The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – tribes (Africa).

African tribal philosophy is incredibly rich. Africa has thousands of ethnic groups, languages & customs. So, tribal philosophy really means many distinct indigenous philosophical traditions like the Yoruba, Akan, Igbo, Maasai, Zulu, Dogon etc. Still, there are several widely shared concepts that appear across the African thought system. Philosophy is often expressed through storytelling. Knowledge is transmitted through elders & ritual speeches. Time is understood through lived events, not abstract calendars.

Ubuntu – the core idea is that a person becomes a person only through other people. “I am because we are.” Identity is communal, not purely individual, based on relationships, compassion & kindness. The self is not isolated, it is part of a collective web. Virtues like generosity, courage, harmony & respect are precious. It does not erase individuality, but places it inside a communal framework of a shared destiny, dignity, duty & diversity.

Vital force – the core idea is that reality is made of life-energy rather than static matter. Everything has a spiritual force (humans, animals, ancestors, nature). Life is about maintaining & increasing the harmony of these forces. Reality includes multiple layers – the physical, the spiritual, the ancestral & the cosmic. Ancestors guide or protect the living with wisdom & experience. Life is an integrated whole without a sharp division between body or spirit, nature or humanity.

Sacredness of nature – the core idea is that nature is alive & spiritually significant. Land is ancestral. Rivers, forests, mountains, the sea & animals have sacred roles. Environmental ethics often arise naturally. Humans are stewards, not owners of the earth. Life is understood as sacred, interconnected & inter-dependent with nature.

Enkai / Engai (God as the center of reality). The Maasai believe in a supreme divine force called the Enkai, the creator & sustainer of life. Often understood as both immanent (present in nature) & transcendent (beyond humans). Associated strongly with rain, farming & fertility. Cattle symbolise divine blessing. The Maasai worldview is deeply pastoral. Herding is not just labour, it is identity. Strength is valuable only when it’s tied to protection, peace towards nature & community. Inspirational.

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The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – ensō (zen circle).

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh – “there’s one thing that we all have the power to change, which can make all the difference and that is our mind.” Mindfulness, peace, the spirit of gratitude & Zen philosophy offer the clarity, strength & inspiration needed to create a re-generative world in which all life is respected. Filled with Thich Nhat Hanh’s inspiring stories & experiences – Zen & The Art Of Saving The Planet shares how we can bring hope, healing & harmony to our planet. Motivational.

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The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – ensō (zen circle).

Read Zen In Japanese Culture. A visual journey through Zen’s influence on Japanese life, from calligraphy to martial arts. Formed by a convergence of Buddha’s teachings, Taoism & local traditions, Ensō has had a profound impact on the art, music, architecture & culture of Japan. As a philosophy, it promotes the recognition of peace, positivity & minimalism.

‘Less is more’ is the key principle of minimalism. As an aesthetic, it’s marked by a striking simplicity, tranquility & reverence for empty spaces. Ensō promotes the principle of Wabi Sabi – beauty & harmony in all things transient & imperfect. Countless Japanese creators have engaged with Zen’s traditional wisdom, value & style.

Gavin Blair shares how Ensō has found a natural expression in all aspects of Japanese culture – tea ceremony, origami, ryokan, bonsai etc. Gorgeous photographs highlight the beauty of Zen (hanging Noren curtains to adorn the entrances or the intricate craft of a Wagasaumbrella).

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The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – ensō (zen circle).

A circle drawn in quiet air
an ensō
not perfect, not incomplete.

An empty center, full of everything
stillness speaking in a single stroke.
Zen is not explained
only drawn, only lived.

The circle holds nothing, and yet
it holds the universe.

Form is emptiness
emptiness is form
and the brush knows.

The master draws, as the beginner draws
not knowing. Only being.

Just ink, paper and the courage
to be still, to be simple.

Ensō is not just art
it is beauty, it is honesty in ink.

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The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – ensō (zen circle).

Read A Cup Of Zen. An invitation to step away from the daily chaos into clam & clarity. A beautiful collection of short stories to help us quiet our mind, to let go of worries, to reconnect with the joy & beauty of the present moment. Each story is filled with timeless wisdom that gently shifts our perspective into peace & purity. We learn to free ourselves from the mental clutter, to embrace simplicity, to find wonder in the ordinary, to surrender to the flow of life, to cultivate mindfulness, to dive into the depths of stillness & compassion. Like a warm, comforting cup of tea for our spirit & our soul.

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The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – Ensō (zen circle).

