge had been written on paper or papyrus, it would have turned to ashes, lost to the winds of time. However, the clay tablets of the libraries proved impenetrable, and the deadly fire only further preserved the texts for thousands of years to come.

What We Lose If We Lose Libraries

Libraries may stand humbly, being of little consideration to most, but they are a meeting of the future and the past and the present. Resisting a world of money, they argue that the people’s greatest capital is their minds. If you ever feel pessimistic about the future, just remember, the mere existence of libraries in our world today is hope that someone believes in our world tomorrow.

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Learning Through Voice

In high school, reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream or The Crucible, you might have been asked to recite certain characters out loud. Especially with Shakespearean language, reading aloud helps our tongues to learn the words and adds new vocabulary to our inventory. What might have seemed like a nonsense phrase of made-up words and forgotten language can be understood when we speak the words ourselves. 

An Ancient Human Practice

Oral storytelling is not a practice of the New Age. It has existed for many a century, dating back into prehistoric times. An ancient form of human communication, oral storytelling was an integral part of guarding stories and legends.

Yes, perhaps now we tell stories in a cosy library, or on a stage under lights, but originally these stories would have been shared under moonlight. Around a campfire, the flames spitting and sizzling, as children and adults alike sat in stillness, listening.

Stories as Community Memory

The stories spoken wouldn’t have just been tales, but would have represented deeper values, so ingrained in a community that they lasted through many generations. Unlike our modern society of paper and pen and laptop, ancient communities would have relied on the spoken word to memorise these tales. 

In many Indigenous cultures, come wintertime, the storytelling tradition becomes even more important. Coming together and combining physical warmth with the warmth of creativity and imagination can make those winter nights all the less icy. These folktales, no matter how many times they were heard, brought a sense of comfort to listeners. 

Reading Aloud as Resistance

In our current culture of individualism, a practice that celebrates connection and collective voice may be a subtle form of resistance. Why should reading aloud only be saved for childhood? Is there anything more intimate than reading aloud to someone you love? Hearing a story in the voice of a person you cherish combines two moments of tenderness into one. 

Ubuntu and the Shared Human Voice

The South African philosophy of Ubuntu, a word referring to “humanity to others,” captures the importance of community beautifully. For the Nguni, a group of Bantu-speaking peoples, Ubuntu speaks to the idea that people become people through others. When we read stories aloud, when we share them with our community, we are changed, too.

We are marked by these stories, and the shared experience of listening to them spoken. The Nguni believe that we are all inherently connected and that immense joy can be felt through shared moments of connection. It is undeniable, the people and stories we are surrounded by change us.  

What the Research Shows

One Australian study revealed that, amongst a group of 7-10-year-olds tasked with reading a word list, children who read out loud recognised 87% of words, whereas the children who read silently recognised only 70%.  The data was similar even amongst older adults, where words read aloud were recognised at a much higher percentage (80%) than those read silently (60%).

Other studies have suggested that this practice can also increase the emotional comprehension and empathy of children. After all, it promotes patience, equity, and active listening, all under the enchanting experience of storytelling. Putting a voice to text changes the way we understand and remember. An ordinary monologue may read blandly on a page, but beautifully when spoken with tenderness, anger, or adoration. 

The Actor’s Method

It is why actors read their lines aloud over and over again, because the way we read sentences changes their meaning. Take a play like Hamlet, for example. If the actors are performing the text in original Shakespearean, they have to work tirelessly to ensure the way they speak the words makes the meaning obvious for the audience. The rhythm, intonation – the poetry of it all, even, is essential for comprehension. It is an art and a delight.

A Gentle Invitation Back to Storytelling

This article is not advising you to read aloud every piece of writing you ever encounter, but is just gently suggesting that there is no harm in trying. Although it certainly helps children, it is not a practice restricted to those under 18. It is a tradition that has been fiercely guarded across millennia, across culture, across the sea and the earth. Before we could write, we could speak. Before we could watch and read, we could listen. And before everything, even at the start of it all, there was storytelling.  

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The Rise of Modern Book Clubs

In the past four years, Eventbrite, a ticketing website, saw a 350% increase in book club events. And it isn’t just the older generation; many young adults are hosting their own intimate book clubs. This resurgence of in-person book clubs seems a desperate plea for connection and intimacy. Some people claim that, with phones, we are more connected than ever. 

This non-stop virtual ‘connection’ has left many feeling isolated, restricted to their virtual worlds and communities. People want real connection. They yearn for the sharing of ideas and for showing others the soft and delicate parts of their souls. This emphasis upon interconnectedness and community can be perfectly understood through the South African philosophy of Ubuntu.

