Philosophical diary and online marathon as contemporary formats of philosophical practice: care of the self in the modern world

DOI: https://doi.org/10.12795/HASER/2021.i12.02 HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 © Universidad de Sevilla, 2021 PHILOSOPHICAL DIARY AND ONLINE MARATHON AS CONTEMPORARY FORMATS OF PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICE: CARE OF THE SELF IN THE MODERN WORLD DIARIO FILOSÓFICO Y MARATÓN EN LÍNEA COMO FORMATOS CONTEMPORÁNEOS DE PRÁCTICA FILOSÓFICA: EL CUIDADO DEL YO EN EL MUNDO MODERNO VERONIKA BOGDANOVA South Ural State University Rusia bogdanov[email protected] ORCID: 0000-0002-6342-8050 EKATERINA MILYAEVA South Ural State University Rusia [email protected] ORCID: 0000-0001-6771-1219 REGINA PENNER South Ural State University Rusia [email protected] ORCID: 0000-0002-3277-7274 RECIBIDO: 22 DE ABRIL DE 2020 ACEPTADO: 23 DE DICIEMBRE DE 2020 Abstract: The article presents two relatively new formats of philosophical practice: a philosophical diary and an online marathon. The authors of the article were developers of both formats; we have tested these forms at the university with a student audience and outside university. As a result of the study, we came VERONIKA BOGDANOVA – EKATERINA MILYAEVA – REGINA PENNER HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 48 to the conclusion that the philosophical diary can be an effective form of a person’s work with the self; along with the psychotherapeutic diary, this is a modern format of practice of care of the self. The online marathon is a format of group practice when you analyze and reflect on various existentials together with the facilitator of the marathon and other participants. Both formats fit into the Internet environment. The final result of our study was the formulation of an original method of philosophical practice, which we called philosophical meditations. Keywords: philosophy, philosophical counseling, care of the self, modern man, Internet, philosophical diary, online marathon, philosophical meditations. Resumen: El artículo presenta dos formatos relativamente nuevos de práctica filosófica: un diario filosófico y un maratón en línea. Los autores del artículo fueron desarrolladores de ambos formatos; Hemos probado estos formularios en la universidad con una audiencia de estudiantes y fuera de la universidad. Como resultado del estudio, llegamos a la conclusión de que el diario filosófico puede ser una forma efectiva del trabajo de una persona con uno mismo; junto con el diario psicoterapéutico, este es un formato moderno de práctica de cuidado del self. El maratón en línea es un formato de práctica grupal cuando analiza y reflexiona sobre varios existenciales junto con el facilitador del maratón y otros participantes. Ambos formatos se ajustan al entorno de Internet. El resultado final de nuestro estudio fue la formulación de un método original de práctica filosófica, que llamamos meditaciones filosóficas. Palabras clave: filosofía, asesoramiento filosófico, cuidado de uno mismo, hombre moderno, Internet, diario filosófico, maratón en línea, meditaciones filosóficas. Introduction The French philosopher René Descartes made a fundamental distinction between the world and man, the result of which was a growing confidence in the possibility of an objective description of the world. The Cartesian view of reality has become the ideal of modern science, which is inherited and continues to be reproduced by modern culture in various spheres of human life. Increasingly, in a modern university, the educational process is turning into PHILOSOPHICAL DIARY AND ONLINE MARATHON HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 49 activities for the transfer of metered ready-made knowledge, from which subjective elements and inner meanings have been removed. The faith in the power of knowledge is strengthened, it is considered as the only factor in the spiritual formation of the individual. As a result, prerequisites are created for the formation of a mass person, overloaded with information, but separated from himself and spiritual culture. Since training aimed only at the development of intellectual abilities leads to a disruption in the connections between the cognitive, value and emotional-volitional spheres of the personality, which causes the person to be estranged from himself and culture. The scientific approach indirectly influenced the formation of a person’s passive position regarding his being. The attitude to think world without subject leads to the inhumanization of existence, where the subject becomes one of the versions of the thinking object, its existential thinking is replaced by unauthentic, machine. One of the possibilities of opposing the objectivist approach is the background of existential experience and work with it. No matter how a person gets lost in the information flows, he must find the spiritual strength in himself in order to become a shepherd of being (M. Heidegger). In this regard, philosophy can help him. The help is based on a comprehension of the existential experience of man. This comprehension is the process of gathering oneself in parts, in which the individual simultaneously acts as an artist and a work of art, as a gardener and a flower1. Philosophy as discipline taught in schools and universities is designed not only to shape the worldview, but also to help students find ways to solve life-meaning issues. In reality, the course of philosophy increasingly resembles the history of the development 1 APUKHTINA, Nina, MILYAEVA, Ekaterina, PENNER, Regina: “Methods of philosophical practice (philosophical consulting and companionship) for students: an educational experiment. Part I”, in Socium