Early humans likely started with emotional vocalizations like crying, laughing and grunting to express needs and feelings. Over time, the ability to control vocalizations and associate sounds with meanings developed. This gradual transition from emotional vocalizing to structured language poses the fundamental question this book explores: How and why did human language originate? Language sets us apart in its complexity, conceptual requirements and social nature. The origins of this unique ability are shrouded in mystery.

Chapter 1 - The Problem

The roots of language lie in emotion and communication of needs. Proto-language likely began as involuntary emotional vocalizations like crying, laughing, grunting and growling. These helped strengthen social bonds and coordinate group activities. Over generations, some vocalizations became associated with specific emotions, objects or situations, laying the groundwork for referencing the world through sounds. However, early vocalizations were still largely constrained by emotion.

Chapter 2 - Laughing & Crying

While emotional vocalizations still predominated, the ability to point at and reference objects through gestures likely emerged first. Pointing allowed early humans to jointly attend to and communicate about objects in their environment. This led to the next breakthrough - making voluntary vocal sounds to label and name objects. Naming objects through learned vocal associations began the transition from emotion-driven to symbol-driven communication.

Chapter 3 - Pointing & Naming

Once individuals sounds became associated with specific meanings and functions as words, the ability to combine words into larger utterances emerged. Word combinations exponentially increased the expressive power of language by allowing the description of actions, qualities and relationships. However, early word combinations were likely holistic and lacked systematic syntactic rules.

Chapter 4 - Words & Combining Words

The crucial step - developing recursive syntactical rules that allow words to be combined in an open-ended number of ways - enabled the true generativity of human language. Recursive rules allow an infinite number of grammatical and meaningful sentences to be generated from a finite set of words. This property sets human language apart and likely emerged gradually through cultural and genetic evolution.

Chapter 5 - Generativity & Recursion 

Various theories attempt to explain how and why human language evolved. The social intelligence hypothesis posits that language co-evolved with our social cognitive abilities. The ecological dominance hypothesis argues that language helped humans adapt and spread across diverse environments. The genetic change hypothesis proposes that mutations affecting language areas of the brain occurred. Likely a combination of social, ecological and genetic factors drove language evolution.

Chapter 6 - Explaining Language Evolution 

The book concludes by considering the ongoing evolution of language. Languages are constantly changing and new dialects and languages emerge. Advances in artificial intelligence may one day allow machines to develop vocabulary and combine words in a rule-based way, but true generativity and conceptual understanding remain challenges. The outlook for radically different future languages, either biological or artificial, remains an open question.

Chapter 7 - The Future Of Language 

Origins of Language: A Slim Guide offers a concise and accessible overview of what is known about the evolution of the human capacity for language. Non-human animals communicate in simple ways: they may be able to form simple concepts, to feel some limited empathy for others, to cooperate to some extent, and to engage in mind-reading. Human language, however, is characterized by its ability to efficiently express a wide range of subtle and complex meanings. After the first simple beginnings, human language underwent an explosion of complexity, leading to the very complicated systems of grammar and pronunciation found in modern languages. Jim Hurford looks at the very varied aspects of this evolution, covering human prehistory; the relation between instinct and learning; biology and culture; trust, altruism, and cooperation; animal thought; human and non-human vocal anatomy; the meanings and forms of the first words; and the growth of complex systems of grammar and pronunciation. Written by an internationally recognized expert in the field, it draws on a number of disciplines besides linguistics, including philosophy, neuroscience, genetics, and animal behaviour, and will appeal to a wide range of readers interested in language origins and evolution.

history

History

mindfulness

Mindfulness

books

Books

humanresources

Human Resources

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

James R. Hurford

Origins of Language

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">In the practice of feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of harmonizing one's environment, the choice of colours plays a significant role. </li><li class="ql-align-justify">Colours have the ability to influence our mood, energy, and even the flow of positive chi (energy) within a space. </li><li class="ql-align-justify">Among the various colours, gold holds a special place due to its association with wealth, abundance, and good fortune.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">How to apply the positive benefits of gold colour paintings in your home or office are explored below. </li></ul>

