1) “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” – Is it grammatically incorrect?
It is grammatically correct, but it uses an old style of English.
- “within” = inside yourself.
- “without” here does NOT mean “without something”; it is an old meaning: “outside yourself”.
So in modern simple English, it means:
“Peace comes from inside you. Do not look for it outside yourself.”
The grammar is okay, only the word “without” is old-fashioned in this sense.
2) Underground Railroad – What is it?
The Underground Railroad was NOT a real train and NOT underground.
It was:
- a secret network of routes, safe houses, and people
- mainly in the United States in the 18th and 19th century
- used by enslaved African Americans to escape from slavery in the South
- helping them reach free states in the North or Canada, where they could be more safe from slave catchers.
People who helped were called “conductors” or “station masters”, and the hiding places were “stations”. The whole system was called a “railroad” as a metaphor, because it helped people travel long distances to freedom.
3) “clash” – meaning
“Clash” is a noun and a verb.
- As a verb: “to clash” = to come into strong conflict, to fight, to disagree in a hard way.
Example: “Their ideas clash” = their ideas strongly disagree. - As a noun: “a clash” = a strong conflict or fight between things, ideas, or people.
In absurdism, we say there is a “clash” between:
- our deep wish for clear meaning
- and the silent, indifferent universe.
4) “leap” – meaning
“Leap” can be literal or metaphorical.
- Literal: “to leap” = to jump with your body, often a big or quick jump.
- Metaphorical: “to leap” = to move quickly from one idea or belief to another, often without enough thinking.
When philosophy talks about a “leap of faith,” it usually means:
- a big jump into belief,
- without full logical proof,
- trusting something strongly even if we cannot fully prove it.
5) Daniel Kahneman – expanded explanation of cause of death
Daniel Kahneman (author of Thinking, Fast and Slow) died on 27 March 2024, at age 90, in Nunningen, Switzerland.
Later reports explained that:
- He chose assisted dying with a Swiss organization called Pegasos.
- This is legal in Switzerland under certain conditions.
- He had seen his first wife, Anne Treisman, suffer from dementia, and he did not want to go through a long similar decline.
- Public reports say that he was already experiencing cognitive decline (problems with thinking and memory), and he decided, in advance and with planning, to end his life in a controlled, dignified way, with medical help.
So a clearer line is:
“Cause of death / Health: Chose legal assisted dying in Switzerland, using the Pegasos organization, after starting to experience cognitive decline and not wanting a long period of dementia.”
6) “individual psychology” – and reminder about psychological lines
Here is a clear description.
Individual psychology (psychological line):
- Founder: Alfred Adler.
- Focus: how people feel about themselves and about others, and how they try to belong.
- Key ideas:
- Many people feel “inferior” (small, not good enough). This feeling can push them to grow, but can also lead to unhealthy behaviour if they try to become “superior”.
- Humans are social; we are healthiest when we have social interest: caring for others, contributing to the community, feeling we belong.
- Problems such as anxiety, anger, or controlling behaviour may come from a person’s style of life, formed early in childhood, including their beliefs like “I must be perfect” or “I must never be weak”.
In individual psychology, therapy often helps people:
- understand their early beliefs and “life style”
- reduce unhealthy striving for power or superiority
- increase social interest: cooperation, empathy, and contribution.
7) Quick recap of some psychological lines
Existential therapy (psychological line):
- Focuses on freedom, responsibility, meaning, loneliness, and death.
- Helps people face the basic facts of life honestly and create a life that feels authentic and meaningful, even with pain.
Logotherapy (psychological line – Viktor Frankl):
- A type of existential therapy that puts meaning at the center.
- Helps people find a “why” to live, even in very hard times, so they can face suffering with dignity.
Analytic psychology (psychological line – Carl Jung):
- Talks about the personal unconscious and collective unconscious (shared universal patterns called archetypes).
- Uses dreams, myths, symbols, and art.
- Main goal: individuation – becoming a more whole, balanced person by integrating different parts of the self.
Feminist psychology (psychological line):
- Studies how gender, power, and social roles shape thoughts and feelings.
- Says old theories often ignored women and other marginalized groups.
- Connects personal problems (for example low self-worth, violence) with social structures (sexism, inequality).
Developmental psychology (psychological line):
- Studies how we change from birth to old age in thinking, emotion, language, and relationships.
- Looks at stages in life (baby, child, teenager, adult, older adult) and how needs and skills change.
Learning theory (psychological line):
- Studies how learning happens.
- Behavioural learning: through rewards, punishments, and repetition.
- Social learning: through observing others and copying models.
- Cognitive learning: through thinking, memory, and attention.
8) Language questions
a) “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”
- Not incorrect.
- Just old-style English. In modern simple language:
“Peace comes from inside you. Do not look for it outside yourself.”
b) “Underground Railroad”
- A secret network of routes, safe houses, and helpers in the United States that helped enslaved African Americans escape from slavery to free states and Canada.
c) “clash”
- A strong conflict, as a verb or noun (“their ideas clash” = they strongly conflict).
d) “leap”
- A big jump, physically or in ideas (for example, “a leap of faith” = a big jump into belief, without full proof).
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 