by Ashwini Mokashi, Ph.D.
First of all, thank you all for being readers of this ‘Philosophy and Happiness’ blog! We are just a month away from finishing a one-year anniversary of the blog and we have already covered a long distance. As of now, more than 2200 readers have read the articles 3600 times and the readers are from 41 different countries on six continents. Besides, some of the articles have been published on various other websites, such as Pragyata Magazine, Twitter, Garje Marathi Newsletter, Appa.edu, Researchnet and Academia.edu attracting another 5000+ readers. YouTube views of various lectures have found 600+ viewers. LinkedIn views of various write-ups are about 12000+ in total. Not to mention, the op-eds published in Indian Express and Loksatta newspapers, which have a very wide circulation.
Thank you for your support and warm reception. It is very gratifying on several counts. I hear many stories from people, how this has been helping them soothe any ruffled feelings and bring some peace in their day-to-day lives. I have heard from some psychologists and counselors, that they like the articles and have used these theories with their clients. I have heard from psychiatrists that they like visiting the blog. I meet many people, who are atheists, but still use these principles, as the principles are based on logic and rationality. So altogether, this project of bringing the ancient wisdom to answer the modern challenges, seems to be helping people/society, which was the goal of the blog to begin with.
I would like to thank various friends from India and the US, as they also believe in the mission of bringing philosophy in our lives and fill our lives with happiness. My gratitude to them is forever.
- Philosopher and Author in India, Mrs. Madhuri Sondhi for her philosophical guidance.
- Corporate Lawyer in Pune, India, Mr. Amol Ghatpande for reviewing and editing my articles in Marathi and English.
- Web Designer in Pune, Chinmay Dharwadkar for creating the banner for the blog.
- Dhanashri Abhyankar from Pune for her editorial support for some Marathi articles.
- Corporate Attorney and writer, Lina Genovesi for her legal and editorial advice.
- Former Corporate Executive, Diane Borden for her marketing ideas.
- Namrata Pandey, originally from Banaras, for her editorial support with the Hindi articles.
We would like to start a guest column to hear your stories of how philosophical wisdom has helped you in your life. If you are a scholar writing on the topic of wisdom or philosophical counseling or simply interested in sharing your stories, we would love to hear from you. Philosophy is not just for the scholars/philosophers or religious people. It is for everyone and it seriously enriches our lives, when we try to implement the principles of wisdom in our lives. Please send us your stories/articles to philosophyandhappiness@gmail.com
This blog is a labor of love and the goal is to synthesize the ancient wisdom to seek philosophical solutions to modern challenges. It is a free service provided as a part of giving back to the community. We will continue with more articles in English, Marathi, Hindi and German; also present public talks and keep you posted on upcoming books. My next book project on ‘Meditation’ is also near completion.
My second project, Philosophy and Happiness LLC, is a counseling and consulting service. This is a paid service project, if anyone would prefer to have a one on one counseling, or if any organizations would prefer to have a philosopher help them with their ethical and moral dilemmas. I would love to help.
Thank you again for being a reader, and I am especially grateful to the subscribers! Have a Happy Life!!!