There is a very common misconception that liberalism endorses an “everything goes” approach to morality, where people can do whatever they want. Some of my liberal friends feel guilty when they judge others, seeing it as a personal weakness that taints their liberal outlook. Liberalism is not synonymous with moral relativism. To be a liberal […]
Author Archives: Haider
Problems & Problematic Solutions
We often think in terms of problems and solutions: what don’t we want, and how to get rid of them. But in many cases, personal and political, the proposed solutions contribute to the problem, instead of fixing it. The solution simply takes the problem in a new direction or to a new level. This is […]
Kuwait & Corruption
Wainra7at (Kuwaiti for: where did it – i.e. the money – go?) is a Twitter account that lists (in Arabic) the tenders granted by the Kuwaiti government, giving the amount paid, for what service, and to which company. Some of the numbers are extremely depressing, when you compare the amount paid to the service requested, […]
Should You Work On One Habit At A Time?
A number of writers in the field of personal growth recommend working on developing a single habit, and only move on to the next habit once you have etched the previous habit in your psyche & daily routine. Some advocate working on forming a habit for 21 consecutive days, whereas others suggest sticking to a […]
Dirty Politics
I’ve heard the following opinion expressed by secularists justifying the need for the separation of religion and politics: Religion has no place in politics. Politics is a dirty game fueled by personal interests, which will only taint the sanctity of religion. I’m not entirely sure whether it’s an intentional misrepresentation of both religion and politics, […]
Quote: On Emotion In Motion
“Don’t wait for your feelings to change to take the action. Take the action and your feelings will change.” ~Barbara Baron This is one of my favorite quotes on motivation, productivity, and personal change. We often try to change our emotions before we engage with our surroundings and take a step towards our goals, when […]
Truth & Conviction
One of the most important principles to critical thinking, open-mindedness, and fruitful ideological discussions is that truth and conviction are two different things. Just because you are convinced of a belief does not make it true, nor does it mean that others must accept it to be true. And even if the belief is true, […]
What Is Learning?
Most educators (whether in official positions or sharing their knowledge and expertise informally) tend to focus on providing information, without paying too much attention to how the information will be received, especially by beginners in the field being taught. I noticed this recently, while trying to pick up web development again. Most tutorials make too […]
Overcoming Information Overwhelm
During high school, one of my English teachers said that there was a point in history when you would have been able to read everything that was ever written, but that now it’s impossible to read everything in several lifetimes dedicated solely to learning. This is an important fact to keep in mind: You can’t […]
If She Was Kuwaiti…
I was sitting at Caribou writing an article on learning when I overheard a woman say over the phone: “If she was a Kuwaiti I would’ve forgiven her. But I don’t see why she thinks she’s better than us to be this rude.” I don’t know the details of the incident she was referring to. […]