Feng Shui And Colours 

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Gold has long been regarded as a symbol of wealth, prosperity, and success. It is associated with abundance, luxury, and the fulfillment of desires.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">In feng shui, gold represents the element of metal, which is known for its strength, clarity, and precision. </li><li class="ql-align-justify">By incorporating gold colour paintings into your space, you can harness these positive attributes and invite a sense of opulence and prosperity into your life . </li></ul>

1. The Symbolism of Gold 

<ul><li>One of the primary reasons people turn to feng shui is to enhance their financial well-being. Gold colour paintings can be a powerful tool in attracting wealth and abundance.</li><li>According to feng shui principles, placing gold colour paintings in the wealth area of your home or office, typically the southeast corner, can stimulate the flow of positive energy and create an environment conducive to financial success. </li><li>These paintings serve as visual reminders of your intentions and aspirations, reinforcing your focus on prosperity and inviting positive opportunities into your life.</li></ul>

2. Activating Wealth and Abundance

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">In addition to its association with wealth, gold is also connected to creativity and inspiration. The golden hue is reminiscent of the radiant sun, evoking warmth, illumination, and optimism .</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Gold colour paintings can serve as a source of inspiration and motivation, making them an excellent addition to creative spaces, such as studios, home offices, or areas where brainstorming and innovation take place. </li><li class="ql-align-justify">Surrounding yourself with these paintings can help unleash your creative potential and foster a positive and uplifting environment. </li></ul>

3. Inspiring Creativity and Inspiration

<ul><li>Feng shui is all about achieving balance and harmony in your surroundings. The element of metal, represented by the gold colour, is associated with clarity, focus, and efficiency .</li><li>Incorporating gold colour paintings into your space can help balance the energy and create a harmonious atmosphere. By placing them strategically, such as in the center or northwest area of your home or office, you canpromote mental clarity, productivity, and a sense of order . </li><li>The vibrant energy of gold can invigorate and revitalize spaces, allowing for improved concentration and overall well-being . </li></ul>

4. Balancing and Energizing Spaces

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">When selecting a gold colour painting for your home or office, consider the subject matter and imagery depicted. Opt for artwork that resonates with your personal aspirations and goals. </li><li class="ql-align-justify">For wealth and abundance, choose paintings featuring symbols of prosperity, such as golden coins, blooming flowers, or majestic landscapes. </li><li class="ql-align-justify">If you seek inspiration and creativity, select artwork that reflects your artistic interests or includes elements of nature in vibrant golden hues.</li></ul>

5. Choosing the Right Gold Colour Painting

<ul><li>Gold colour paintings have the potential to transform your living or working space by infusing it with positive energy, wealth, and inspiration.</li><li>By incorporating these paintings into your feng shui practice, you can create an environment that supports your goals and aspirations. </li><li>Whether you aim for financial success, artistic inspiration, or overall balance at home, office space or both, you will have its positive effects on your own personal aspirations, flow of harmony and fortune too!</li><li>Browse through gold colour paintings <a href="https://www.innerjoyart.com/collections/gold">HERE</a>.</li></ul>

Conclusion 

Feng Shui is a study of a balanced / harmonised chi (energy) in a space. It is interesting to see how certain colour, like gold, has major impact and important significance in feng shui! 

Enhancing Harmony and Prosperity: The Power of Gold Colour Paintings in Feng Shui In the practice of feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of harmonizing one's environment, the choice of colours plays a significant role. Colours have the ability to infl

philosophy

Philosophy

corporateculture

Corporate Culture

creativity

Creativity

product

Product & Design

Enhancing Harmony and Prosperity: The Power of Gold Colour Paintings in Feng Shui

Have you ever wondered what it means to find your passion? Many people believe that it simply means doing what makes them happy. However, finding your passion is much more than that. It's about finding ways to give more of yourself to what you do, building on your existing knowledge and skills, and pushing yourself to achieve your full potential.

What Is Passion?

