Love

1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13

Don’t forget to examine yourself as you read every word

And the spiritual truly examines all things, and he is examined by no one.

1 Corinthians 2:15

On Whirlpools

  1. Life is given, experienced before it is explained
    • So, we accept life as a starting point
    • We could philosophize, but let’s stay with the experience for now
  2. Let’s imagine that life is a river
    • The river moves with a wisdom larger than our plans
    • I know this sounds too abstract, but stay with me
  1. You navigate with your boat
    • The degree of control varies (depending on wind, etc.)
  1. There are random whirlpools in the river
  2. Sometimes the current gathers and you find yourself carried in one of those whirlpools
    • This prevents you from making progress, and you start running in circles
  1. The first step is noticing: “I am in a whirlpool“
  2. The second step is making a choice:
    • Stay inside the spin: fuse with it, let it amplify, and slowly forget the one who is steering
    • Or step back, become still, defuse the whirlpool, and steer again.

The river continues, and we learn to be present within it…

A reflective exercise for you. Describe a whirlpool that you encountered during the last week.

  • Where were you? What was happening?
  • What changed inside you the moment you noticed you’re in it?
  • What was the whirlpool about? How did it feel in your body?
  • What choice did you make?
Bonus: For the programmers, the same idea expressed formally in Budge-TP.
$ ./budge-tp.py examples/whirlpool.btp
-- The programmer mind defaults to SEARCH — reaching for a system, a fix, an escape.
thParadox : WHIRLPOOL(SEARCH(ESCAPE_WHIRLPOOL))
-- Noticing the trap, the mind searches for escape from that whirlpool too. It deepens.
thDeepened : WHIRLPOOL(SEARCH(WHIRLPOOL(SEARCH(ESCAPE_WHIRLPOOL))))
-- Response A: fuse with it. Become the whirlpool. It grows.
thAmplified : AMPLIFY(WHIRLPOOL(SEARCH(WHIRLPOOL(SEARCH(ESCAPE_WHIRLPOOL)))))
-- Response B: notice it. Step back. The observer is not the whirlpool.
thDefused : DEFUSE(WHIRLPOOL(SEARCH(ESCAPE_WHIRLPOOL)))
-- The whirlpool does not vanish. It is simply no longer you.
thPresent : PRESENT

The basic building blocks of psychological theories

There are many psychological theories, each aimed at providing a unique perspective on how we view the world. Think of them as glasses that, when you put them on, change how you see things. They are helpful in that they reveal some aspects of an experience that would otherwise not be visible. But there is no single theory that reveals everything. After a psychological theory is developed, it can be used as a framework for person and personality analysis or therapy.

Now, each of the theories is composed of building blocks (dimensions) that define it. Think of any building block as a dial that can be turned to some position. A unique configuration of dial values can roughly describe a specific psychological theory.

🎛️

Let’s explore what those basic building blocks are.

Continue reading “The basic building blocks of psychological theories” →

Top 7 insights of 2025

I analyzed 700971 bytes worth of journalling data for 2025. Here are the most common patterns, ready to use as sticky note reminders for myself.

Love simplifies thinking. Clarity comes without effort. Continuously learn to love self and others; the universe favors love.

Presence helps more than problem-solving. Use all senses equally. Let spontaneity flow.

It aligns me naturally. The ego relaxes, effort drops, and presence takes over.

When we feel heard, mirrored, and accepted, we soften and open. Correcting or explaining increases pressure.

Be yourself, here and now. Defining Self increases anxiety, service lowers it. Stay connected, not entranced. Learn to enjoy the now, let go of the prison you built yourself.

Work on internal opposites and unfinished businesses leads to integration, wisdom, calmness. But it is also draining. Less inputs allows the system to relax.

When I act kindly in the moment, understanding and meaning come for free. The ultimate compassion tool: empathy, truly stepping into another person’s shoes.

Insight is to experience what a theorem is to a proof. We know that 2+2=4, but to understand that on a deeper level1, we need to look at the proof.

Similarly, these insights are checkpoints of some destinations I reached during my travels. If you are curious more about the journey rather than the compressed insight, I wrote it in more detail in my fourth book, The Mirrors In Us.

We suffer when we substitute cognition for love, and we heal when cognition serves love.

1: In some cases, the depth of understanding I needed was too large, burdening me. Accepting a specific depth rather than spiralling forever was crucial 🙂