i Vlast, no. 6 (74), Moscow, 2018. Págs.68-78; 76. VERONIKA BOGDANOVA – EKATERINA MILYAEVA – REGINA PENNER HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 50 of philosophical thought or a superficial acquaintance with personalities and their individual ideas. Being in the grip of a scientific approach, philosophy is turning into a set of objectified knowledge, based on which it is difficult to build a fruitful relationship with the world. The principle “knowledge exists for the sake of knowledge” preached by such a philosophy only leads one away from the realization of one’s own existence. Today, philosophers, both within the walls of universities and among free thinkers, have a need to return philosophy to its roots, setting an important existential task for it: to lead a person to the comprehension of his own existence, the realization of personal values, the choice of which determines the path of life. Otherwise, we risk losing the spirit of philosophy, leaving only its letter. Thus, the problem is the return of philosophy to the existential dimension. This can be done through the use of philosophical practices, which, due to their flexibility, are applicable both in institutional education and non-institutional settings. In this study, philosophical diary and philosophical online marathon, carried out in a diary form, as practices of self-awareness and self-care, will be considered as methods of philosophical practice. The aim of the research is to study the potential of philosophical diary and online marathon as practices of self-awareness and selfcare. Research objectives: - to describe the technology for maintaining philosophical diary and conducting philosophical online marathon, - to justify the convenience and effectiveness of using philosophical diary and online marathon for the process of selfawareness and self-cultivation. PHILOSOPHICAL DIARY AND ONLINE MARATHON HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 51 Opportunities and prospects of the Internet for practice philosophical practices The world of modern man is a world filled with a continuous race for the ghost of success, the need to survive in conditions of fierce social competition and an incredible amount of information noise. Among this, there is virtually no way for a person to find himself; the answer to the question “who am I?” is lost. The everyday world may lead to protracted existential crises, the loss of life-meaningful landmarks and the dissolution of man as a whole person in fluid modernity and total consumption. Without value guidelines, a person is immersed in a state of self-forgetfulness, while he may feel longing for a meaningful, eventful life, but does not know how to work with this feeling. One of the ways out of the existential crisis is philosophical practice, which act as a means of selfawareness and self-care. Let us analyze which form of philosophical practice will be more convenient for modern man? Conventionally, two conceptual approaches can be distinguished that combine numerous philosophical practices: the therapeutic approach and the developmental approach. The therapeutic approach focuses on working with a particular psychological and existential problem. The developmental approach is aimed at reaching an understanding and completing ideas about life, testing them for participation with the help of various intellectual means and building a trajectory of further spiritual growth2. 2 BORISOV, Sergey: “Theory and Practice of Philosophical Counseling: a Comparative Approach”, in The Turkish Online Journal of Design, Art and Communication, 2018. Págs.149-154. VERONIKA BOGDANOVA – EKATERINA MILYAEVA – REGINA PENNER HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 52 Table 1. Philosophical practices Therapeutic approach Developmental approach Philosophical counseling, G. Achenbach Philosophical counseling, O. Brenifier Various forms of art therapy and coaching Socratic Method, A. Makarov Deep philosophy, R. Lahav Philosophical companionship, R. Lahav Philosophical counseling, L. Marinoff Philosophical counseling, J. Barrientos The division into these approaches is very conditional, since the listed practices can solve different problems. They can serve as a tool for preparing thinking for an independent solution of worldview issues and at the same time contribute to solving the psychological and existential problems of the subject. In the presented practices, direct face-to-face communication, implemented by hic et nunc, is mainly used. However, face-to-face communication has spatial and temporal limitations. Is it possible to build a philosophical practice using virtual communication, which does not imply the simultaneous presence of communicants in the Internet space, where the subjects are protected from outside view by certain symbolic barriers? How effective is this practice for a modern person? Modern man does not think his life without the Internet. If before the network acted as a huge library that helped in finding the right information, now it is turning into a universal tool for organizing the interaction of a wide range of users. The boundaries between the physical and virtual worlds are completely blurred, reality goes into online mode3. Due to the fact that virtual space creates the 3 STILLMAN, David, STILLMAN, Jonah: Gen Z Work: How the Next Generation Is Transforming the Workplace, HarperCollins, Glasgow, 2017. PHILOSOPHICAL DIARY AND ONLINE MARATHON HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 53 conditions for permanent inclusion, it is used everywhere for communication, entertainment, educational and work tasks, the psychological needs of the individual. If external reality has many limitations, in