

Becoming Antifragile
IJ Makan
Timeless wisdom from history's greatest minds on love, happiness, meaning, peace and enlightenment.
Support my mission in recovering wisdom: https://becomingantifragile.com
Support my mission in recovering wisdom: https://becomingantifragile.com
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 13, 2025 • 38min
063: How To Avoid Self-Deception - James the Just
James the Just, the step-brother of Jesus of Nazareth and a leader of the early church, wrote this letter as a guide to living out authentic faith.
Focused on practical wisdom, the Epistle of James teaches perseverance through trials, controlling the tongue, humility, and putting faith into action.
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Jan 5, 2025 • 45min
062: How To Attain Spiritual Enlightenment - Desert Monks
Lessons from 'The Wisdom of the Desert' compiled by Thomas Merton.
Merton compiled 'The Wisdom of the Desert' from the Verba Seniorum or Sayings of the Elders. The Elders refer to the early Christian hermits who lived in solitude in the Egyptian desert. This book contains timeless aphorisms, advice, dialogues, and stories of the experiences of early Christian hermits.
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Dec 29, 2024 • 40min
061: How To Conquer Your Mind - Marcus Aurelius
Lessons from 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius.
Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoi,c philosopher. Marcus wrote his Meditations in Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement.
The historian Herodian wrote: "Alone of the emperors, he gave proof of his learning not by mere words or knowledge of philosophical doctrines but by his blameless character and temperate way of life."
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Dec 22, 2024 • 30min
060: How To Truly Love Someone - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Lessons from 'The Little Prince' by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Written and illustrated by Saint-Exupéry. 'The Little Prince 'has been translated into 500 languages and continues to gain new fans each year.
When a pilot crashes in the Sahara Desert, he meets a little boy who asks him to draw a sheep. Gradually the Little Prince reveals more about himself: He comes from a small asteroid, where he lived alone until a rose grew there.
But the rose grew demanding, and he was confused by his feelings about her. The story unfolds further from one planet to the next in a thoughtful philosophical exploration of love and the ephemeral.
Ways to Support:
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Dec 15, 2024 • 53min
059: How To Tap Into The Power of Flow State - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Lessons from Finding Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. He was a professor of psychology and education at the University of Chicago, and he's the author of the bestselling Flow.
Finding Flow is a guide to reclaiming ownership of our lives. And a call to dedicate our lives to increasing our capacity for flow states through complete engagement to achieve higher satisfaction levels.
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Dec 8, 2024 • 45min
058: How To Heal From Grief - C.S. Lewis
Lessons from 'A Grief Observed' by C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) is best known for works like "The Chronicles of Narnia" and ‘Mere Christianity’ and ‘Screwtape Letters’ (episode 20).
'A Grief Observed' was written in 1961, shortly after the death of his wife, Joy Davidman, from cancer. It's a deeply personal reflection on grief, loss, and faith, originally published under a pseudonym.
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Dec 1, 2024 • 50min
057: How Terminal Brain Cancer Transformed The CEO of KPMG's Life - Eugene O'Kelly
Lessons from 'Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life' by Eugene O'Kelly
O'Kelly was the Chair and CEO of KPMG, one of the largest accounting firms in the world. He had a successful career and drew happiness from his family.
But in May 2005, he was diagnosed with late-stage brain cancer and given four months to live. 'Chasing Daylight' is a memoir on love, expanding consciousness, and enlightenment.
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Nov 24, 2024 • 43sec
056: Celebrating New Life
I’m overjoyed to share that my family has welcomed a new baby this week. The next episode will be released in a few days!

Nov 17, 2024 • 42min
055: How To Find Lasting Meaning In Your Life - Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy's "Confession" is a profound autobiographical work that chronicles the author's spiritual crisis and philosophical journey. Written in his fifties, after achieving great literary success and material wealth, this book reveals Tolstoy's intense struggle with the meaning of life and his search for authentic faith.
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Nov 10, 2024 • 40min
054: How To Defeat Your Demons - St. Antony of the Desert
Lessons from 'St. Antony of the Desert' by St. Athanasius.
St. Antony of the Desert, also known as St. Anthony the Great, is one of the most renowned figures in early Christian monasticism.
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