Understanding Ubuntu: “A Person Is a Person Through Other People”

The Nguni group, part of the wider Bantu language family, uses the term Ubuntu to refer to “humanity.” The Ubuntu philosophy reflects the value of communalism and interconnectedness central to many African communities. For the Nguni, the individual is indisputably connected to their relationships and wider community.

The so-called golden rule of Ubuntu is, “A person is a person through other people.” We are not born with selfhood; instead, we acquire it through social interaction and community. 

How Reading Shapes Identity and Empathy

Reading books is both a show of our identity and a development of it. Many of us can cite a certain book that changed the way we perceived the world, or became a defining moment in our lives, sending us on an alternate trajectory. We seek out art that reflects and challenges us.

However, admittedly, sometimes we get caught in loops of familiarity if we remain isolated. Moreover, with a society so time-poor, we are frightened to ‘waste’ our time on books that we won’t connect with. Here lies the beauty of sharing books or attending book clubs. 

The Intimacy of Sharing Books

When we are close to someone, we are more likely to appreciate their advice. The peculiar specialty about reading something that a loved one has suggested lies in the knowledge that they are giving you part of themselves. The books we loved as children, the ones that we read under the covers after our mothers told us to sleep, are lodged somewhere deep within our chests. To share our favourite books is like baring ourselves open.

Even if we don’t mean it to, our reading habits whisper something about ourselves. Why did you connect to this so deeply? What did it change in you? Even at a book club, when we discuss a novel with a group of strangers, we are allowing our ideas, and therefore a part of ourselves, to be shared. Connection and communities are systems of give and take, not in a transactional sense, but in that they need to be fed in order to nourish. 

A Literary Example: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a historical romance novel published by writers Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows in 2008. The story centres around a book club in Guernsey during the Second World War and is an undeniable celebration of the written word. This novel is primarily a celebration of people, of perseverance, and how much a community can impact who you are.

Like the Ubuntu philosophy, novels like these drive home the importance of sharing and community. They are a testament that people become people through other people. Reading has been proven to develop our empathy and compassion, and the practice of sharing literature can spark discussion and deepen our bonds both to the world and its people. 

Why Sharing Stories Still Matters

Our world can often feel cold and disconnected, despite our countless connected devices. Yet, there exists hope. There is proof that people yearn for more, that we are, in fact, desperate to connect. The desire for book clubs will only continue. It defies this idea that all we do must be for monetary gain; it is a shift from consuming material goods to consuming knowledge. 

Despite how easy it is to fall into pessimism, we cannot help but have hope. The way we read may have shifted over time, but it has remained a vital part of our culture. If this says anything, it says that we still care for others, about their stories and their challenges.

Our development as humans is an ongoing journey, one that requires both individual intellectual stimulation and a thriving community, and sharing books harmoniously allows for both. 

Book clubs may not sound like they are the solution to all the world’s problems, but then again, haven’t community and knowledge been the foundation for any movement of resilience, or stood as the catalyst for any step toward change?

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In our often-capitalistic worlds, where gifts turn into expectations, can we still believe in the philosophy of gift-giving? To answer this question, we may need to look back to our past, to the era of Plato and Socrates and philosophy.

Immanuel Kant and the Morality of Giving 

It was Immanuel Kant who talked of moral duty and the value of goodwill. For Kant, the goodwill, or the good intention to do an action, is more important than the consequences of said action. If Kant had been invited to Christmas, he would have only accepted gift-giving if it was done out of a sort of moral duty, rather than out of an emotion or a personal desire.

Goodness was defined in terms of reason, moral law, and universal applicability. In our reality, this idea of gift-giving as a duty can be problematic, as choosing a gift out of love for someone is arguably not a moral failing. The importance, in relation to Kant’s work, is that he values so much the motivation behind an action. 

Aristotle’s Balance: The Virtue of Giving Well

Aristotle was a little different. Virtue, for him, was about balance and represented a kind of equilibrium between two extremes. Giving gifts was an art between giving too little (stinginess) and giving too much (wastefulness). To be virtuous, one has to reflect on how, why, and how much they are gifting.  

Whilst much of this sounds like philosophical jargon, we can take lessons from both philosophers to better understand the art of giving gifts. You do not need to spend thousands in order to gift well or appropriately. Sometimes, the most appreciated gifts are smaller, the ones carefully chosen and thought out, that reflect poignantly the knowing of a person and your love for them.

Marcel Mauss: The Gift as a Reflection of the Self

The French sociologist and anthropologist Marcel Mauss can illuminate this further. In his most well-known and celebrated essay, The Gift, he reframes our perception of gift-giving and gift-giving societies. Mauss says that when you give a gift, you are also giving a part of yourself. Buying and receiving gifts is not just an economic act, but also an undeniable social and cultural contract.

