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Welcome back to the Philosophy of Life podcast. Today I want to do something a little different. One of our listeners recently asked me, why do you bring so much of your personal life into a philosophy podcast? Shouldn't philosophy be more universal, not just about you? And honestly, that's a great question. The truth is, I share my own stories because that's the lens I know best. The books I've read, the experiences I've lived through, they all shape how I understand philosophy. And I believe that everyday life itself is full of philosophy. It's not just about abstract theories. It's about the real dilemmas we face and the choices we make. But here's something important. This podcast is more than just me. It should be a project. The project of philosophy of life. And that project is bigger than one voice. I may be the one recording these episodes, but you, the listeners, you are the one should run this. Your stories matter. Your lives matter. And they deserve to be told. Because when we bring our stories together, we create something richer than any one person could. We create a shared understanding of how philosophy lives in all of us. That is what this episode is about. Why personal stories matter here. And why your voice is essential to this journey we are building together. When I talk about philosophy and life, I'm always struck by how words shift across languages. Take a phrase, philosophy of life. In English, feels balanced, have philosophy, have life. But in Persian,

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the weight is almost entirely towards life, which is in the

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and 10% of philosophy, which is

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And that struck me. And the meaning in Persian, Fasafet in the Yi, is just Fasafet explains the life itself. And that's what actually it is to me. And they're more meaningful. However, the philosophy of life is also a great name. The shift isn't just linguistic, a shape how we think, because the words are not neutral. The language we use changes the way we see the world, the way we act, even the way we threat one another. For example, the Persian word gona. is usually translated as zin, but they are not the same. Gonach carry emotional, cultural, even poetic meaning, and that doesn't exist in English. The translation looks simple, but in lived reality, the meaning is completely different. That's why words matter. They aren't just tools for communication. They can shape beliefs, choices, and entire lives. Another story, the friend once saw me on an Instagram posting claiming that Nader Shah, one of the old Iranian Shah, killed 300,000 mullahs. Immediately, I knew it was false. The number itself was absurd. An historical Nader Shah was tied up to Sufi tradition. So I investigated, I searched, I checked, I questioned. And of course, I found no evidence. It was a lie created to shape opinion. That is the practice of philosophy. Not abstract theory, but everyday acting of questioning, of asking, is it true? Of not accepting things blindly. Whether it is the meaning of Guna, a story of Nadasha, and even Frey's philosophy of life itself, the lesson is the same. Search, question, discover. And this search is not new. It has been with us since the beginning. Think of Plato asking whether words are natural or conventional in the Cratylus. He believed some names had a natural power in their very sounds, yet he also saw the weight of social convention. Think of Aristotle categorizing the world, building the logic that connects words to reality, to forms, to objects. The Stoics went from further, distinguishing parts of speech and developing the idea of the lecton, the meaning carried by words, the seed of what we now call propositions. Centuries later, thinkers like William of Ockham and Abelard asking whether words are natural or conventional in the Cratylus. He believed some names had a natural power in their very sounds, yet he also saw the weight of social convention. Think of Aristotle, categorizing the world, building the logic that connects words to reality, to forms, to objects. The Stoics went further. distinguishing parts of speech and developing the idea of the lepton, the meaning carried by words, the seed of what we now call propositions. Centuries later, thinkers like William of Ockham and Abelard asked how words refer, how language mirrors thought, and even imagined a kind of mental language beneath our speech. Then, in modern times, Gottlob Frege revolutionized philosophy of language with his theory of sense, and reference. He showed how Everest is Everest, and Everest is Chomolungma, can point to the same mountain, yet reveal something very different. Bertrand Russell took this further, focusing on logical form, on how language structures are reasoning. And of course, the most interesting philosopher, in my view, is Ludwig Wittgenstein. He was different. He brought the philosophy of language to an entirely new level, and transformed the whole field of linguistics. He wrote Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus during World War I while serving as a military officer in the Austrian army. So when we talk about words, we're not just talking about grammar. We're talking about history. We're talking about philosophy itself. Words are where philosophy begins. And that is the message to remind us. What we say, how we say it, can change the way we think and ultimately change the way we live. Stories bring life back to philosophy. Old stories, new stories, even the ones we are living right now, they help us understand our environment. They connect us to history, to morals, to the struggles of humanity. One of my past podcasts was about Khalil and Amina. This book is thousands of years old, maybe 3,500, maybe even more. We don't know the exact date, but we know these stories survived. Why? because they carry wisdom about human nature. They show how power can be abused, how trust can be betrayed, how greed and fear can break communities. But they also show the other side, how honesty and courage protect us. That