the virtual space there are favorable conditions for liberation from the prescribed identity, the discovery of new aspects of the personality, and for self-awareness in general. As D. Walter noted, communication in the virtual space often exceeds face-to-face communication, becoming hyperpersonal4. Thus, the virtual space provides a unique opportunity for self-knowledge and self-expression. People are sometimes able to better express and perceive the various aspects of their I online than offline, since the very quality of the virtual environment helps to ease the tension in the disclosure of the sides of the personality. Y. Amichai- Hamburger identifies several characteristics of the Internet that contribute to the construction of emotionally safe communication: a sense of anonymity, limitation of physical impact, a high degree of control, ease of access to people with similar interests, accessibility at any time and at any time location, a sense of equality of communicants5. These specific properties of the network contribute to openness, the removal of psychological barriers. According to J. Wiśniewski, online space can even serve as a therapeutic couch or confession, where it is not scary to show weakness and emotional sensitivity6. Virtual space is an informal and welcoming environment that is free in nature, which contributes to openness, the convergence of people. In addition, the interaction of people on the network is not limited by spatial and time frames, it provides more opportunities 4 WALTHER, J.B. “Computer-mediated communication: Impersonal, interpersonal, and hyperpersonal interaction”, Communication Research, 1996. Págs.3-43. 5 AMICHAI-HAMBURGER, Y. Technology and Psychological Well-being, Cambridge University Press, 2009. 6 WIŚNIEWSKI, J.L.: Loneliness On The Net, Proszynski I S-ka, Warsaw, 2007. VERONIKA BOGDANOVA – EKATERINA MILYAEVA – REGINA PENNER HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 54 for its implementation, and serves as the basis for choosing a philosophical diary and an online marathon as ways of conducting philosophical practice. Philosophical diary as an actual format of care of the self One of the ancient, but still popular formats of human activities for understanding the self is the use of written practice. A diary is usually understood as a set of fragmentary entries that are entered regularly and are most often accompanied by an indication of the date. The diary is a chronicle of external or internal events, which is conducted in the first person. A diary feature is its fragmentation, non-linearity, violation of cause-effect relationships, intertextuality, self-reflection, fundamental incompleteness and the absence of a single concept7. Daily notes may contain thoughts about life. They contribute to the comprehension of personal experiences and their attitude to the world. Often keeping diaries is dictated by a person’s desire to follow his own spiritual (intellectual) development. In this case, the diary acts as a projection of the author’s internal states, on the basis of which self-analysis is carried out for further self-care. Keeping diary entries not only makes a person more susceptible to his own existential experience, but also develops the ability to express his thoughts, feelings in verbal form. In general, the diary helps organize individual experience, leads to the development of self-discipline, which is important for the development of the I. Ancient thinkers were the first to use the diary as a way of selfawareness and self-care. The letters of Seneca, the thoughts of Marcus Aurelius can serve as examples of care of the self, which was aimed at transforming one's own life through comprehension 7 ROMASHKINA, M.: “Aspects of the diary genre”, in Bulletin of Bashkir State University, vol. 20, no. 3, 2015. Págs. 997-1001. PHILOSOPHICAL DIARY AND ONLINE MARATHON HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 55 of the self. M. Foucault noted that keeping letters and diaries not only allows the author to understand himself, but also shows how much his actions are consistent with his thoughts, how planned is consistent with what was done. He called the letters and diary entries a “transcript of the trial of conscience”. If in ancient philosophy the emphasis is on the actions that a person should do, in medieval philosophy diary entries take the form of confession, which is aimed at reflective work and spiritual struggle with the baser manifestations of one’s nature8. Through confession, a person clarifies for himself his inner state, discovers new truths about the self, and realizes his passions and sins. Confession had a unique communicative situation in which admonition was combined with internal interviewing and self-awareness. Not every diary acquires the features of confession, honesty with oneself does not always imply a prayer reflection and condemnation of one’s own mistakes, but one can see self-realization in every diary. Keeping diary entries allows being more attentive to the inner world. When working with a diary, a person brings up observation about the self, learns to more consciously perceive feelings and emotions and understand the causes of their occurrence. Continuous keeping of a diary allows looking at existential experience from the side, to discover inconsistency of thoughts with reality or to see internal contradictions in views. In psychotherapy, the diary as a way of self-awareness and selfhelp was used by the American psychotherapist I. Progoff. The therapist has proposed a structured diary method that allows to realize the past experience of a person and evaluate future prospects for existence. What is the specificity of a structured diary? A