The Chicago Acropolitan

If you are wondering how to apply philosophy in daily life, start smaller than you think and more sincerely than you think. Choose one principle. Practice it today. Observe yourself without excuses. Correct course tomorrow. Over time, these modest acts create something solid: a life with more integrity, steadiness, and meaning.

Most people do not lose their way all at once. It happens in small moments - saying yes too quickly, scrolling to avoid thinking, moving through the day without asking why. If you have been wondering how to live more consciously, that question may be less about changing everything and more about waking up inside the life you already have.

As summer hits Chicago, droves of people flock Lake Michigan’s beaches for outdoor volleyball - including me! I’ve been in love with the sport since I was a teenager and, in the recent years, have come to some reflections of my love for the sport - metaphors to a philosophy called Stoicism I learned while taking philosophy classes in New Acropolis Chicago. I believe that if the ancient Stoics played a modern sport, they would have played volleyball!

Across Stoicism, Buddhist mindfulness, and existentialist philosophy, there is a shared message: life changes, and the mind hates not knowing. The good news is that anxiety isn’t the only possible response. When grounded in philosophical practices, uncertainty can become something you navigate without too many trip-ups. And when those falls do happen, and trust me they do (even if you try your best to live like a New Acropolitan and live with philosophy daily), we can finally

We have an election today. You may have heard something about it... I don’t know who will win this election, but one thing is certain - whoever wins, half of the country will be upset. We chose as our political system (against the wishes of our first president) a contest in which there are always winners and losers. But there’s another way of looking at this. A more philosophical one.

Hey Everyday Philosopher, so, what is philosophy for you? For me, philosophy has always been about being open to other belief systems and other people's ideas, and with an open mind and with curiosity. I never felt that one certain belief should be prescribed to everybody. I feel like there are good things in all types of teachings and belief systems and religions. And there's really something to learn about life as a whole from all these sources. You say “open-minded”, but d

We first met Willette as a tutor, but her story fascinated us, and I quickly scheduled the Everyday Philosopher Interview with her. Speaking about philosophy as the Love of Wisdom. How do you understand wisdom? I think about something acquired over time, but also something that is revealed by God. I know that we can have information and not revelation, we can move in that and make mistakes. I think wisdom can be acquired in time, through certain events. “A man will move on an

Interview with Jeanine Ntihirageza Born in Burundi, Jeanine came to the US as a Fulbright scholar and holds a PhD in linguistics. She is a professor and Director of the Genocide and Human Rights Research in Africa and the Diaspora at Northeastern Illinois University. I met her on Zoom for a short interview. Welcome to The Everyday Philosopher Interviews. So, what is philosophy for you? When I think about philosophy, I think about wisdom. I always go to the meaning of the word

Chido is a Zimbabwe-born optometrist. When she was a teenager she moved to Thailand. She currently lives in Chicago. What is philosophy to you? How do you understand it? Philosophy means finding the right path in life, for me. I know that your father was a big influence in your life. And I know he was an educator. Do you think that his influence and who he was, was in a sense, the reason you were seeking to study philosophy or to find this path? For sure. Seeking knowledge w

Diana and Rob Sealtiel Diana and Rob Sealtiel's Everyday Philosopher Interview Diana is originally from Long Island but immigrated to Israel at the age of 23. She is a retired Genealogist and English teacher. Rob is originally Dutch, a holocaust survivor and a retired businessman, who also lived on and off in Israel, until he finally relocated about 25 years ago. I met Diana and Rob at the Uptown diner Tweet to share a brunch and talk about life. What is happiness for you? D

MARCO BENASSI I was born in the south side of Chicago, my parents are Italian immigrants, and I have an older brother and sister. I grew up in Addison, Illinois, which is west of the city, and I now live in Wheaton, Illinois, with my wife, Alice and my three sons who are all in their 20’s. I teach at the college of Du page community college, I have a background in speech, journalism and film. And, I teach speech, film studies classes, where I take students all around the worl

What is the meaning of Happiness? Happiness is inner peace for me, it is not something that I can search outside of my being, it is not something that someone can give me or that I can buy, it is something I feel inside of myself, when I feel peace, when I feel I understand the world, the universe, not that I understand everything, because I am not a master, but what I understand at my level. What makes you happy? Being with my family, with my friends, with my spiritual fami

What are three values that describe you? These are things I hope I have in my character: sensitive, intuitive and tenacious. Do you see those things manifest in your life? Yes. I do. Thank you for joining our philosophical interview! So, what is philosophy to you? How do you understand philosophy? I don't know if I have the right answer, it's a hard question. It’s a way of looking and understanding the world around you and how you approach everything. Each person has th

Sebastian is a Social Work Junior student at NEIU, I met him for a chat in the cafeteria. What is Philosophy for you? The very first thing that comes to mind is the classical philosophers. I took a philosophy class, and it’s just ingrained in me to imagine an old Greek guy with a beard as philosophy. But I think that Philosophy is the study of life, which includes everything, such as law, science, basic human interactions, to just studying existence. I think philosophy is suc

At the time of this interview, James Cappleman was Chicago's 46th Ward alderman. We met him at the New Acropolis school for a short interview about life. Enjoy! It's nice to meet you here in Chicago, so let's begin the interview! What is philosophy for you? I actually minored in philosophy, while I was studying to be a Franciscan priest. Philosophy helped me look inward to see what my motivations are when I do things. It also helped guide my values. You mentioned you studied

Let's kick off the Chicago Everyday Philosopher Interview! I did stand up comedy for many years, but I feel like I’m a teacher at heart. I always wanted to do comedy, through that I'm trying to stay connected to cool ideas, interesting people and help educators to connect to students in a better way. I grew up in a relatively small Midwestern town, two hours west of Chicago - Rochelle, IL. I worked in a food processing factory to pay myself out of college, I’m very proud o

Kira is a doula and has a long history in theater as a writer, director and performer and she is a native to the Chicago area. What is happiness to you? It is interesting because I recognized recently that I've been so busy, I haven't felt that feeling in a while, I haven't had time and I found moments of it but I feel it's when all of my senses are totally alive, when I feel really present on whatever I'm doing and when I feel really in connection with other people. When I u

I was born in Ohio, moved here in 1970. Began teaching special education to emotionally disturbed children. Realized I needed to be a social worker. After we got married, we had 2 children and several years later I went to graduate school, and became a school social worker. It was the best gift my husband could have given me, education being a fabulous gift. What drew you to that field? When I was teaching I loved it when the kids would come with their stories about weekend a

What is philosophy for you? To me philosophy is a way of thinking beyond yourself, and thinking about the values that are important to you as a human being; for example, honesty and beauty. It's deciding what you think is important and applying that in your everyday life. Do you see a connection between philosophy, thinking about all these virtues and values, and their application in everyday life? I see how they work together, but I don't know if I do a great job at putting

David, 26 years old, from Chicago, is a licensed barber. I met him after work at the “Public Barber” in Uptown. Read below to see his philosophical barber insights! What does wisdom mean to you? Knowledge about life, experiences, feelings. Wise people know how to handle certain situations they had in the past and apply it to new situations. It's a way of getting through life without making the same mistakes you made in the past. Are you somewhat wiser today than 5 years ago?