First and foremost, finding your passion is all about giving more of yourself to what you do. This means going beyond what is expected of you and putting in the extra effort to make a meaningful impact in your work. When you are passionate about something, you are driven by the desire to make a difference and contribute to something bigger than yourself.

What You Do

In addition to giving more of yourself, finding your passion also means building on what you already know and defining what you can do. It's important to take note of the things that you are naturally good at and the areas where you need improvement. By acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses, you can focus on developing your skills and knowledge in the areas that matter most to you.

Who You Are

Finally, finding your passion means pushing yourself to achieve even more than you ever thought possible. This involves setting ambitious goals for yourself and working diligently to reach them. When you are truly passionate about something, there is no limit to what you can achieve.

What You Yearn For

In conclusion, finding your passion is about more than doing what makes you happy. It's about giving more of yourself to what you do, building on your existing skills and knowledge, and pushing yourself to achieve your full potential. By following these simple guidelines, you can discover your passion and unlock your true potential in life.

Who You Aim To Be

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

loveandrelationships

Love & Relationships

entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

Finding Your Passion

You'll want it on you at all times, for the desire to sketch a moment can strike at any time. So keep it light.<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Compact, discreet, lightweight bag to store all your supplies</li><li class="ql-align-justify">A "cheaper" sketchbook that won't intimidate you from "ruining" the pages.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The idea is to be loose and fast. No pencils or erasers. Any pen of your choice will suffice.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">A travel watercolor kit will also suffice for color, and usually takes up very little space.</li></ul>

Keep a minimalistic sketch kit

The more you do it, the better you get.

You want to be and to capture as much of the scene as you can in the short amount of time you have. Pick the most eye catching thing to you, expand upon there, but don't get caught up in all the small, surrounding details. Negative or empty space may also be used for annotations and ideas.

Start sketching what's interesting first

The mind likes to fill in the blank. If there is a repetitive pattern, simply start drawing the pattern, and leave the rest of the area blank. Saves time, and then mind translates the detail by itself. If an image is symmetrical, simply drawing about half of the object will give them viewer enough information to fill in the rest.

Patterns

When sketching very famous landmarks, sometimes focusing on the well-known postcard view can be boring, [...] it’s fun to look for the most unusual view to sketch. Sketch the most extreme angle, such as looking straight up at a statue/building or looking at it from the back side.

With a travel watercoloring kit, there usually comes<ul><li>an aquabrush (watercolor paintbrush with a water reservoir for a handle that allows you to quickly wet your paintbrush</li><li>a sponge for cleaning your aquabrush with pigment</li><li>pallete</li><li>watercolor pigment cakes</li></ul>It is advised to use the colors just as they come, straight from the cakes. Use the pallete to gauge color saturation and mix colors on the paper.As a general watercolor rule, paint light to dark.

Color

Always finish a sketch.

We all make bad sketches, but sometimes a sketch that looks bad in the beginning might surprise you and turn out nice in the end.

After you've finished your sketch, take a moment and weigh what you did well and what you can do to improve later.Experiment with different forms of sketching!

Wind down and synthesize your sketch

<ul><li>Avoid standing/sitting in anyone else's way. Sketching entails occupying a single space for an elongated moment.</li><li>Keep your bag and possessions close to your chest, to mitigate fear of theft while you are in focus.</li></ul>Unplug your ears. No music.<ul><li>The natural ambience will enhance your sketch and focus for your surroundings.</li><li>Opens positive social interactions from curious strangers.</li></ul>

Mind your space

<ul><li>Allows you to more easily change the angle you're drawing from.</li><li>The uncomfortable position will encourage you to concentrate and raw faster.</li></ul>

Sketch standing

<ul><li>If you "feel like, maybe..." just do it. Don't just regret it later. Just Sketch it Now.</li><li>Sketch for however long suits your mood.</li><li>Think of each sketch as "just practice." Don't fuss over perfection.</li></ul>

Follow your whims

Sketching 5 minutes a day is better than sketching for an hour once a week.