Japanese philosophy is fascinating. An Ensō, a zen circle is one of the simplest shapes, but philosophically it’s one of the richest symbols. Thinking about the philosophy of a circle is really thinking about what it means for something to have no beginning, no end & no privileged point. A circle represents natural beauty & completeness. Unlike a line, which stretches outwards or a polygon, which is made of parts, a circle is a single, uninterrupted whole. It stands for the idea of unity, clarity & everything belonging together without fragmentation.

A circle has no starting point. Wherever we begin tracing it, we will return. This makes it a symbol of eternity & infinite cycles. Many traditions connect the circle with the endlessness of time, the cosmos or the divine. The circle mirrors nature’s rhythms – seasons, birth & death, day & night. It challenges the idea that life is purely linear progress. Instead, it suggests repetition, return, rebirth & renewal.

Every point on a circle’s edge is equally distant from the center. No point is more important than another. This uniqueness symbolises fairness, balance, equality or a society without hierarchy. The circle invites the question – where is the center? In human terms, we often search for a center of our identity, meaning, insight or consciousness. The circle represents the relationship between our inner self (center) & the outer world (circumference). In geometry, the circle is considered as the most perfect shape. Yet, it is also abstract. No perfect circle exists in nature.

One of the most famous Buddhist circles is samsara. The endless cycle of birth, death & rebirth. The goal of Buddhism is not to perfect the circle, but to attain enlightenment (nirvana). The circle becomes the wheel of life, sharing the realms of existence, the path out of samsara. The wheel is literally circular because it shows how life keeps repeating itself until wisdom breaks the cycle.

In Zen Buddhism, the circle is expressed through an Ensō (円相). A hand-drawn circle made in one brushstroke. It represents the emptiness, completeness, the present moment, enlightenment, simplicity & the natural flow of life. A perfect circle is not required. In fact, imperfections show the beauty of impermanence. The circle is both full (a complete shape) & empty (the space inside).

This reflects the Buddhist teaching that despite the emptiness, everything is interconnected & whole. Wholeness includes the imperfect. So, the circle is a symbol of non-duality. Form & emptiness are not separate. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Buddhist traditions use mandalas, which are circular meditation tools as representations of the mind.

What an Ensō represents in Zen is compassion, enlightenment & awakening. An Ensō symbolises a moment of realisation, of being fully present in the moment. The circle contains nothing inside & that nothingness is meaningful, full of potential or possibilities. In Zen, the emptiness is not a void. In the void is everything. It is openness, it is fertility. Everything arises within it. The circle is complete, unbroken. It represents the unity of all things, the interconnectedness of life.

An Ensō is drawn imperfectly, with uneven ink or an intentional open gap. It reflects the Zen teaching that nothing is perfect & that beauty exists, even in imperfection. This relates to wabi-sabi, the aesthetic of imperfect simplicity. An Ensō is drawn in one breath, in one stroke. It captures the moment, just as it is. It is meditation in motion. A simple circle, drawn with mindfulness to express beauty, belief, emptiness, wholeness & impermanence as a mirror of the mind, in the present moment.

“Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless like water” – Bruce Lee. Fluidity is the essence of inner freedom & peace. An Ensō is the art of seeing into the nature of our own being. It’s a spark, a realisation. Stillness, being present in the moment is the key. The beauty of an Ensō is found in simplicity & tranquility, in a sense of the all embracing harmony of things. “There are only two ways to live our life. One is as if nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is a miracle” – Zen masters.

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The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – humour.

“A sense of humour is just common sense dancing” – William James

“Humour is the affectionate communication of insight” – Leo Rosten

“Laugh as much as possible, always laugh. It’s the sweetest thing one can do for oneself & one’s fellow human beings” – Maya Angelou

“A sense of humour is the best indicator that you will recover. Sustain that & you have hope” – Andrew Solomon

“A good laugh & a sense of humour overcomes more difficulties, dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing” – Laura Wilder

“Like a welcome summer rain, humour may suddenly cleanse & cool the earth, the air & you” – Langston Hughes

“Humour can make a serious difference. In the workplace, at home, in all areas of life. Looking for a reason to laugh is necessary. A sense of humour helps us to get through the dull times, cope with the difficult times, enjoy the good times & manage the scary times” – Steve Goodier

“To be a philosopher, just reverse everything you have ever been told & have a sense of humour doing it” – Criss Jami

“Through humour, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. Once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it” – Bill Cosby

“Progress is nothing but the victory of humour over dogma” – Benjamin Casseres

“Don’t wish me happiness. Wish me courage, strength & a sense of humour. I will need them all” – Anne Lindbergh

“Fancy degrees are easy to find, a sense of humour, not so easy” – Sarvesh Jain

“The first step towards true enlightenment is to lighten up on yourself” – Bashar

