Most have been taught to remain focused when learning a new skill.

While this is good for problems already understood, it prevents us from solving the more complex issues we face.

New problems require the adoption of a different mode of cognition, a type some refer to as “diffuse thinking”.

Imagine focused thought as an intense laser.

Strong and far reaching, but not effective for lighting up an entire room.

Diffuse thinking on the other hand, is the broad beam you can get from a flashlight. Perhaps not as powerful as the laser, but far more useful when you have no idea where to go.

Shoshin asks for us to let our guard down from time to time, and to be okay with occasionally looking dumb.

It is only in our adoption of this beginners mind that we can start to rediscover a genuine joy of learning.

6. Philocalist / (fil-OH-kal-ist)

Lovers of beauty,

Are in no manner reduced

As just warriors.

-Guy on his laptop

7. Metanoia / Μετάνοια / (meh-tah-NOY-uh)

There's an English idea that closely mirrors that of metanoia, though it isn’t a very popular one. That idea is of repentance.

To apologize is one thing, to repent is another entirely.

Literally meaning “to turn away”, this requires more accountability as it implies not only acknowledgement, but a change of course.

Much of our notions for repentance come from the Christian tradition, and while I believe it an important one, others have also lauded the power latent within.

As you’ve probably noticed, metanoia is another Greek word, and it comes from the root metanoein which means "to change one's mind".

But in an age where people are praised for sticking to old paradigms, being able to change your mind becomes a superpower.

*see Einstein quote

Easy way I remember this one;

Think of how annoyed I am when Trump tweets. Or Hilary, or whoever. And then immediately afterward, imagine how “meta-annoying” it is for me to keep getting triggered by an individual who just happens to be a vocalized product of our rotting system.

Weird.

It's almost like I dont have to do that.

If there’s something we need more of today, it’s the ability to reflect & reframe.

At least, I do.

To understand things from new perspectives that have only been made available a few years, a few weeks, or just a few moments ago.

8. Elpida / ελπίδα / (el-PEE-da)

Hope is an emotion that can often elude even the best of us. Our lives seem marked by a cynicism that runs through how we view everything.

The reason I chose this word though, is not because the idea is new.

Rather, because of how it rolls off the tongue.

“Elpida”

“Hope” in its current English form sounds airy, and a bit weak if you ask me.

The emphasis of hard consonants and syllabic resonance manifested as expression make one feel a more active participant in the verbal process.

When I simply hope for something, it’s likely that I’ll sit back and wait for “it” to happen. For that very reason, it ceases to be an effective frame from where I can encounter lasting change.

But, when I replace that term with the more forceful (and I think, beautiful) elpida, I can’t really help but begin to do something.

The very word implies physical activity.

So, as I begin to engage what I need in order to actualize my dreams, I cease floating through life, allowing it to do with me as it pleases.

Instead, I plant my feet and begin to move forward with quiet confidence.

9. Sophia / σοφία / (so-FEE-yah)

I think one of the more brilliant rhetorical devices we use in language, is personification.

Sophia, to many Greeks, was the embodiment of wisdom. She denoted the pure and beautiful, intriguing yet desirable.

She is seen as the ideal, paramount to all other ethics.

Skill, prudence, and sound judgement comprise this type of higher understanding.

Regular knowledge is like common sense, but wisdom transcends knowledge and graduates to practical applications, guiding how people live their lives.

In addition to a being a Greek sculpture, Sophia also happens to be central in many biblical teachings. Sophiology, which is a school of the Russian Orthodoxy, holds that real wisdom is one that aligns with the divine & ultimate essence of God.

Knowledge as head understanding, or wisdom as heart understanding?

B, final answer.

10. Kintsugi / 金継ぎ / (KIN-soo-jee)

An eastern philosophy, Kintsugi is most directly translated as “golden joinery”. A practice loosely associated with that of wabi-sabi, which means to embrace one’s imperfections.

Kintsugi though, also managed to transform itself into the artistic practice of ceramic repair.

After bowls break in Japan, they're pieced back together using a golden adhesive making the final product more beautiful than the original.

Kintsugi claims that damage shouldn’t be hidden, but revealed.

---

Japanese culture is one that is very layered and distinct.

Ideas stemming from their written form Kanji have grown to be influential all around the world, though they also clearly dominate our Western ethos.

The infatuation with martial arts, Tokyo Drift, and tattoo designs which proliferate Venice Beach are all testament to this.

To possess loveliness, even in your flaws, means to recognize that the journey is part of your unique identity.

A real contribution to a plastic world.