<ol><li>Find a subject</li><li>Start sketching</li><li>Color</li><li>Finish later</li><li>Repeat</li></ol>

TL;DR

For developing artists that need direction on how to draw ideas and memories faster.

Boston-based urban artist Mike Daikubara gives beginners a crash course in location sketching that you can use in any city in Sketch Now, Think Later. Everyone wishes they could sketch stylish scenes, but busy lives leave almost no room for sitting down with a pad and pen to practicing. Many people give up on their potential hobby (and artistic outlet) because they feel they just don’t have the time to lay the groundwork. Here’s a secret though: you do! All you is a strategy for incorporate sketching into your daily life. Sketch Now, Think Later covers the tools, techniques and tips that author and Urban Sketching Correspondent of Boston Mike Daikubara has developed in his more than 15 years as a practicing artist, and will show you how to fully dive into any sketching situation with limited time and tools, and still be able to produce memorable, great looking, fun sketches!

timemanagement

Time Management

Mike Yoshiaki Daikubara

Sketch Now, Think Later

The Backwards Law suggests that when you try to avoid failure at all costs, you often end up experiencing more of it. Instead, embrace failure as a stepping stone to success. Take risks, learn from your mistakes, and use failure as an opportunity for growth.

Embrace Failure

The more you try to control every aspect of your life, the more elusive control becomes. Instead, practice surrendering and accepting that you cannot control everything. Trust in the process, let go of the need for certainty, and find freedom in embracing the unpredictable nature of life.

Let Go of Control

Paradoxically, the more you actively pursue happiness, the more elusive it becomes. Instead of constantly seeking happiness, focus on finding meaning and purpose in your life. Engage in activities that bring you joy and fulfillment, but also embrace the full range of human emotions, recognizing that happiness is not a constant state.

Pursue Happiness Less

The Backwards Law suggests that when you try to appear strong and invulnerable, you often become more weak and isolated. Instead, embrace vulnerability and authenticity in your relationships. Open up to others, express your true feelings, and allow yourself to be seen and understood. True strength comes from being vulnerable and connecting with others.

Embrace Vulnerability

The Backwards Law proposes that when you try to avoid discomfort and seek constant comfort, you often end up feeling more dissatisfied. Instead, embrace discomfort and lean into challenging situations. Growth and personal development often come from stepping outside of your comfort zone and facing adversity head-on.

Embrace Discomfort

The Backwards Law suggests that when you neglect self-care and put others' needs before your own, you often end up feeling depleted and unfulfilled. Instead, prioritize self-care and make your well-being a priority. Set boundaries, practice self-compassion, and invest time and energy in activities that nourish your mind, body, and soul.

Prioritize Self-Care

The Backwards Law proposes that when you strive for perfection, you often feel more inadequate. Instead, embrace imperfection and accept that you are human. Celebrate your strengths, but also acknowledge your limitations and mistakes. Embrace the beauty of being imperfect and focus on self-acceptance and self-love.

Embrace Imperfection

Embracing the Backwards Law for a Life of Paradoxical Wisdom.

Quote: "In embracing the backwards, we find the forwards. In accepting the paradoxes, we discover the truths that defy logic. Let go, surrender, and dance in the beautiful chaos of life."

education

Learning & Education

The Backwards Law

<ul><li>Dress well no matter what the occasion.</li><li>Never let anyone make you feel inferior or unworthy.</li><li>Never settle for less than you deserve in a relationship.</li><li>Learn to forgive, but never forget your worth.</li><li>Never go back to the man who cheated.</li><li>Learn a high income skill.</li><li>Never be afraid to challenge societal norms and stand up for what you believe in.</li><li>Support and uplift other women instead of tearing them down.</li><li>Never compromise your values and beliefs for someone else's sake</li></ul>

15 Rules Every Women Should Know And Follow 

<ul><li>Never go broke to impress others.</li><li>Learn to say no.</li><li>Take charge of your financial independence.</li><li>Practice self-love and self-care regularly.</li><li>Never be afraid to take risks and pursue your dreams.</li><li>Avoid toxic relationships.</li></ul>

