Twitter and the Rebirth of the Aphorism

The aphoristic style of writing – which involves terse observations, opinions, and statements of wisdom – has existed for millennia. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates coined the term in his aptly named work Aphorisms; the word is derived from ancient Greek and denotes ‘delimitation’, ‘definition’, and ‘distinction’. An aphorism refers to any pithy statement that…

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Using Humour and Acceptance to Deal With Insecurities

All of us are insecure about some aspect of our lives or what we are like as people. There are many ways that you can deal with insecurity; for example, you can address underlying low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy, or try to refrain from stacking yourself up against others or some cultural expectations or…

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On Writing Regrets

All writers from time to time will look back – or think back – to something they’ve written and feel some regret. Whether writing for many years as a hobby or professionally, there will likely be a progression in how one writes – there will be a maturing of outlook and opinions, changes in style, and…

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The Different Faces of the Anti-Psychiatry Movement

Anti-psychiatry is a loose social movement that first emerged in the 1960s in Europe and the US, and it began as an ideological response to the treatment of mental illness in asylums at the time. Those supporting the movement were concerned about the poor conditions of many of these asylums, as well as the abusive…

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Mark Twain on the Root Cause of Antisemitism

In 1898, Harper’s Magazine published an essay by Mark Twain titled ‘Concerning the Jews’, in which the author responds to a letter from a lawyer who asks Twain to explain why antisemitism is so rampant in society and why Jewish people throughout history have born the brunt of so much hatred and hostility. Twain essentially…

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