Relationships
Ancient wisdom and modern research agree that relationships are vital to our well-being. While romance is great, friendship may the most vital of all.
-
The Awful Nearness of Marriage
“Marriage is so unlike anything else. There is something even awful in the nearness it brings.” These words are from Dorothea Brooke, the protagonist of Middlemarch, and I agree with her. Marriage is like nothing else. It will either make you or break you. There’s not much room in between. Why do we enter into…
-
The Best Friendships Are Virtuous Ones
Most of us want “forever friends” who will fulfil us, but they aren’t that easy to find. Luckily, Aristotle had some insight.
-
Is Family Life at Odds with a Philosophical Life?
Most of the household names in Western philosophy weren’t married. Is a contemplative life more important than family life, or is this a false choice?
-
The Thorny Balance Between Love and Freedom
Freedom and committed love are two things most of us want and need. Can we find a balance to achieve both?
-
Alone Together: The Truth About Lasting Love
Lasting love requires a shared foundation, but it requires something else just as important that almost no one talks about.
-
“The Five People You Spend the Most Time With”: A Dilemma for Choosing Friends
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with” is an often-cited phrase with some problematic baggage.
-
You Should Not Be Careful Who You Love
“You should care about things in a way that makes it a possibility that tragedy will happen to you.”
-
The 5 Traits of Enduring Friendships
There are five distinct traits I’ve learned are common across enduring friendships and most people seem to be unaware of them.
-
The “Unnecessity” of Friendship
Close, sustaining friendships aren’t just a nice “bonus” in life. They help us reach goals, laugh more, and live longer.
-
How to Reconnect with Old Friends
If we want to overcome our shyness in reaching out to old friends, it helps to understand what makes us so shy in the first place.
