Welcome to Through the Abyss
Hi! I’m Nick.
I’m the creator of this publication and author of “Learn, Improve, Master”
Through the Abyss is about the original interest of philosophy: How to live. We’ll focus on big ideas to improve our lives and overcome difficult times, not academic arguments.
The themes of my writing include adversity, growth, meaning, change, creating our own path, and any ideas I’m dancing or wrestling with as I write my next book on ‘What is a life well lived.’ I also enjoy writing about popular life advice that needs to be reevaluated or discarded.
This space is for you if:
You love philosophy, but not academic discussions with no practical use
You live a life of reflection and introspection (but also want a life of action)
You want to forge your own path independent of society’s conventions
You often fall into an existential abyss, asking, ‘What’s the point of all this?’
You enjoy discussing ideas on ‘how to live’
If any of these resonate, you are in the right place and just found a kindred soul. Those are the storms constantly raging inside my mind.
If you are new to philosophy, don’t let those writing about it make you think it’s the exclusive domain of academics. As Nietzsche put it, “they muddy the waters to make them seem deep.” Philosophy means love of wisdom, and its main concern is the search for ‘how to live.’ That can come just as well from a misfit living in a barrel like Diogenes as from a professor in academia. Philosophy belongs to all of us.
What I want for us:
To build a life of reflection and action.
To have authorship of our lives, making them our own.
To find our way through the existential abyss whenever we fall into it.
To explore ideas on ‘how to live’ and ways to engage with the world.
To live a life worth living.
“If the unexamined life is not worth living, is the unlived life worth examining?” Paul Kalanithi asked in his amazing book, When Breath Becomes Air. Our aim will be both an examined life and a lived life.
Here are a couple of my most popular posts to get started:
A famous writer said, “We read to know we are not alone”
I write so others know they are not alone.
About me:
Originally from Medellín, Colombia, I now live between Tokyo (my favorite city), Montreal, and wherever my travels take me. I’m into playing heavy metal guitar, reading (mostly philosophy and psychology), riding motorcycles, learning languages (working on Italian and Japanese), going on adventures, and applying big ideas from philosophy to real life.
I attended an unconventional school based on the Socratic method, where we studied on our own using study guides that led us to knowledge through questions. There were no teachers or lectures, only tutors to help us if we were stuck (again, through questions and dialogue). Philosophy was in the school’s DNA. That method made learning a process of discovery, not a chore or something imposed on me. It gave me a passion for learning and inquiry that’s stayed with me throughout my life and motivated me to write a book on how to learn.
Back then, I was introduced to philosophy and fell in love with it. But as it happens to many of us, we betray our passions to pursue borrowed dreams. I set philosophy aside and ended up going into music and later into business. Only years later, when I was broken and lost, I crawled my way back into philosophy. It didn’t give me the answers I desperately needed; it did something better: it helped me find my own. That’s philosophy at its best. It encourages us to take ownership of our lives and live them as a work of art.
Now, I want to pass on that love of philosophy and the value it can have in our lives.
My writing is inspired by philosophy, psychology, and lived experience. I’m influenced by philosophers such as Nietzsche, the Existentialists, David Hume, Montaigne, Epicurus, the Stoics, and others. And by psychologists and psychotherapists such as James Hollis, Kazimierz Dąbrowski, Abraham Maslow, Rollo May, Irvin Yalom, and Viktor Frankl. We stand on the shoulders of giants.
Currently, I’m working on a philosophy book that revolves around the question, ‘What is a life well lived?’ I’ve been pouring my heart and soul into it, and would love for you to be part of it. You can follow along and see the process behind it here or by subscribing to this publication. I hope that you will join me on this journey.
What to expect:
All my posts are free. Consider a paid subscription only if you want to buy me a coffee and support my work. There is no other difference between paid and free subscribers.
Here’s what I publish during the month:
A full post exploring an idea on ‘how to live’.
Short thoughts on philosophy and life, along with quotes I’m pondering.
An update on my upcoming book and the work behind the scenes.
An answer to questions from readers.
You’ll get all of those directly in your inbox.
I work on making everything short and to the point, so reading it doesn’t feel like another chore for the day. My goal is to share the best of my thinking, connect with like-minded people, discuss big ideas, and invite you to be part of the making of my next book.
You can subscribe and see if my writing connects with you. If not, you can easily unsubscribe at any point.
Best,
Nick
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