Menno van der Land | Existential Reflections – Medium

Menno van der Land | Existential Reflections

Menno van der Land | Existential Reflections

Loneliness is not being alone. It’s the feeling that nobody cares

A journey into the world of loneliness — and how to deal with it

15 min readDec 12, 2020

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Loneliness is not being alone. It’s the feeling that nobody cares

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Menno van der Land | Existential Reflections

Is autonomy a myth? (Spoiler: No it is not.)

Are humans autonomous beings or is autonomy a myth? In the debate on this question, two views are often diametrically opposed: on the one…

6 min readDec 4, 2020

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Is autonomy a myth? (Spoiler: No it is not.)

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Menno van der Land | Existential Reflections

Why you should always keep asking ‘why?’

I like to refer to myself as a “critical thinker” and that is not without reason. In my opinion critical thinking is one of the most…

5 min readDec 3, 2020

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Why you should always keep asking ‘why?’

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Menno van der Land | Existential Reflections

Perfection is an illusion. Pursuing it is a recipe for unhappiness

There are many ways in which people can make life hard on themselves. One of the best ways to do so, is without a doubt the pursuit of…

4 min readDec 1, 2020

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Perfection is an illusion. Pursuing it is a recipe for unhappiness

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Menno van der Land | Existential Reflections

Individuality, conformity and our need for social acceptance

One of the most paradoxical aspects of human behavior, if you ask me, is the universally felt need for freedom to be yourself and the…

7 min readJun 6, 2020

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Individuality, conformity and our need for social acceptance

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Menno van der Land | Existential Reflections

Hope is not enough

Where there is life is hope, they say. But where there is life, there is also hopelessness. And despair. And cynicism. And wishful…

6 min readMay 24, 2020

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Hope is not enough

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Menno van der Land | Existential Reflections

Why we need to be angry sometimes (regardless what the Stoics say)

I don’t know about you, but I can get quite angry sometimes. It doesn’t happen often, but things like injustice, cheating and…

4 min readMay 10, 2020

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Why we need to be angry sometimes (regardless what the Stoics say)

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Menno van der Land | Existential Reflections

Do you want what you wish?

“You don’t have to learn to want,” said Greek philosopher Seneca. And indeed, we humans seem very good at wanting. We want all kinds of…

5 min readApr 30, 2020

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Do you want what you wish?

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Menno van der Land | Existential Reflections

Forget being who you are. Life’s about becoming who you want to be

You may recognize this: To friends, family or colleagues you can’t refrain from stressing that you “want to be yourself”, and meanwhile…

5 min readApr 19, 2020

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Forget being who you are. Life’s about becoming who you want to be

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Menno van der Land | Existential Reflections

5 misunderstandings about being introverted

If someone asks you whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, do you immediately know the answer? I myself do not identify with either…

7 min readApr 12, 2020

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5 misunderstandings about being introverted

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Menno van der Land | Existential Reflections

Menno van der Land | Existential Reflections

Dutch | PhD in political science | existentialist | pragmatist | critical thinker | ambivert | travel | photography | philosophy | politics

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