Intro
Switching to a Saturday Blog!
I’ve decided to change my weekly blog from Friday to Saturday, simply because that’s what has been happening naturally for a while now.
Today’s blog is one of the possible answers to the question I asked last week: What Is the Point of Living?
Healing Through Philosophy - التداوي بالفلسفة
This book was a recommendation from an influencer I follow. Interestingly, when I studied Philosophy in university, I didn’t enjoy it much and barely remember what it was about. So, before even starting this book, I was skeptical.
I was actually searching for another book, but since I couldn’t find it in PDF format, I decided to give Healing Through Philosophy (التداوي بالفلسفة) a try. I had time to read while waiting for my brother at the dentist. T_T
📖 Note: The book is in Arabic (my native language). I’m not sure if it’s available in English or other languages.
The author, Saeed Nashid, did an amazing job using his own insights combined with ideas from notable philosophers.
The Chapter That Got Me: “Maybe We Don’t Need Hope”
In this chapter, Nashid references a story from The Book of Samuel II (Old Testament) about Prophet David and how he reacted when his son (before Solomon) was ill and later died. His followers were surprised by his shift in emotions—from distress to calmness. He explained that once his son passed away, he no longer had to witness his suffering. Instead, he found comfort in knowing that he would reunite with him in the afterlife.
The philosophical idea here is how hope can be a double-edged sword—it can motivate us, but it can also cause emotional suffering when things don’t turn out as we expect.
The book also references Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Baruch Spinoza. Nietzsche, for example, pointed out that the ancient Greeks believed hope was the greatest evil—because it keeps people waiting instead of acting.
My Thoughts on Hope
This chapter hit me because nowadays, “hope” is marketed everywhere—in self-help books, social media, and even corporate culture.
But in reality, hope alone is not enough. Life isn’t a movie where everything magically works out. Most of our days are filled with routine, boredom, and occasional happiness—and too much hope can lead to disappointment when things don’t happen as expected.
Conclusion
This book gave me one possible answer to last week’s question. It presents a lifestyle perspective, where people try to define meaning in every aspect of life—whether it’s happiness, career, love, or marriage.
It also helped me understand how ideas evolve over time—how people in the past thought vs. how modern society thinks today.
But here’s my struggle: There are so many concepts in philosophy, and after understanding them, I have to decide how to apply them in my own life.
The book is short—so if you find it in your language, I highly recommend reading it!
Until next week, just take it easy. 😊