regular diary reflects the external or internal events of a person’s life, which are most often systematized by date; it does not 8 FOUCAULT, Michel: “Technologies of the Self”, in Technologies of the Self: A Seminar with Michel Foucault, Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1988. Págs.16-49. VERONIKA BOGDANOVA – EKATERINA MILYAEVA – REGINA PENNER HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 62 on his or her own; and for each, this path will be his own, individual, unique, personified. Diary “Philosophical practice for every day” in Russian is available on Google Play (TripleCube, 2019). Today this is the only application in philosophical practice available for free to everyone; in the future we hope to prepare an option in English together with those who are interested in this project. Alone with the self and the world: the experience of philosophical online marathons The test of the diary “Philosophical practice for every day” led us to the assumption that the practice of philosophy in the format of an online marathon may be interesting to the general public. In this form, various events are held: in a closed or open community on a social network, a key topic is announced, tasks are posted every day and the marathon participants must submit their answers to tasks in the form indicated in it (text, video, photo, audio materials). We held two philosophical online marathons – in September 2019 and in February 2020 – different in goals, content, composition of participants and duration. Also at the end of the marathon was a session of philosophical meditation via Skype. Online Marathon “Autumn Watch”, September 2019 The goal of the marathon “Autumn Watch” was a deep acquaintance with the self for further self-cultivation, as well as preparing for the long winter, ontological and spiritual. The duration of the marathon was 15 days, from September 5 to September 19, 2019. The marathon was held in a closed group on the social network VKontakte.ru. Each day, participants were PHILOSOPHICAL DIARY AND ONLINE MARATHON HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 63 offered one task, which includes a quote from a philosopher or a fragment of a philosophical text, affecting existentials and philosophical categories. Participants had to leave their answer to the question in the commentary on the post with the task. Discussion of tasks was offered both in a groups chat and in the private chat between the participant and the facilitator. At the beginning, the number of participants was 15 people, male – 2, female – 13. Age of participants is varied from 21 to 50 years. All participants have higher education, 2 – PhDs. The format and tasks of the marathon were developed on the basis of work with philosophical diaries, in particular, with the text of Augustine “Confession”, Marcus Aurelius “Meditations”, Michel de Montaigne “Of Experience”, as well as the method of selfanalysis by Erich Fromm. The importance of diary can hardly be overestimated, because the personality can appear as a kind of integrity, reflecting and experiencing in this writing practice. The systematic nature of philosophical reflection allows us to develop a constant habit for it, which makes a person more resistant to the chaos of modernity, giving him a supporting rod in the self. Tasks of the marathon: Acquaintance; Dialectics; Grunt; Stroll; Personality House; Identity; Freedom; Care of the Self; Irony; Practice; Route; Fear; Physicality; Love. The tasks reflected the need to familiarize themselves with the theoretical principles of philosophical studies, as well as appeal to self-reflection carried out by the participant through reading and writing the text, reflection on the basis of what he read and wrote, as well as through communication with other participants in the marathon who have different points of view. Participants were offered the methodology for working with philosophical quotes: “Read the quote (aloud or to yourself, but as aloud, as if reading to someone else), repeatedly. Try to remember and pronounce the quote, closing your eyes or taking a walk to the window, pouring tea for yourself, leaving the office, walking along VERONIKA BOGDANOVA – EKATERINA MILYAEVA – REGINA PENNER HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 64 the corridor. What is the most important thing left of this quote in your head? Write down this word or phrase. In the next break after a cup of hot tea or coffee, think about what the phrase or word you read means to you, how they reflect in your mind. Record your conclusion whenever possible”. This method allowed participants to focus on philosophical ideas, taking into account everyday practice. The format of the article does not allow submitting the full tasks. Therefore, we restrict ourselves to one example. Figure 1. An example of the task of the online marathon “Autumn Watch” PHILOSOPHICAL DIARY AND ONLINE MARATHON HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 65 *Translation of the task Day 15, Task 15 Love Mature love is union under the condition of preserving one's integrity, one's individuality. Love is an active power in man; a power which breaks through the walls which separate man from his fellow men, which unites him with others; love makes him overcome the sense of isolation and separateness, yet it permits him to be himself, to retain his integrity. In love the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two. Erich Fromm “The Art of Loving” Each of us had the experience of love, is loved. Each of us can tell what love is. All these stories will be different from each other, but they will have something in common – that which defines love for all of us. Let's try to find