The Chicago Acropolitan

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.

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 do you have at the same time, c

I first met Willette as a tutor, but her story fascinated me, and I quickly scheduled an 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 and will be punished, a w

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. What is philosophy for you? When I think about philosophy, I think about wisdom. I always go to the meaning of the words – philos is love and sophia is wisdom, the love

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 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? Diana: For me, happiness is love,

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 fam

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. 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 their own philosophy in a way, it's an integration of oth

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

James Cappleman is currently Chicago's 46th Ward alderman. We met him at the New Acropolis school for a short interview about life. 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 to be a Franciscan priest but I'm assuming you're not one? No, I left the order in 1986 and remain

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 of that. I shoveled carrots out of a refrigerated box car and

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. 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? Definitely. I’m more disciplined. With work, diet, ea

Jeff Zaluda (58) is originally from Connecticut, he has been working as a lawyer in Chicago for the past 35 years. Apart from that he serves as the president of the JCUA, a non-profit that focuses on social justice. What do you think is the meaning of life? I have no idea what the meaning of life is, it’s arbitrary, something in the cosmos... I’m not a believer in a puppeteer god out there that’s creating things, that’s not for me. So I have no idea what the meaning of life

Adam (24) lives in Chicago Heights, and is originally from the nearby Sauk Village. He is studying for his Associate’s degree in fitness and exercise, and is a proud vegan and Cross-Fitter. I met him at the vegan restaurant “Kalish” on Wilson for lunch and an interview. What is philosophy for you? Philosophy to me is a way of living. So, when people talk about being spiritual, I tend to say that philosophy is my gateway to whatever spirituality is to me. I use the ideas, I us

Peter and I met at the “Hometown” Coffee and Juice in Glencoe for a coffee and a conversation. Tell me a little bit about yourself. I live in Glencoe, Illinois. Married for 30 years, have 2 kids, 2 dogs, a bunch of fish. I lived too much of my life here, although I lived in other places, and overseas for a while. I’m an investor. I invest in companies and people, and real estate, and things that are potentially rewarding. I practice yoga and meditate, I was a marathoner till

I’m originally from Ecuador, from the capital, Quito, I lived there for 21 years, and moved here to the US for school. Even though I was not thinking of staying that long, I stayed and I’ve been here for almost 19 years now. Almost half of my life. I work in risk management in a bank. What is philosophy for you? I took philosophy classes, even before I studied in New Acropolis. The main thing I was taught is that behind things that we do there’s always someone who has been th