😊

fashion

Fashion & Beauty

habits

Habits

communication

Communication

Every Women should know 

<ul>
<li>Period cramps kill us!</li>
<li>We check the profile of a stranger before replying to the dm 😅</li>
<li>Aunties judging us for having male friends makes us feel bad!</li>
<li>It hurts us when someone from our family says, how we wish we had a boy. - Yes, I’ve felt this sadly 🙃 </li>
<li>We think of our families before even thinking of ourselve - Com’on boys also do that!</li>
<li>Small gifts can make us happy as hell 🤩</li>
<li>Write a paragraph to tell us we are special can make our day and we are gonna read that a 1000 times😝</li>
</ul>

Facts About Girls That Guys Don't Know

health

Health

exerciseandfitness

Exercise & Fitness

Amazing Facts about Girls

<ul><li>Loneliness doesn’t stop when we are surrounded by people. It stops when we are seen for who we truly are.</li><li>Actions and words both have value, it’s when the two don’t align that the value is lost.</li><li>Our partner cannot fulfill our needs, and it’s not their job to do so.</li><li>If it doesn’t bring peace, profits, or purpose, then don’t give it your time, energy, or attention.</li><li>A lot of conversations need to be had in person. Tones need to be heard, facial expressions need to be seen.</li><li>Your greatest test will be how you handle people who mishandled you.</li><li>You can mute people in real life too. It’s called boundaries.</li></ul>

What are some things you realize as you get older?

<ul><li>Never lose your self-respect for someone who doesn’t care about your feelings and emotions.</li><li>Some people will always be important, with or without a conversation.</li><li>When you care for someone more than they deserve, you get hurt more than you deserve.</li><li>The people we choose to spend time with will shape who we become.</li><li>Life hack: Replace judgment with curiosity.</li></ul>

In 2006, U.S. News and World Report listed coaching as one of the 10 top growing professions. The first edition of Therapist as Life Coach, published in 2002, anticipated this trend, and since its publication it has become a standard for therapists who wish to transition or expand their practices into life coaching. Pat Williams and Deborah C. Davis have finally revised their classic practice-building book for today's therapists and future coaches. Every chapter in this second edition has been updated and rewritten, reflecting the growth of the coaching field and its increasing appeal to not only therapists, but all helping professionals. The book begins by exploring the history of the coaching movement and shows how society is hungry for life coaches. The second part of the book explains in detail the differences and similarities between coaching and therapy, discusses the coaching relationship, and considers some of the skills therapists will need to learn and unlearn in order to reclaim their joyfulness about their work. Professional transition tools such as developing and marketing your practice and honing your coaching skills are discussed at length in Part Three. The final section moves beyond basic life coaching to introduce coaching specialties such as corporate coaching, offers self-care strategies for life coaches, and peeks into the future of life coaching. There is new material throughout, including an overview of recent coaching developments, updated liability concerns, new business opportunities, and a new section on the research about coaching. Coaching gives practitioners the opportunity to break free of managed care and excessive reliance on the insurance industry and to work with a wide range of clients—specifically, those who are not suffering from mental illness but, rather, seeking to maximize their life potential. This book will help you enter this lucrative and personally enriching world with the skills and knowledge you need to build a successful coaching practice.

Patrick Williams

Deborah C. Davis

Therapist as Life Coach: An Introduction for Counselors and Other Helping Professionals (Revised and Expanded)

“I encourage all of us, whatever our beliefs, to question the basic narratives of our world, to connect past developments with present concerns and not to be afraid of controversial issues"

<ul><li>The best thing fire did was cook.</li><li>Cooking killed germs and parasites that infested food.</li><li>The advent of cooking enabled humans to eat more kinds of food, to devote less time to eating, and to make do with smaller teeth and shorter intestines.</li><li>Whereas chimpanzees spend five hours a day chewing raw food, a single hour suffices for people eating cooked food.</li></ul>