it. Task: reflect on your understanding of love. Your answer can be based on the words of the philosopher. You can accompany your words with a quote from a poem or song (and even add them to the answer). You can choose a photo or illustration that symbolizes love for you. Record the result of reflection in several sentences. Leave the answer in the comment to the task. It is worth noting that the answers of most participants were filled with both rational reasoning, based on the available baggage of knowledge, and existential experiences caused by both previous life experiences and current day events. We present examples of answers to task 10 about irony: Participant T: A fool, according to Diderot, is a person who considers possible only what it is. A man whose world is small and limited by his not too developed perception ... It is difficult to answer the question whether such people are familiar to me. Usually, I divide people into happy and unhappy, interesting (to me) and not. On smart and stupid (in my reading Diderot) I do not share. Perhaps, the fool is I. Participant O: It seems to me that both gullibility and unbelief can be at least attributed to personality flaws. Because of what the world is seething now, what is from real news, what is from fake news. And it is treated only with healthy skepticism. On the other hand, I recall another quote from the famous film that the truth is somewhere nearby. You can spend your whole life and not find it. VERONIKA BOGDANOVA – EKATERINA MILYAEVA – REGINA PENNER HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 66 Participant R: Yes, we are all fools, philosophers and skeptics. Only in different situations – with different fillings. Probably, from time to time it is necessary to have the courage to recognize a fool in yourself, and only then hang labels on the Other On the third day of the marathon, one of the participants left (male, 24 years old), motivating it by looking for active discussions on various interesting topics, rather than philosophical reflection. Several participants simply did not complete the assignment, explaining this by workload of daily activities. We were forced to ask them to leave the group, since from an ethical point of view, trying to provide a friendly and comfortable atmosphere for the active participants. Only 6 people (all female) out of 15 successfully reached the end of the marathon, completing the tasks of all 15 days. Those who left the marathon have called “illness”, “forgot”, “there was not enough time” among the reasons that prevented every day from 15 to 60 minutes to philosophically contemplate and reflect. Here are a few feedbacks from participants who have reached the end of the marathon: Thanks to the facilitators, I asked some new questions for myself; and thanks to the participants, I looked at my answers from a new angle. I thought about it. I don’t know yet what of what I have received, I’ll apply for living in the warmth of this fall further, but these fifteen days have already passed noticeably warmer. Thanks a lot. Think about everything. It’s even boring without tasks Analysis of the participants' feedback allowed us to conclude that the hypothesis – the possibility of philosophizing for a person who does not have special education – was confirmed. We took into account the experience of the first marathon in order to prepare for the next one. PHILOSOPHICAL DIARY AND ONLINE MARATHON HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 67 Online Marathon “To Have or to Be”, February 2020 Our main error of the first marathon was its considerable duration, 15 days of continuous philosophical work with the self for an unprepared person torn between everyday worries turned out to be too much. We have reduced the duration to 7 days. Perhaps, with a certain amount of research humor, it can be assumed that if God was able to create the world in seven days in a biblical legend, then a person created in the image and likeness of God will be able to answer complex questions about himself, his place in the world and determine the coordinates for the future. Our second mistake was a large group. In the second marathon we reduced the number of participants. Everyone was presented with a training task: Task No. 0 “Acquaintance”: “Think what is more important for you: to know deeper or to know more? Write your answer in a few short sentences.” Only those who confirmed their desire with a real answer were accepted into the marathon. As well as for the first time, the closed group of the most popular Russian social network VKontakte.ru was chosen. Participants were offered one task daily. The goal of the marathon “To Have or to Be” was a deep acquaintance for participants with their life-meaning foundations and a formed fulcrum in order to be happy today and in the future. The number of participants was 6, male – 2, female – 4. Age of participants varied from 20 to 40 years. All participants have higher education, two – PhDs. The basis for daily tasks was chosen by the work of the philosopher and psychologist Erich Fromm “To have or to be”. Tasks of the marathon: Acquaintance; Friendship; Flower; Reading; Faith; Authority; Love; Memories. Participants of the marathon should, within 24 hours from the appearance of the task, present the result of their reflection in the form of a comment on the task. Comments were visible to all participants. It was possible to ask each other questions and present VERONIKA BOGDANOVA – EKATERINA MILYAEVA – REGINA PENNER HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 68 their position in group chat in a gentle manner, but not give advice and not impose their opinions on the interlocutor. Not a discussion, but a