Nowadays everything seems accelerated, magnified. Through the media and online access we can have knowledge of what is happening even in remote parts of the world and in addition to that we are also aware of the events that may not make the big headlines but affect those closest to us, aggression, pain, confrontation and helplessness.
Pessimism is often rooted in things being unstable, uncertain and unclear resulting in a sense of futility. Ancient philosophers usually emerged in periods of crisis and introduced new ways of living – “To move the world we must first move ourselves” – Socrates.
We are searching for something new, and isn’t pessimism there because we have a spark of optimism in us? We have a sense of things being better, can be better but how can we bring that about? Socrates offers reflections and practical advice on getting closer to what is of lasting value and how this can become a driving force in us.