A Race Of Cooks

<ul><li>You could never convince a monkey to give you a banana by promising him limitless bananas after death in monkey heaven.</li><li>But why is it important? After all, fiction can be dangerously misleading or distracting.</li><li>People who go to the forest looking for fairies and unicorns would seem to have less chance of survival than people who go looking for mushrooms and deer.</li><li>And if you spend hours praying to non-existing guardian spirits, aren’t you wasting precious time, time better spent foraging, fighting and fornicating?</li></ul>

The Tree Of Knowledge 

<ul><li>Large numbers of strangers can cooperate successfully by believing in common myths.</li><li>Yet none of these things exists outside the stories that people invent and tell one another. There are no gods in the universe, no nations, no money, no human rights, no laws, and no justice outside the common imagination of human beings. </li></ul>

An Imagined Order

<ul><li>Ever since the Cognitive Revolution, Sapiens has thus been living in a dual reality.</li><li>On the one hand, the objective reality of rivers, trees and lions; and on the other hand, the imagined reality of gods, nations and corporations.</li><li>When two strangers in a tribal society want to trade, they will often establish trust by appealing to a common god, mythical ancestor or totem animal.</li></ul>

Dual Reality 

<ul><li>A natural order is a stable order. There is no chance that gravity will cease to function tomorrow, even if people stop believing in it.</li><li>In contrast, an imagined order is always in danger of collapse, because it depends upon myths, and myths vanish once people stop believing in them.</li></ul>

Natural Order Vs Imagined Order

<ul><li>In the savannahs and forests they inhabited, high-calorie sweets were extremely rare and food in general was in short supply.</li><li>The instinct to gorge on high-calorie food was hard-wired into our genes.</li><li>Today we may be living in high-rise apartments with over-stuffed refrigerators, but our DNA still thinks we are in the savannah.</li></ul>

Why we binge on the sweetest and greasiest food we can find?

<ul><li>The Agricultural Revolution was history’s biggest fraud.</li><li>Who was responsible? The culprits were a handful of plant species, including wheat, rice and potatoes.</li><li>The body of Homo sapiens had not evolved for such tasks. It was adapted to climbing apple trees and running after gazelles, not to clearing rocks and carrying water buckets.</li><li>Moreover, the new agricultural tasks demanded so much time that people were forced to settle permanently next to their wheat fields. This completely changed their way of life.</li><li>We did not domesticate wheat. It domesticated us.</li></ul>

History’s Biggest Fraud

One of history’s few iron laws is that luxuries tend to become necessities and to spawn new obligations. Once people get used to a certain luxury, they take it for granted. Then they begin to count on it. Finally they reach a point where they can’t live without it.

The Luxury Trap

<ul><li>Henceforth, attachment to ‘my house’ and separation from the neighbours became the psychological hallmark of a much more self-centred creature.</li><li>People found it difficult to leave their artificial islands. They could not abandon their houses, fields and granaries without grave risk of loss.</li></ul>

Building Pyramids

<ul><li>In organised crime, the big boss is not necessarily the strongest man. He is often an older man who very rarely uses his own fists; he gets younger and fitter men to do the dirty jobs for him.</li><li>If people realise that human rights exist only in the imagination, isn’t there a danger that our society will collapse?</li><li>Voltaire said that ‘there is no God, but don’t tell that to my servant, lest he murder me at night’.</li></ul>

There is No Justice in History

A Myths and fictions accustomed people, nearly from the moment of birth, to think in certain ways, to behave in accordance with certain standards, to want certain things, and to observe certain rules. They thereby created artificial instincts that enabled millions of strangers to cooperate effectively.This network of artificial instincts is called culture’.

The Arrow Of Histroy

<ul><li>Money is not coins and banknotes.</li><li>Money is anything that people are willing to use in order to represent systematically the value of other things for the purpose of exchanging goods and services.</li><li>Money is thus a universal medium of exchange that enables people to convert almost everything into almost anything else.</li><li>Money isn’t a material reality–it is a psychological construct.</li><li>Trust is the raw material from which all types of money are minted.</li></ul>

How Does Money Work?