live polylogue. It is worth noting that this time the facilitator of the marathon did not present his answers on an equal footing with all the participants. The facilitator summed up each assignment, inviting participants to familiarize themselves with fragments of Erich Fromm's text, which revealed the theme of the day’s assignment. Completing tasks participant needed to find the mode, which is more significant for him – the “have” mode or the “be” mode. It is worth noting that the participants of the marathon, who defined themselves in conversations with the facilitator as “unhappy”, “disappointed in people”, in their answers reflected precisely in the “have” mode, which was especially pronounced in the Acquaintance, Friendship, Authority, Love tasks. For example, in the task “Love”, the participant M noted that “Love is a painful topic for me. I still endure the lack of parental love; as a result, I don’t know how to give and present my feelings” In the task “Faith” the participant M added “I often pray, ask, thank the bright forces for my gift of life”. It is worth emphasizing that at the end of the marathon, the participant M independently noted her orientation to “have” and expressed the position that this is precisely what prevents her from living a full life, feeling whole and belonging to the world. For contrast, a fragment of the response of the participant R to the task “Love”: “This is not attitude to specific people, but attitude to the world in general”. PHILOSOPHICAL DIARY AND ONLINE MARATHON HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 69 Figure 2. An example of the task of the online marathon “To Have or to Be” *Translation of the task To Have or to Be? Feb 8, 10 am VERONIKA BOGDANOVA – EKATERINA MILYAEVA – REGINA PENNER HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 70 Day 6, Task 6 Love All of us have an experience of love. The experience is incredibly deep, rich, varied. What left this experience in you? What beliefs and memories gave? What love does not end? What is love for you? In a few sentences, try to formulate and write down your answer. Optionally, you can attach art, photo, audio or video. Recommendations for the task: • Always keep focus on the main topic. • Before you begin to complete the task, use the form that is convenient for you to achieve calm and concentration of consciousness. For example, for independent philosophical meditation, you can choose the breathing technique “4-7-8”. Inhale gently through the nose for 4 seconds. Hold your breath for 7 seconds. After this, slowly exhale through the mouth for 8 seconds. Breathe for two to five minutes. During meditation your breath calms down and the heart stops jumping, then proceed the task. Here are a few feedbacks from participants who have reached the end of the marathon: It was interesting to me. I have not yet fully realized and the days passed so quickly. And every morning I woke up waiting for new assignments. It was a pleasure to spend time with smart, pretty, open-minded people. Learn the opinions of others on the topics of the day. The world is not so aggressive, people are not so dangerous, you can find a common language if you wish. The marathon was very lively, a lot of interesting tasks. Topics have an immersion in the self, it is interesting to correlate your vision with the participants' vision and, as a result, with E. Fromm's vision. A new depth opens up which needs to be comprehended. What I would like to bring to the marathon is group work, joint work in creating something important and valuable for everyone. We, as coordinators of the online marathon, made sure that participants overcame persistent psychologisms and moved to a more abstract level, where philosophical categories and principles are applied to the individual existence of a person. The online PHILOSOPHICAL DIARY AND ONLINE MARATHON HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 47-74 71 marathon allowed participants not only to get acquainted with the practice of care of the self, but to engage in dialogue with each other, to get acquainted with ideas about the world of the Other, who was unknown before. Each participant revealed himself through communication with others using words, signs or things. In everyday life, such an external dialogue is the first stage in a person’s acquaintance with himself as a multidimensional being. An internal dialogue in which a person, performing special exercises, determines his life-meaningful guidelines and values attended the online marathon. Moreover, in the format of entries on a social network, it has become for participants a special means of comprehending the universal in individual experience, that which unites all people. This allowed both the writer and the people reading these notes to find similarities in the understanding of the phenomena of being, and made it possible to look at the existential problem from a different perspective. The value of the philosophical online marathon lies in the friendly and comfortable presence of other people who are also immersed in the process of self-awareness, which creates a special atmosphere of mutual respect and acceptance of the experience. Conclusion Personal diary of philosophers allows their followers to touch the author’s living thoughts, his perception of the world. The experiences recorded on paper, the lively sound of thought help not only understand the ideas of the philosopher, but see him as a living person with a unique life path; literally, apply his experience to his own, asking himself the same questions and formulating answers to them. The existential experience of the philosopher, presented in the form of diary, is not just a kind of philosophical