Diana Demco

Diana Demco

The Magic of the Unoptimized Life

Over 2 millennia ago, Socrates declared that the unexamined life is not worth living. If we were to adapt this maxim for the 21st century, a good candidate would be “the unoptimized life is not worth living.” It seems everywhere…

The Timeless Art of Keeping a Notebook

The most important relationship you will ever have is with yourself. But sometimes, you need a companion. Another person won’t do. Although a good friend is one of life’s blessings, you can’t always dump all your existential dreads, worries, anxieties…

Why You Should Write

Why you should write

The American novelist Flannery O’Connor once said “I write to discover what I know.” I think if you need a reason to write, you can’t do better than this. Our thoughts always appear better in the warm and cushy dwellings…

Meditation In The Age of Neoliberal Reason

In recent decades, meditation has captured the imaginations of western citizens. In the last 10 years alone, the number of Americans who practice meditation has tripled. And the pandemic has brought even more people to the practice, for obvious reasons.…

My 12 Favorite Problems

Where does your mind go when you’re not working on anything in particular? Giving your brain a specific list of problems to keep running in the background and be on the lookout for possible solutions is a brilliant exercise for…

20 Questions Everyone Should Ask Themselves

Chiselled on a column at the Temple of Apollo reads the well-known aphorism Know thyself. This ancient bit of ancient wisdom is still relevant today. Self-examination is an effective way of shining light on your own patterns of thought and…

On Art and Beauty

Keep good company – that is, go to the Louvre. (Paul Cézanne) The last time I dedicated hours to a museum visit was a few years ago when I went to the Prague National Gallery, which hosts permanent and short-term…