Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Responding Graciously to Highly-Charged Political Questions
Image: stock.adobe.com By flysnow Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is scheduled to be inaugurated on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic. In light of the events of last week, this event will occur with unprecedented levels of security with the world observing our democracy. Once again our readers are asking us for advice about how…
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2020 Regifting Etiquette During a Pandemic
Today, in the U.S., regifting can be controversial because some people feel that it lacks integrity. The original gift recipient is passing along a gift that was specifically selected for them – to someone else. However, others feel that regifting is a way to pass along something that might be more special and useful to…
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Global New Year’s Eve Traditions 2020
Credit: stock.adobe.com By Christian Horz As we close out 2020, we look toward 2021 as a new year with hope for health and prosperity. While many of us cannot travel, we can experience the customs of other countries vicariously by reading about their traditions. Today, we update a previous blog about the diversity of ways people bring…
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The Global Holiday of Winter Solstice 2020
Credit: Stock.adobe.com By vovan Global winter holidays are celebrated based on various belief systems, traditions, religions, philosophies, and the solstice. We have explored a number of Christmas customs in blogs discussing the Czech Republic and Colombia. We also answered reader’s questions about Advent and Hanukkah. We will be sharing blogs about German customs, and Kwanzaa soon.…
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Colombian Christmas Customs Celebrated by a Colombian Millennial
Handmade Hammocks from Villa de Leyva, Colombia Photo by Sophie Echeverry Today we are delighted to feature Sophie Echeverry, a guest blogger studying and living in Geneva, Switzerland. Sophie was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. “Day of the Little Candles”: Translated to el dia de las velitas and celebrated on December 7, this day brings the formal start…
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Unique Czech Christmas Traditions
The Czech Republic is recognized worldwide as Europe’s most castle-rich country, for its beautiful medieval landscapes, and also for its highest consumption of beer per capita. In addition, notable Czech-born people include Martina Navratilova and Ivan Lendl (tennis pros), Milos Forman (film director), Sigmund Freud (psychologist), and Oskar Schindler (Schindler’s List). My maternal grandmother’s homeland…
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Hanukkah or Chanukah Explained 2020
The holiday season is upon us and we are quickly approaching the first day of Hanukkah/Chanukah, to be celebrated by Jewish people around the world. The beloved and joyous holiday of Hanukkah/Chanukah, or Festival of Rededication, begins the evening of Thursday, December 10th this year. The eight-day celebration of the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem is…
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Holiday Card Etiquette 2020
Sending and addressing holiday cards during the pandemic may be a delicate balancing act this year – spreading holiday cheer while simultaneously acknowledging that 2020 has been a challenging year for many people. Typical joyful seasonal greetings may hit an exposed nerve during this nearly year-long Covid-19 experience as people have lost employment, financial stability,…
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Christian Advent Traditions Explained
Advent, in the Christian church calendar, is the preparation period for two things: the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas, and the second coming of Christ. Christian Advent: Advent translates to ‘coming’ in Latin. It is a Christian countdown to the days until Christmas to symbolically honor the coming of Jesus Christ and his birth into the…
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Tips for National Handwashing Awareness Week
December has arrived and so has National Handwashing Awareness Week! December is typically the season for festivities, family, and fun. Even with muted celebrations during the pandemic, the last thing we want to partake in is sniffles, colds, the flu, or Covid-19. Sneezes, after all, are like mini hurricanes. A typical human sneeze exits the body…
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