Mauss goes further, drawing a link between the identities of the gift-giver to that of the author. Like a book written by an author, a gift that is given is also a reflection of the giver themselves. It is an extension of our identities that we bestow upon someone we love, creating a bond between the person giving and receiving. 

The sentiment is magical. That we impart a little of ourselves into everything we do, whether we realise it or not. Even a fiction writer cannot help but create characters bred of a little bit of truth, to write a world seen through the lens of their own eyes. Creation is an extension of ourselves, and by giving thoughtful gifts, we are giving other people parts of ourselves.

It comes back to this idea of vulnerability, this idea that we are able to see people, and thus see what they might like or want. When we know someone, really know them, we see beyond the masks they wear and appreciate their real identity. 

Giving as an Ethical Act: Emmanuel Levinas

For French philosopher Emmanuel Levinas, giving is considered a primary ethical act if done correctly. Levinas would postulate that giving is to consider others before ourselves, if we give without the expectation of reciprocation. Levinas says that this virtuous act is the foundation of living an ethical life.

Whether or not you agree with his philosophy, this idea of non-reciprocal giving is worth consideration. Like a compliment given out of honesty and not obligation, gifts given just for the pleasure and need of another are all the more rewarding. 

The Art and Softness of Gift-Giving

Wandering through an old, worn bookstore and finding a well-loved copy of your sister’s favourite childhood novel can be more thoughtful than buying something expensive but impersonal. When we choose something for someone we love, then that object becomes half a reflection of us and half a reflection of how we see them. 

A Gift of Reflection

Yes, we often can call our society of gift-giving materialistic and detached, but there is an art and softness to gift-giving. If we consider gifts as extensions of ourselves, as declarations of love and vulnerability in our relationships, giving can become something necessary to human goodness. 

This holiday season, maybe we can give ourselves a different kind of gift – one of reflection. We can question what fragments of ourselves we impart in each neatly wrapped present, and what, in turn, people impart to us.

The post The Philosophy of Giving Gifts: Why We Give Gifts, and Why It Matters appeared first on Magazine.

There is a reason that adults and children alike are drawn to Miyazaki’s world of storytelling: his masterful ability to transport us. When you settle down and watch Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, or another one of his masterpieces, you receive an invitation into these strange yet somewhat familiar worlds, worlds brimming with a sense of youth and wonder, whilst also being fantastical and unearthly.

The Art of Slow Storytelling

Unlike action films, Studio Ghibli films provide a slow release of dopamine, thereby not exhausting or overloading our brains. A recent study found that watching Studio Ghibli films has a positive effect on our mental health and overall sense of happiness. Our attention spans are shrinking, and, like reading a long chapter, watching a long movie (without any other distractions) is much better than a constant overloading of screen-derived dopamine.  

Old Disney gives viewers a similar sense of comfort and wonder. The hand-drawn animation, classic music, and easy storylines remind us of simple and heartfelt pleasures, many of which we see in our current and past lives.

Disney’s Gentle Magic

There are many who search for the type of love and emotion portrayed in a Disney film. A quest for Prince Charming or a Disney Princess, for the kind of love worth fighting for. They search for the way Tramp looks at Lady, like she is the moon and the stars lighting up a dark evening. Of course, these films also portray challenges and hardships, but never in a way that lasts or drains us of hope. There is always an idea that it can get better, that every person is capable of improvement.

The softness of the love we see is reminiscent of the unconditional love of a mother or father, sister or brother, the love that we likely grew up with, back when the world seemed limitless and full of hope. There is a specificness to the allure, a sense of love, but an undoubted feeling of longing. For the Portuguese, this could be known as their philosophy of saudade.

The Philosophy of Saudade

If you were to translate the word “saudade,” you’d find a rough conversion into the English word ‘longing’. Yet many have called this word “untranslatable,” and not fully able to encapsulate the philosophy nor specific reality of the word as well as its mother tongue. 

According to the Portuguese, saudade best describes the bittersweet reality of nostalgia. A longing for the past, with a kind of melancholic appreciation of it. Beautiful, yes, but bitter. Saudade describes that feeling of yearning for something you can never get back, something once beautiful but now past.

The Bittersweet Beauty of Nostalgia

Many of us grew up on Disney, and the newer generation with Studio Ghibli. Part of this bittersweet nostalgia, this saudade, comes from the longing we feel for our youth. There is a part of ourselves that revisits these childhood films when we seek comfort and joy. Take Howl’s Moving Castle, with Howl’s treasure-chest of a room, the emotional soundtrack, and the scenes drawn like an old storybook.

