The School of Life

The Remedy For a "Monotonous Life" - Sei Shonagon - The Pillow Book

5 min · 1. juli 2026
episode The Remedy For a "Monotonous Life" - Sei Shonagon - The Pillow Book cover

Description

It feels natural, at times, to lament how boring our lives are. We do the same things each week, nothing special or exciting ever seems to happen. We enviously compare our dull routines to the adventures of others. An antidote to our sense of tedium can be found a thousand years ago in the work of Sei Shonagon, a lady-in-waiting at the Imperial Place in Kyoto. FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/3Jp2kh7 “It feels natural, at times, to lament how boring our lives are. We do the same sorts of things each week, nothing special or exciting ever seems to happen. We enviously compare our dull routines to the adventures of others. An antidote to our sense of tedium can be found in the work of Sei Shonagon. Around a thousand years ago, she kept a journal of the decade or so she spent as a lady-in-waiting at the Imperial Place in Kyoto, then the capital of Japan. Despise the high-status of her job, her daily life was, externally, deeply uneventful: an afternoon’s carriage ride outside the walls of the court compound might be the highlight of a year; a day trip to hear a sermon in a temple seems to have been the farthest extent of her travels; she spent all most all of her time indoors, in just two or three rooms; she saw the same few people month after month; her work largely involved keeping respectfully silent, knowing when to bow and remembering the complex titles of various officials…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on EASTERN PHILOSOPHY in our playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpeUL1vz9Su7OmeghBDgmj7X SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life-for-business/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Zedem Media https://zedemanimations.com/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Comments

0

Be the first to comment

Sign up now and become a member of the The School of Life community!

Get Started

1 month for 9 kr.

Then 99 kr. / month · Cancel anytime.

  • Podcasts kun på Podimo
  • 20 lydbogstimer pr. måned
  • Gratis podcasts

All episodes

615 episodes

episode Why Good People Are Scary artwork

Why Good People Are Scary

When it comes to our love lives, it's natural to think that we'd ideally want to get together with someone 'nice'. But in reality, nice people can be a very frightening prospect - especially if we don't like ourselves much. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/1p45h Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/7-5uF FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other topics here: https://goo.gl/u5NhJ5 MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE More films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist below: http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Mat Laroche http://www.chipsfilms.com #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

8. juli 20263 min
episode HISTORY OF IDEAS - Careers artwork

HISTORY OF IDEAS - Careers

In the course of history, work has gone from being something people only ever did for money to being the source of ultimate meaning, creativity and identity. Satisfying work has become a democratic expectation. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/9pNzO Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/QHjGs SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Brought to you by http://www.theschooloflife.com Produced in collaboration with Mike Booth http://www.youtube.com/somegreybloke #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

8. juli 202611 min
episode Are We All Normal? Feeling Painfully Different artwork

Are We All Normal? Feeling Painfully Different

Much is said about the virtues and pleasures of individuality but let's also admit to how frankly lonely and frightening it can be to find ourselves (yet again) in a peculiar minority, where the differences between us and others strike us as bewildering rather than emboldening, how do we alleviate these isolating thoughts? Enjoying our YouTube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://bit.ly/4cWPq6D Learn, heal and grow; get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://bit.ly/4aVl6r3 FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects in our articles, here: https://bit.ly/4aBcjuB “Much is said about the virtues and pleasures of individuality – of being someone who stands out from the crowd and delights in their particularity. But let’s also admit to how frankly lonely and frightening it can be to find ourselves (yet again) in a peculiar minority, where the differences between us and others strike us as bewildering rather than emboldening, when for example: — Everyone wants to gossip but we prefer generosity and forgiveness. — Everyone is at ease but we’re melancholy and self-conscious. — Everyone is cheerful but we can’t let go of anxiety and apprehension.” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life-for-business/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Natalia Ramos https://www.behance.net/sofiaramosf93f Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

8. juli 20264 min
episode Your Mind Is Working to Heal You (By Hurting You) artwork

Your Mind Is Working to Heal You (By Hurting You)

Emotional Intelligence, Daily. Start now: https://www.theschooloflife.com/subscription/ Trapped in a cycle of unhappiness? 😔 Explore the psychological concept of repetition compulsion and why we unconsciously repeat painful patterns in relationships, work, and life. Learn how to break the cycle by confronting past trauma and finding true healing and self-awareness. #Psychology #MentalHealth #Anxiety #Relationships #HealingTrauma #SelfImprovement Unlock all the content of The School of Life with a subscription to our podcast, articles, videos, and exercises, specially tailored to your needs. Get weekly insights for better relationships, deeper self-knowledge, and inner calm straight to your inbox. Sign up for more ideas, plus 10% off your first shop order: https://www.theschooloflife.com/signup/ You can read more on this and other subjects in our articles, here: https://www.theschooloflife.com/article/why-we-keep-repeating-patterns-of-unhappiness/ “Many of us dimly sense that, despite ourselves, unfortunately and mysteriously, we keep ending up in some very similar dark places: perhaps another relationship with someone who doesn’t seem to love us properly, or another breakdown of trust at work, or another panic about reputation or sex. Or else the repeated patterns involve a return to a background mood: yet again we feel highly anxious. Yet again we feel convinced that everyone hates us or that something terrible is about to happen…” OUR COLLECTIONS https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpcEwc0qydf2jSszQFSht81E https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpckOvZZ_AZjD7WM2p9-6NBv https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpeUL1vz9Su7OmeghBDgmj7X https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpeypJMHfNbJ4RAFkRtmAN3P https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpcpxBm1RoGRx4mVKNRIrKkG https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpcp7jXVszdNruKUtHZ2zuZb https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpfv2COuuJaKzy6E2n8nSMdi https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpc1qCJ6RYYh4rKNOOlKtFIK SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theschooloflife?lang=en CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Gemma Green-Hope https://www.gemmagreenhope.com/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

8. juli 20266 min