Philosophy & Great Books

• TThe School of Life2026-09-27Video✓ Read

  What Is It to Be Emotionally Mature #theschooloflife #animation #facts

  Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/s_nMb Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/xK6Mo FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://9qq0.short.gy/j24Tal “Emotional maturity is a state few of us ever reach - or at least not for very long. But it may help us to try to lay out what some of the ingredients are so that we have an idea what we might aim for: If we were to grow into emotionally mature people, this is some of what we would have learnt how to be: - We would understand the key role of self-understanding in helping us to grow into more reliable and predictable partners, parents, friends and colleagues. Our greatest ambition would be to reach a heightened understanding of our own minds. - We would constantly be aware of not being able to complete more than a fraction of this elevated goal and would hence be deeply cautious in all our assertions and conclusions. ‘Sorry’, ‘perhaps’ and ‘maybe’ would be some of our favourite words. - We would recognise what unfaithful allies our conscious minds are for the project of self-discovery; how much of us wants to know ourselves and how very much more doesn’t want to in the least. We would be humbled by the strength of our inclinations to distraction and denial. - We would properly realise that we were going to die and would put this terrifying thought to use on a daily basis to nudge us towards greater appreciation, authenticity and focus. It would help us to say, at points, and at last, ‘no.’ - We would realise, with considerable dark humour, that we were fools. We are idiots now, we were idiots then and we will be idiots tomorrow. There are few other options for a human being. - We would shed our pride; we would realise how much we const

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• TThe School of Life2026-09-23Video✓ Read

  How to Get Out of a Despairing Mood #theschooloflife #animation #facts

  In moments of despair, we may be suffering not from a failure of spirit, but a failure of imagination. The way out lies in exercising our creative capacities. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/cfnni Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/w8uJR FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/2IvSflV “It may sound strange to locate the problem here, but some of our most despairing moods are caused by failures of the imagination. We are not merely ‘sad’; we cannot picture any better life than the agonised one we currently have. What we really mean by imagination is the power to summon up alternatives. When we are sad, we can’t imagine finding another job; we can’t imagine retraining or shifting profession. We can’t imagine not minding what the gossip says about us. We can’t imagine finding another partner and letting ourselves trust someone again. We can’t imagine getting by in a wheelchair. We can’t imagine living on a very modest budget or relocating to another country. We can’t imagine having to make a completely new set of friends…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Gabriella Marsh https://gabriellamarsh.com/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/

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• TThe School of Life2026-09-23Video✓ Read

  Why Every Couple Struggles With Closeness and Distance

  In every relationship, a deep tension exists between two contrasting needs: the desire for complete togetherness and the vital necessity of separatedness. We want to merge, yet we also need our own space to think, work, and stay intact. Start your free Membership trial – 2,000+ articles, 1,000+ videos, 50+ courses, free for a week: https://www.theschooloflife.com/membership When couples run into trouble, it is often because these dual forces—like a car's accelerator and brake—are out of sync, leading to panic, distance, or acting out. In this film, we explore how to master the art of moving between closeness and autonomy without derailing the car of love. "In the life of every couple, and individual, lies a tension between two central and contrasting needs: the need for ‘togetherness’ on the one hand, for ‘separatedness’ on the other. We all want, at one level, a lot of togetherness. We want to merge bodies, to sleep tightly entwined, to share every moment, to break down the barrier between I and you: to get back to what we all had at the start, complete union with someone else..." 📖 Go deeper – read the full article (Members get full access): https://www.theschooloflife.com/article/the-challenge-of-separatedness-and-togetherness/ ✉️ Weekly Lessons + 10% off your first order: https://www.theschooloflife.com/signup OUR COLLECTIONS https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpcEwc0qydf2jSszQFSht81E https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpckOvZZ_AZjD7WM2p9-6NBv https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpeUL1vz9Su7OmeghBDgmj7X https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpeypJMHfNbJ4RAFkRtmAN3P https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpcpxBm1RoGRx4mVKNRIrKkG https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpcp7jXVszdNruKUtHZ2zuZb https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpfv2COuuJaKzy6E2n8nSMdi https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpc1qCJ6RYYh4rKNOOlKtFIK SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesch

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• AAeon | a world of ideas2026-09-18✓ Read

  Cosmic amnesia

  A black hole rings like a struck bell, then settles into silence, forgetting almost everything about its history. Why? - by Richard Dyer Read on Aeon

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• TThe School of Life2026-09-16Video✓ Read

  Why Heartbroken People Make the Best Lovers

  When we hear a tragic dating story about an ex who betrayed or abandoned someone, our immediate reaction is pure sympathy. But there is another thought that should quietly cross our minds: this might be one of the most promising things we could ever learn about a potential partner. Start your free Membership trial – 2,000+ articles, 1,000+ videos, 50+ courses, free for a week: https://www.theschooloflife.com/membership While we rarely learn how to love from only being loved well, true heartbreak teaches us deep gratitude, responsibility, and the true value of kindness. In this film, we explore why people who have survived the journey through heartbreak often make the most understanding, attentive, and resilient partners. "When you are looking out for a partner: try to look for one who has had their heart very badly broken by one or even better two or three exes… Imagine you are on a date across the table from someone with a truly tragic story to tell. Their ex pursued them intensely for a year, proposed after six months, bought a house with them and spoke excitedly about children. Then it emerged that, from the very beginning, there had been another family..." 📖 Go deeper – read the full article (Members get full access): https://www.theschooloflife.com/article/why-heartbroken-people-make-the-best-lovers/ ✉️ Weekly Lessons + 10% off your first order: https://www.theschooloflife.com/signup OUR COLLECTIONS https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpcEwc0qydf2jSszQFSht81E https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpckOvZZ_AZjD7WM2p9-6NBv https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpeUL1vz9Su7OmeghBDgmj7X https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpeypJMHfNbJ4RAFkRtmAN3P https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpcpxBm1RoGRx4mVKNRIrKkG https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpcp7jXVszdNruKUtHZ2zuZb https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpfv2COuuJaKzy6E2n8nSMdi https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwx

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