How a Change in Mindset Led Me to New Ventures — In May 2020, I left my academic job at the American University of Beirut (Lebanon) due to the economic crisis that hit the country in October 2019. Through a series of fortunate events including serendipity, being in the right place at the right time, and the support of many individuals…

The Importance of Iteration in Education — Nietzsche once exclaimed in “Beyond Good and Evil” how what seemed to be vibrant and lively ideas wither away like the yellow leaves of autumn falling off the trees when written down. I’ll include the full quote later because it’s a bit long. Every time I get excited over an…

Find out how Socrates turned the tables around during his interview — Socrates interviews for a vacancy in Silicon Valley. Check out whether or not he was hired. There is little known about the Greek philosopher Socrates, who is considered to be one of the most important figures in Western philosophy. He was the son of a stonemason and a midwife. …

Navigating Uncertainty — It’s March 2020. The news is that there’s a novel coronavirus that might be dangerous. Nothing is much known about it. We are in the presence of a new pandemic. A respiratory one? No one knows. What to do in this case? Let’s go on lockdown. What started as a…

In reality, it’s Descartes’ certainty that bugs me — It’s a warm winter day. A Monday, to be exact. Freddie the cat soaks in the sun as he dreams about his chicken bites treat he’s going to be devouring in a few hours. He’s certain that he’s going to be getting some. Why? Because cats rule the world. …

Between fact and fiction, I choose a combo of both insofar as entertainment — I once posted a tweet that included an anecdote and a joke about Plato. One of the comments I received was that the anecdote had no ground because I got it from Diogenes Läertius’ book Lives of the Eminent Philosophers, which is not a scholarly reference. …

A trickster is usually ambiguous, like someone slacklining, struggling to maintain a balance between being a hero and a villain. — This is a chapter from my ebook Sardonically Speaking: What Socrates, Standup Comedians, and Rappers Have in Common which is available for free download here. “The Father called him the Clever One because he excelled all the blessed gods and mortal men in gainful crafts and stealthy skills.” …

Or Like Charlie Chaplin Once Said — History repeats itself. That is because no matter how much we’ve progressed on a tech and industry levels, thousands of years later we still are dealing with the same issues. We don’t know how to govern ourselves, allocate our resources, live a good life, treat each other, drink our beverages…

But make sure you believe you’re grinding correctly — The road to success is often long and arduous. But unlike the saying, sometimes not all roads lead to Rome. Or maybe they do, but it would be futile either way, especially if you need a visa to enter Italy and you don’t meet the minimum requirements to apply for…