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My grandmother’s hands: in favor of leisure
In the 1930s, evolutionary biologists were convinced that the biggest problem facing humankind would be the question of what we should do with our new-found leisure. A little over nine decades later, not only do we have no time for leisure, we no longer seem to value it, either. Instead, we are caught up in…
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The cages you live in: Understanding social conditioning
Human beings are social animals. A large part of how we show up in the world is influenced by our social and cultural conditioning. This is both a good and a bad thing – on one hand, it helps us become functioning members of society; on the other, it leads to the development of unconscious…
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Asking for it: we need to talk about consent
The underlying assumption in most cases of sexual abuse is that the woman was asking for it. She’s the one who needs to be on guard and constantly vigilant, while society continues to say that “boys will be boys”, i.e. that they are entitled to sex, whether or not it is consensual. This needs to…
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Ancient strategies to help you live the good life
When you think of the good life, you may think of enlightened hedonism: a life where you seek a mix of affluence, social status, and pleasure. That’s the cultural norm that is modeled to most of us across the world. But does that truly make for a good life?
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The dark underbelly of the creator economy
The creator economy promises to help creatives turn their passion to profit, by giving them the tools they need to monetize their communities and fans. But is the reality of the creator economy as rosy as it is projected? And what are things that creatives need to be aware of before jumping in to profit…
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How to live a meaningful life
Most of us would agree that we want our lives to feel meaningful. And yet, we take a rather bleak view of the meaning of our individual lives. So what does it take to live a life meaning? Drawing from philosophy and my own answers to this question, I offer some suggestions on what could…
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“Comfort women” and the cost of war on women’s bodies
Women have long been seen as spoils of war, and violence against women is increasingly being used as a weapon. But even during World War II, women were forced into prostitution by Japanese invaders who still refuse to officially apologize for their crimes.
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The Eternal Return: How Nietzsche’s philosophy can help you find the key to a contented life
A contented life: we all want it, but what does it take to be truly at peace with how we are leading our lives? Nietzsche suggests that the most important thing is to be well-adjusted to life and to oneself, which comes down to making wholehearted choices about what we think and where we find…
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The surprising link between boredom and creativity
In the always-on, hyper-connected world that we currently live in, our capacity for boredom has shrunk. The demands on our attention keep us stuck in the loop of the endless scroll. But what impact does this colonization of our attention have on our creative faculty?
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Tawaifnama: A brief history of Tawaif culture in India
From elite performing artists to a marginalized community living on the fringes of society, the tawaif community has undergone numerous upheavals through the years. Saba Dewan’s Tawaifnama traces the impact of colonialism and the nationalist discourse on the marginalization and erasure of India’s Tawaif culture.
Shinjini Mehrotra 