“A sense of humour is essentially a sense of perspective. It is an understanding that comes from a true sense of proportion. Humour is not a matter of laughing at things, but of understanding them. At its highest, it is a part of understanding life. It is an ability to see ourselves as we are” – Nivard Kinsella

“A sense of humour, being born of perspective, bears a near kinship to philosophy. Each is the soul of the other” – Will Durant

“Surviving the dangerous times require a sense of humour” – Robert Ferrigno

“Without a sense of humour, you are blind to so much in this world. To human nature. To the absurdity of so much that we say & do” – Steven Erikson

“Life is way too short, so try to enjoy every minute of it, with a good sense of humour” – Christina Scalise

“I think, the next best thing to solving a problem, is finding some humour in it” – Frank Clark

“A well-developed sense of humour is the pole that adds balance to your steps, as you walk the tight rope of life” – William Ward

“If you could choose one characteristic that would get you through life, choose a sense of humour” – Jennifer Jones

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The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – humour.

Read Humour, Seriously: Why Humour Is A Secret Weapon In Business & Life. An average four year old laughs as many as three hundred times per day. The average forty year old, by comparison, laughs three hundred times every three months or so. The collective loss of our sense of humour is a serious challenge afflicting people & organisations globally. We may be losing the levity entirely in a sea of bottom lines, slide decks & mind numbing conferences. Our sense of play is repressed by a dizzyingly complex & dynamic professional environment. We go to work leaving our sense of humour & so much more of ourselves, at the door.

Today’s employees yearn for more authentic, inspiring & human leaders. Aspirational, yes, but also flawed. Humour is a powerful leadership strategy to humanise oneself, to break down barriers, to solve challenges, to build trust & balance authority with approachability. The presence of fun or humour in the team interactions predicts more functional communication, higher team performance, both in the moment & over time. Playful cultures allow teams to thrive, even when the stakes are high & the times are tough. President Eisenhower said, “a sense of humour is a part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.” Inspirational.

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The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – humour.

“A day without humour is a day wasted” – Charlie Chaplin. Humour is the quality of something that makes people laugh, smile or feel amused. It’s a way of seeing or expressing things in a funny, playful or entertaining manner. Humour can come from many sources like jokes, comedy, irony, sarcasm, funny situations & wit. “Life is too important to be taken seriously” – Oscar Wilde.

Humour is socially important because it helps people to refresh, to connect with others & to cope with stress. “Humour is mankind’s greatest blessing” – Mark Twain. It enables the body to relax & rejuvenate. It is the best medicine. “Laughing is & will always be, the best form of therapy” – Dau Voire. Humour can make challenging situations feel lighter. It motivates us to stay positive during tough times. “If I had no sense of humour, I would long ago have committed suicide” – Mahatma Gandhi. If we can laugh at it, we can live with it. “Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious” – Peter Ustinov.

“Humour is emotional chaos remembered in tranquillity” – James Thurber. Sharing fun builds trust, collaboration & closeness in a team. It breaks tensions, makes social interactions more enjoyable & allows people to express ideas in a non-judgemental way. Humour encourages creative thinking, imagination & new perspectives. In essence, it brings joy, connection & relief. “Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age & dreams are forever” – Walt Disney. The secret to humour is surprise.

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The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – search.

“He who has a why to live, can bear almost any how. Search” – Friedrich Nietzsche

“Live the questions now. Search & trust” – Rainer Maria Rilke

“The search itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart” – Albert Camus

“Not until we are lost, do we begin to understand ourselves” – Hermann Hesse

“Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakes” – Carl Jung

“I am not sure who I am, but I search anyways” – Pablo Neruda

“Knowing others is intelligence, knowing yourself is true wisdom” – Laozi

“To come to what you do not know, you must go by a way which you do not know” – Kabir

“The search for truth begins in your heart” – Rickson Gracie

“Art does not exist only to entertain, but also to challenge one to think, to provoke in a constant search for truth” – Barbara Streisand

“A wise man once said that all human activity is a form of play. And the highest form of play is the search for truth, beauty & love” – Arthur Clarke

“Trust the unknown. Trust yourself. Let go of searching for answers & the answers will appear” – Brittany Burgunder

“Each new day brings new opportunities. You have to really search to be able to find these opportunities” – Lailah Gifty

“The meaning of life is found in the search for meaning” – Mircea Eliade

“Search on earth for what you cannot find in the sky, search in the sky for what you cannot find on earth. The important thing here is to never accept not being able to find what you are looking for” – Mehmet Murat

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