<ul><li>Money is accordingly a system of mutual trust, and not just any system of mutual trust: money is the most universal and most efficient system of mutual trust ever devised.</li><li>Why do I believe in the gold coin or dollar bill? Because my neighbours believe in them. And my neighbours believe in them because I believe in them. And we all believe in them because our king believes in them and demands them in taxes.</li></ul>

The Scent Of Money

<ul><li>Religion can be defined as a system of human norms and values that is founded on a belief in a superhuman order.</li><li>Today religion is often considered a source of discrimination, disagreement and disunion.</li><li>Yet, in fact, religion has been the third great unifier of humankind, alongside money and empires.</li><li>Since all social orders and hierarchies are imagined, they are all fragile, and the larger the society, the more fragile it is.</li></ul>

Law of Religion

"Humans emerge from the womb like molten glass from a furnace. They can be spun, stretched and shaped with a surprising degree of freedom. This is why today we can educate our children to become Christian or Buddhist, capitalist or socialist, warlike or peace-loving."

People pursue wealth and power, acquire knowledge and possessions, beget sons and daughters, and build houses and palaces. Yet no matter what they achieve, they are never content. Everything that one has accumulated vanishes like smoke. Life is a pointless rat race.But how to escape it?

Never Contented Sapiens

<ul><li>Buddha’s insight was that no matter what the mind experiences, it usually reacts with craving, and craving always involves dissatisfaction.</li><li>"Suffering arises from craving ; the only way to be liberated from craving is to train the mind to experience reality as it is."</li><li>If the mind of a person is free of all craving, no god can make him miserable.</li><li>Conversely, once craving arises in a person’s mind, all the gods in the universe cannot save him from suffering.</li></ul>

Craving Is Suffering 

<ul><li>But modern science differs from all previous traditions of knowledge: The willingness to admit ignorance. </li><li>Even more critically, it accepts that the things that we think we know could be proven wrong as we gain more knowledge.</li><li>The great discovery that launched the Scientific Revolution was the discovery that humans do not know the answers to their most important questions.</li></ul>

The Discovery of Ignorance

<ul><li>Many cultures believed that lightning was the hammer of an angry god, used to punish sinners.</li><li>In the middle of the eighteenth century, Benjamin Franklin flew a kite during a lightning storm to test the hypothesis that lightning is simply an electric current.</li><li>Franklins empirical observations, coupled with his knowledge about the qualities of electrical energy, enabled him to invent the lightning rod and disarm the gods.</li></ul>

Ben Franklin Disarming The Gods

Throughout history, societies have suffered from two kinds of poverty:<ol><li>Social poverty, which withholds from some people the opportunities available to others.</li><li>Biological poverty, which puts the very lives of individuals at risk due to lack of food and shelter.</li></ol><ul><li>People still suffer from numerous degradations, humiliations and poverty-related illnesses, but in most countries nobody is starving to death.</li><li>In fact, in many societies more people are in danger of dying from obesity than from starvation.</li></ul>

Social And Biological Poverty

<ul><li>In the new capitalist creed, the first and most sacred commandment is: ‘The profits of production must be reinvested in increasing production.’</li></ul>Napoleon made fun of the British, calling them a nation of shopkeepers. Yet these shopkeepers defeated Napoleon himself, and their empire was the largest the world has ever seen.

Capitalist Creed

<ul><li>Today in the United States, only 2 per cent of the population makes a living from agriculture, yet this 2 per cent produces enough not only to feed the entire US population, but also to export surpluses to the rest of the world.</li><li>Humans now produce far more steel, manufacture much more clothing, and build many more structures than ever before. For the first time in human history, supply began to outstrip demand.</li><li>And an entirely new problem was born: who is going to buy all this stuff?</li></ul>

A Growing Pie

<ul><li>Most people throughout history lived under conditions of scarcity.</li><li>Consumerism has worked very hard, with the help of popular psychology (‘Just do it!’) to convince people that indulgence is good for you, whereas frugality is self-oppression.</li><li>It has succeeded. We are all good consumers. We buy countless products that we don’t really need, and that until yesterday we didn’t know existed.</li></ul>

