We unconsciously frame abstract concepts like 'argument is war' or 'a relationship is a journey' using concrete metaphors. These are not just figures of speech but core cognitive frameworks that dictate our approach to negotiation, conflict, and collaboration. Recognizing them is the first step to changing your perspective and outcome.

According to scholar Mircea Eliade, establishing a sacred space is about "founding a world." This central point provides orientation and meaning, transforming an otherwise chaotic, homogenous, and "less real" existence into an ordered cosmos.

Mircea Eliade's work suggests archaic societies didn't see time as a linear progression but as a repeatable cycle. Through annual rituals that re-enacted the world's creation, they could symbolically erase the past year's failings and 'begin anew,' connecting with a sacred, timeless reality.

Unlike the purely cyclical time of archaic religions, Judeo-Christian traditions introduce a linear, historical dimension. They sanctify specific historical events (e.g., the life of Christ) rather than a timeless, mythical creation event, marking a shift from a purely regenerative to a progressive model of sacred time.

The fundamental dynamics of consciousness may be timeless, without increasing entropy. Our linear experience of time is an emergent property created by the loss of information when that timeless reality is projected into our limited human interface.

Awe is not just appreciating beauty; it's a cognitive process defined by encountering vast mysteries that require a "need for accommodation." This means you must rearrange your existing knowledge structures and mental models to make sense of the new, incomprehensible experience.

Western cultures often view progress as linear, expecting good times to continue indefinitely. This makes them uniquely unprepared for inevitable downturns. In contrast, Eastern cultures often expect cyclical change, which fosters more resilience during difficult periods.

In modern life, experiencing time as cyclical (e.g., 'Groundhog Day') is seen as a negative state of being stuck and not progressing. This perspective is the inverse of archaic cultures, which found profound meaning and purification in the ritualistic repetition and renewal of time, suggesting a modern loss of spiritual depth.

The popular idea that grammar dictates thought is mostly false. For every cherry-picked example, there are countless counter-examples showing that linguistic features don't correlate with cultural traits. Culture and environment shape a language's vocabulary, not the other way around.