is the power of stories. That is not just ancient texts. Stories live in my own life. I have spoken about my friend Gossam. How his story changed me deeply. There are also stories I haven't told yet about my father, my mother and others who shaped my path. These personal histories carry lessons no book can teach. But stories don't only belong to the past, they belong to the present too. I think of the Women's Freedom Marches, or the Black Freedom Movement in the United States, and the energy, the humanity, and those stories define the US society today. These stories define who we are, they define the ongoing struggle for something better. And here's the truth. Stories aren't just mine. They can be yours. They can be happening now or even tomorrow. Each one has the power to teach us, to warn us, to inspire us. Think of Franz Kafka, simple guy, big idea with metamorphosis. He's bring meaning of understand pain. He wrote Man's Search for Meaning. What makes his work powerful, not only psychology, it is a story of survival, the story of how, even in suffering, meaning can be found. That's why stories matter. They are philosophy in action. So when I say philosophy of life, I mean both. The words we use and the stories we carry. Together, they guide us toward what it means to live. Philosophy is not only about abstract ideas. It is also about people, the thinkers, the dreamers, the ones who wrestled with questions of meaning, justice, and truth. Think of Plato. He asked us to imagine the cave, to question what is real and what is only a shadow. Think of Socrates. He reminded us that the unexamined life is not worth living. That philosophy is not a lecture. It is a dialogue. Think of Rumi. He turned poetry into philosophy, teaching that love can open doors and logic alone cannot. But philosophers are not only found in books. It is here among us. It is the way we live. When you think, Simone de Beauvoir. Her life carried lessons in strength, compassion, and resilience. Albert Camus' central idea was the absurd. The clash between our need for meaning and the universe's silence. Instead of falling into despair, he urged people to embrace life fully. to live with courage and authenticity, even when faced with life's absurdity, whose story I hope to share one day, because their journey carries wisdom that we can all learn from. And maybe you have your own names, a friend who said something that stayed with you for years, a parent who lived with integrity, teaching more through example than words, a mentor, a teacher, even a stranger you met once who left a mark on your path. These are philosophers too, not because they wrote books, but because they lived truths. For me, this is the third pillar, to look at philosophers, both ancient and personal, to see the bridge between Plato's cave, between Socrates' questions and Comus' lived wisdom. Philosophy becomes alive when we allow their example to guide us in the way we live. So yes, philosophy is about ideas, but it also lives as an idea among us, the people. Every person has the potential to be a philosopher, not because they can write books, but because they can live a life that teaches others how to use philosophy as a tool, to see things clearly, to question with authenticity, and to love in such a way that love itself becomes their philosophy of life. We humans don't take enough time to simply sit and think. We are constantly moving, scrolling Instagram, checking Twitter, consuming one thing after another, but when do we actually stop, sit in a corner, and reflect on what we've gathered? This simple act of thinking is one of the most important parts of life. It's something we should do daily because when you sit still, even for a short while, you begin to see clearly. You can reflect on an action and ask, was it right? Was it wrong? You can notice where you've grown and where you still need to change. think of problem solving in technology. When two software systems don't connect, you don't jump straight into coding. First, you sit down, identify what's missing parts, decide what needs to be built, and plan the flow. That process is called thinking. That pause, that reflection makes the work possible. Life is the same. Our relationships, our work, our health, they all improve when we pause to think. But here's the important part. Thinking doesn't only belong to me. It belongs to all of us. That's why I see this not just as a podcast, but as a project. The project of philosophy of life. I may hold the microphone, but you're the listeners. You bring the stories to life. You can bring the reflections and you bring the philosophy alive. Because you matter. Your stories matter. Your life matters. And when you share them, others can learn be inspired, and even be transformed. So, thinking is not passive. It is a practice of philosophy itself. And when we join our reflection together, we create something larger than one voice. We create a project, a living, breathing philosophy of life.

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So this episode was about the four pillars of Philosophy of Life project. First, the words we use and how their meanings shape our lives. Second, the stories we tell, ancient, personal, and collective. Third, the philosophers of those in books and those who walk beside us in everyday life. And finally, the practice of thinking, the quiet reflection, that gives us the chance to change. But here's the truth. This is not just my podcast. It is our project, the Philosophy of Life project. I may hold the microphone, but you, the listeners, you bring the heart of it. Your stories matter. Your lives matter. And when they are shared, others can learn from them, be inspired by them, and grow through them. This project isn't here to hand you answers. It's here to remind you that philosophy already lives in your words, your stories, your actions, and your thoughts. Philosophy lives in you. Thank you for listening. Thank you for spending this time with me. As always, I'd love to hear your reflections. Share your thoughts. Share your stories. And let's continue this project together. Until next time, Be thoughtful, be curious, and stay human.