The Age Of Shopping

<ul><li>In the affluent world of today one of the leading health problems is obesity, which strikes the poor even more severely than the rich.</li><li>Each year the US population spends more money on diets than the amount needed to feed all the hungry people in the rest of the world.</li><li>Obesity is a double victory for consumerism. Instead of eating little, which will lead to economic contraction, people eat too much and then buy diet products–contributing to economic growth twice over.</li></ul>

Obesity Is A Double Victory 

<ul><li>In medieval Europe, aristocrats spent their money carelessly on extravagant luxuries, whereas peasants lived frugally, minding every penny.</li><li>Today, the tables have turned.</li><li>The rich take great care managing their assets and investments, while the less well heeled go into debt buying cars and televisions they don’t really need.</li><li>The capitalist and consumerist ethics are two sides of the same coin, a merger of two commandments.</li></ul><ol><li>The supreme commandment of the rich is ‘Invest!’</li><li>The supreme commandment of the rest of us is ‘Buy!’</li></ol>

Invest Or Buy

<ul><li>Our children’s books and our TV screens are still full of giraffes, wolves and chimpanzees, but the real world has very few of them left. There are about 80,000 giraffes in the world, compared to 1.5 billion cattle; only 200,000 wolves, compared to 400 million domesticated dogs; only 250,000 chimpanzees–in contrast to billions of humans.</li><li>Humankind really has taken over the world.</li></ul>

Destruction Of Nature

<ul><li>Many call this process ‘the destruction of nature’. But it’s not really destruction, it’s change. Nature cannot be destroyed.</li><li>Sixty-five million years ago, an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs, but in so doing opened the way forward for mammals.</li><li>Today, humankind is driving many species into extinction and might even annihilate itself.</li><li>But other organisms are doing quite well. Rats and cockroaches would probably creep out from beneath the smoking rubble of a nuclear Armageddon, ready and able to spread their DNA.</li></ul>

Change Of Nature

The state and the market approached people with an offer that could not be refused. ‘Become individuals,’ they said."Marry whomever you desire, without asking permission from your parents. Live wherever you wish, even if you cannot make it every week to the family dinner. You are no longer dependent on your family or your community.We, the state and the market, will take care of you instead. We will provide food, shelter, education, health, welfare and employment. We will provide pensions, insurance and protection."

The Collapse of the Family and the Community

<ul><li>In the last two centuries, the intimate communities have withered, leaving imagined communities to fill in the emotional vacuum.</li><li>Consumerism and nationalism work extra hours to make us imagine that millions of strangers belong to the same community as ourselves, that we all have a common past, common interests and a common future. This isn’t a lie. It’s imagination. They exist only in our collective imagination, yet their power is immense.</li></ul>

Imagined Communities 

“People don’t like to think, if one thinks, one must reach conclusions. Conclusions are not always pleasant.” — Helen Keller

New York Times Bestseller A Summer Reading Pick for President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity’s creation and evolution—a #1 international bestseller—that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be “human.” One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one—homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us? Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas. Dr. Harari also compels us to look ahead, because over the last few decades humans have begun to bend laws of natural selection that have governed life for the past four billion years. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us, but also ourselves. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become? Featuring 27 photographs, 6 maps, and 25 illustrations/diagrams, this provocative and insightful work is sure to spark debate and is essential reading for aficionados of Jared Diamond, James Gleick, Matt Ridley, Robert Wright, and Sharon Moalem.

Sapiens

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It's time to
Read like a Pro.

Origins of Language

Enhancing Harmony and Prosperity: The Power of Gold Colour Paintings in Feng Shui

Finding Your Passion

Sketch Now, Think Later

The Backwards Law

Every Women should know

Amazing Facts about Girls

Therapist as Life Coach: An Introduction for Counselors and Other Helping Professionals (Revised and Expanded)

Sapiens

How to Become a People Magnet

It's time to Read like a Pro.

It's time to
Read like a Pro.