Sports and games
![Cyclist in a white polka dot jersey racing during a cycling event, with a crowd of spectators cheering in the background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/3f1614e8-089c-4753-99f3-60e1937315ec/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Sports and games
idea
Physical fatigue is in the brain as much as in the body
The idea of ‘mind over muscle’ is more than motivational rhetoric – exercise science shows how the brain manages fatigue
by David Robson
![Close-up of an ancient Greek vase depicting two male figures wrestling, painted in black against a terracotta background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/2deb8a10-c235-4c04-8e83-f446268b18cd/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Change and self-development
idea
Philosophy is like athletics – theory must be put into practice
The Stoics approached self-improvement as an athlete approaches sport: the key is to keep practising in the face of failure
by Michael Tremblay
![Racing driver in a white suit and balaclava, adjusting his attire, seen through a reflective surface.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/6decd959-9152-4c83-a84e-ab9ada3a577e/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Goals and motivation
guide
How to perform well under pressure
Ditch the tough talk, it won’t help. Instead cultivate your mental flexibility so you can handle whatever comes your way
by Josephine Perry
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/7a0ad5de-b7da-4820-aafd-1fd4c4f74a28/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Sports and games
film
Softness controls hardness – a fighter’s gentle approach to life
Directed by Josef Reeve
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/b4cc0e2c-7f74-4ed6-91a6-7a9e984fd2f8/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Parenting and families
idea
Philosophy can explain what kind of achievement it is to give birth
Pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding are physical achievements, like marathon running: give them the same respect, and no more
by Fiona Woollard
![A close-up of hands holding papers with handwritten notes, coin purses, and a pen, set on a wooden surface with grass in the background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/b8c1f734-b7ea-44a2-93f8-fbc0dfa94857/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Sports and games
idea
For players of fafi, dream interpretation is a vital skill
The fafi lottery game in South Africa requires the careful interpretation of dreams and the waking world around you
by Brittany Birberick
![A football player in green lies on his back on the field while a young boy stands next to a football nearby.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/7136e774-6408-4231-9010-9fbc9e01a4ae/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Sports and games
guide
How to be a better loser
As a competitor, you can’t avoid the hurt of losing. But you can learn ways to bounce back stronger and more motivated
by Blakely Low-Scott
![Two people wearing white jackets stand on a snowy landscape under an overcast sky, surrounded by snow-covered mounds.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/4551834c-8a60-40d2-a3f8-7e4a55037b85/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Music
film
Witness the cool musical game played by Inuit women for centuries
Directed by Eva Kaukai and Manon Chamberland
![Young man does a skateboard trick in a street with graffiti, with protestors and signs in the background, set against a city skyline.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/3ab04eac-782d-4846-9456-88b07ed1e03a/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Sports and games
idea
Sisyphus, skateboarders, and the value in endless failure
Skateboarders regularly fail at their chosen activity. But that doesn’t make it a meaningless task of Sisyphean proportions
by Andrei A Buckareff
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/894951ea-633b-46f8-b2d6-96d441687a44/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Sports and games
idea
What pro wrestling can teach us about the quest for truth
Pro wrestling, like philosophy, raises questions about appearance and reality: how can we ever know what’s really happening?
by Douglas Edwards
![A man jogging on a path under blooming cherry blossom trees in a park on a sunny day.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/d7d9486e-7548-4dce-ae1a-c7196a699e40/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Sports and games
guide
How to enjoy running
Going for a jog doesn’t have to be a chore – these mental techniques will make it something you actually look forward to
by Christian Jarrett
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/6d844c71-25c0-4b03-8efe-12d2cc0359a4/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
The body and physical health
film
A gym built of Soviet-era scraps is a creative community hub in Kyiv, 2019
Directed by Gar O’Rourke