Hello everyone! As some of you might know, I was delving into creating a philosophical podcast, but decided in the end that a podcast might not be the way to go forward. I do however think that the good ol’ written word (and perhaps some reels in the near future) are the right way to share my knowledge, experiences and philsophy of life. That’s why I’m introducing to you all: The Goblin Philosopher! I’m aware that this might seem like an odd combination. What does a creature from fantasy lore have to do with philosophy? Well, to answer that question I will delve deeper into what a real life goblin is and what a philosopher is and how the combination of the two work. Let’s dive right into things!

The Modern Day Goblin

When people hear the word goblin they probably have images of mischievous, diminutive, green-skinned creatures who live in caves and forests. They are also usually a little bit greedy and are usually not found on the “good” side. That is basically how these creatures are portrayed in fantasy lore.

For a couple of years now, we’ve seen the rise of a particular phenomenon called Goblincore, which can be described as a lifestyle. Being a real life goblin means that you’re a bit of an awkward, slightly peculiar person. Goblins are defined by their love of nature, weird things and comfort. They are also avid collectors, usually of things that are not necessarily popular. Things like rocks, or other treasures of nature. In my case: video game collectibles, fossils and LEGO. They also often don’t dress to impress, but would rather be comfortable than look fancy.

Of course, this is a highly condensed explanation of what it means to be a real life goblin and is only meant as an introductory text, because I intend to write many, many blogs on the subject of embracing your inner goblin, whilst combining this with my life philosophy! Which brings us to the other part.

The Modern Day Philosopher

Stephen Hawking said: “Philosophy is dead. Philosophers have not kept up with modern developments in science – particularly in physics.” I respect mister Hawking a lot, in fact, he’s one of my personal heroes. I do, however, disagree that philosophy is dead. It is very much alive and kicking. Although it has to be said that the old reason for philosophy to exist was to explain the world around us. This torch has been passed to science quite some time ago, but philosophy can still be extremely useful. In fact, it can help you to live the “Good life”. This means being mentally resilient, accepting the things as they are, and being able to handle stressful situations and coming out stronger after they happened.

I’m very fond of the Stoic school of thought and while that is my leading philosophy of life, I have adopted things from Buddhism, Nietzsche and modern mindfulness techniques. Although it would be easy to say I’m a Modern Day Stoic, I feel like I’ve picked up so many other ideas that it’s more of an eclectic combination that works for me. Still, I have to give credit to Epictetus, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius for having leaving a profound mark on my soul, with their teachings that still hold true to this day.

The Goblin Philosopher

And that brings us to the combination of the two; the Goblin Philosopher. As you can see it’s basically what I consider myself nowadays. I know I can be somewhat of an oddball, but at the same time I have people asking me for advice on how to handle themselves, too. My knowledge I’d love to share and through all the blogs that have come before and the ones that will follow, I hope that they help at least one person. Because I truly believe we are here on this planet to help each other flourish and grow. And even if you feel weird, or maybe even like an outcast, there will always be someone you can be of some use to and that’s what makes life worth living.

Please look forward to more rambling from this Goblin very soon! I intend to turn all of my written blogs and ramblings into one coherent book sometime in the near future, because I believe this is what I’m truly here for. To write, to help, to understand and to entertain people.

Have a nice day!

Jeffrey