Or Princess Aurora dancing with her prince as her dress changes from blue to rose pink. It provides us with a certain softness often lost in our everyday lives. If there is one thing both Studio Ghibli and old Disney get right, it is this sense of wonder. This sense of marvelling at the world as if we are discovering its secrets for the first time. 

Worlds We Return To

Disney and Studio Ghibli characters are sometimes transported into new worlds and meet fantastic characters. Alice goes to Wonderland, Chihiro enters the Spirit Realm, and we go right along with them. These films have a way of easing us gently into their universes until they begin to feel known to us, too. 

Finding Strength in Longing

Many could view saudade, and this type of nostalgia, as something desolate. In reality, longing for the past is a normal part of humanity, one that can bring us joy and strength to the present moment. Like a call with your mother, or turning the worn pages of your teenage journal, there is power in revisiting and cherishing the past. Like Chihiro and No Face, we all need to take a train from time to time, giving our brains a rare moment’s repose and allowing our saudade for the past to heal us in the present.

The post Why Disney and Ghibli Make Us Feel at Home appeared first on Magazine.

Success is often viewed in terms of money and loud luxury, and if you do not possess this kind of “high-end” lifestyle, it is a personal failure. With this mindset, nothing is ever good enough. Every pleasure becomes a status symbol, chasing material things as life passes before us.

How Age and Hardship Transform Our Values

In older age, after some years of perhaps hardship or loss, our appreciation may begin to change. We notice how much the warm weather affects us, how lovely it is when we run into a neighbour, and the power of a really good book. Suddenly, the present we want most of all is presence itself. From our loved ones and their loved ones. Simplicity, it seems, was really the most pleasurable thing after all.

The Age of Comparison: Technology and Envy

We are currently in an age of technology, and therefore, an age of comparison. No longer are the days of comparing your life to only that of your neighbours; now we can see millions of other people just by the swipe or brush of our screens. A trip down to the countryside hardly seems romantic compared to a spontaneous vacation to Paris, and the smallest and most genuine of pleasures are spoiled by the constant feeling that a better life awaits. 

Why Bigger Doesn’t Mean Better

Bigger does not equal better. Take reading, for example. Studies have suggested that reading for pleasure is not only superb for our cognitive skills but also makes us feel genuine and sustained moments of happiness and satisfaction.  This link is so well-documented that some psychologists actually prescribe reading, or bibliotherapy, to their patients to promote better mental well-being.

For many, reading is too simple; it is not as impressive as a week on a yacht or the newest designer purse, but it has stayed around so long for a reason. Books are methods of time travel; readers can explore and immerse themselves in worlds we could never even dream of.

We can escape our lives for a few moments while hanging onto every last word we read, feeling the pleasure of both being entertained and mentally stimulated. Unlike many other quick forms of pleasure, reading is far simpler. It does not drain our mental resources by overloading our brains, but it does make us work harder and concentrate more deeply. 

The Quiet Power of Reading

There is no one set protagonist you must follow; the beauty of reading is that there is a book that will reflect everyone. There is a work that will reach out to you at every stage of your life, and give you the pleasure of escapism, and also the pleasure of being understood. Turning paper and sitting in the same place may seem uninteresting, but it is an act that is well known to be enjoyable. It is simple, and in simplicity comes beauty.

Redefining Pleasure and Success

At the end of the day, there are only a few things that really, truly matter to us, and they cannot be bought by diamond rings. To find yourself surrounded or visited by friends and family, standing as the simple reminder that you are loved and seen. Is there anything more important than this kind of pleasure and love? Further, do we love these material themes only because others approve of these items, or because we really like them?

Learning to See Small Pleasures Again

Life is too short to only appreciate the small things when we reach old age. We spend so much of our lives commenting on the shortcomings that we forget to appreciate the good that we do have. Yet hope is not lost: our brains are sponges, and even when they fall into bad habits, they can be retrained. To notice the smaller, we need to look closely.

Kind of like a Caillebotte painting that only becomes brilliant when you take a few steps away, sometimes we need to sit with something, or someone, before the colours come to life. Rewards now are so instant, but reading a book takes time; it is a long pleasure that builds right until the end, when you reach those final few lines.

Like completing a big project or thesis, reading a book provides one with a feeling of accomplishment as well as success. It is not just a moment, but hours of concentration and understanding, and to humans, that is a very important aspect of pleasure. Although it is mostly in our older age that we truly appreciate the simplicity of pleasure and happiness, there is nothing saying we cannot welcome it now.

American author Sandra Cisneros once said, ‘The older I get, the more I’m conscious of ways very small things can make a change in the world.’ How could the small pleasures of life change your own?

The post How Aging Teaches Us That Simple Pleasures Are the Greatest Luxury appeared first on Magazine.