Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is one of the most influential figures in European cultural heritage. Many consider Goethe’s Faust to be the greatest work of German literature. Faust is a successful man. It appears he has everything to be happy. Yet, Faust is deeply dissatisfied and depressed. He is not in peace and he can’t […]

We all are familiar with the evil queen’s character from the Snow White fairytale. Every day, the queen stood before her magic mirror and asked it, “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” She expected the mirror to complement and validate that it is indeed her the fairest of them […]

Today’s Lectionary reading from the Gospel of St. Luke is a reminder about the importance of humility. Humility is not just another nice and desirable behavioral quality for a Christian. It has been deemed so crucial to the Christian life that the Church classified it among the seven core virtues. There is nothing optional about […]

Europe is home to fine arts, marvelous architecture, history, vast cultural heritage created over centuries. It also has some of the world’s most intriguing festivals. To name a few; Running of the Bulls, Battle of the Oranges, Air Guitar World Championship, La Tomatina and the Near-Death Festival. There is also the Ice Music Festival taking […]

On one occasion, a New York Times reporter asked the former U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger about a crisis in the Middle East that could escalate into violence within a week. His reply was short and unexpected. Kissinger replied to the reporter, saying, “There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is […]

A Nation’s legends are not fairytales. The legends are the reflection and the echo of grief, loss, disappointments and dreams of the nation that give birth to them. Some of them are so old that they go back to the very infancy of human civilization. Some are so powerful that they transcend the boundaries and […]

Many consider Anton Chekhov to be the second most famous writer in the world. According to an online movie database IMDb, Chekhov is second only to Shakespeare in terms of movie adaptations. Chekhov lived a vibrant life full of paradoxes. He had a religious education, but ended up being a struggling orthodox and later even […]

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was the first king of Corinth who challenged and questioned Olympian Gods. The arrogant and rebellious behavior of the king could not go unpunished. Eventually, the deities decided that they had enough. Yet, somehow Sisyphus managed to outsmart and avoid every conspiracy of the Olympian gods and survive. When the gods […]

March 15, 44 BC in Rome was not an ordinary day. The homes, streets and markets were overtaken by unrest and worry as the residents learned about Julius Caesar’s assassination. The beloved leader was killed; the protector of Rome was no more. The brave general who fought, survived, and prevailed against Barbarian armies was betrayed […]