In this episode, we explore the danger of hoarding our grief and our joy. Through stories set in Dublin, Beirut, Hokkaido, and Berlin, we ask: What happens when we invite a stranger to the table, and why must we “break the seal” before the moment rots?
In this reflective session, we explore the barriers separating us from strangers—glass windows, headphones, borders, and social status—and ask what it truly costs to offer dignity instead of just charity.
What shapes your modern identity? Is it “Westernization” or just… evolution? This column explores the feeling of being “in-between,” and asks if loving global art, ideas, and music means losing your roots—or simply building a more complex self.
We’ve explored the cognitive tax of poverty and the systems that perpetuate it. But what’s the point of knowing if nothing changes? This article is a call to action to bridge the empathy gap in our daily lives—transforming academic knowledge into compassionate action, one small, human interaction at a time.
Why is it so hard to plan for the future when you’re struggling today? This article explores the concept of poverty and time perception, revealing how scarcity shatters our relationship with tomorrow. Discover how poverty traps people in an endless present and what it means to give someone back the luxury of a future.
Is fighting poverty just a smart economic investment, or is it something more? This article goes beyond ROI to explore our deepest ethical obligations. Using ideas like the “veil of ignorance,” it asks what kind of world we would build if we didn’t know our place in it. This isn’t about charity; it’s about justice and affirming our shared humanity.
We romanticize the starving artist myth, but is it a creative truth or a convenient lie? This article dismantles the idea that hardship fuels great art, exploring how the cognitive tax of true scarcity can kill inspiration. Discover why a safety net, not suffering, might be the true key to unlocking our world’s greatest creative potential.
How do words like “handout” versus “lifeline” shape our reality? This article explores the subtle grammar of judgment we use when discussing poverty, revealing how our vocabulary can build invisible walls of stigma. Discover how the connection between language and poverty impacts perception and policy, and ask yourself: if we changed our words, could we change our world?
In a world that demands answers, explore the profound power of intellectual humility. This isn’t about apathy; it’s about seeing “I don’t know” as the starting point for curiosity, imagination, and a more magical and authentic life.
Do you ever meet the ghost of a past belief? This is a vulnerable exploration of changing your mind—the painful, awkward, and ultimately liberating process of letting go of a piece of who you used to be. A story about humility and the quiet courage to evolve.
Frankfurt Airport is a cathedral of efficiency, designed to move millions without a hitch. But on Christmas Eve, a massive snowstorm has stopped the clock. At Gate Z-15, the mood is toxic: business travelers are shouting, tourists are hoarding power outlets, and the departure board is a sea of red ‘CANCELED’ signs. Then, the lights go out. In the sudden darkness, a low hum begins in the corner—a melody that transcends language. Join us for a story about what happens when our plans are ruined, and we are forced to find harmony in the delay.
Manila is usually a symphony of noise—firecrackers, karaoke, and celebration. But inside the Public General Hospital, the air is sterile and silent. Reya, a nurse on the night shift, watches over ‘Lolo Ben,’ a coma patient with no family to claim him. It is Noche Buena, the midnight feast, and Reya refuses to let him spend it in the dark. She hangs a small paper lantern on his IV pole and begins to read. But the hospital doors are about to open, bringing a reminder that even in the quietest rooms, we are never truly alone.
The cold in Moscow is a living entity, prowling the streets for any weakness. Ivan, a homeless veteran, sits on a steam grate behind a metro station, his only warmth coming from the mongrel dog, Laika, tucked inside his coat. When the Social Patrol van pulls up offering a warm bed in a shelter, there is a catch: no dogs allowed. Ivan looks at the open door of the van, and then at the loyal eyes of his companion. This is a story about the family we choose, and the lines we refuse to cross, even when the temperature drops to minus thirty.
In Stockholm, the winter darkness arrives just after lunch, settling over the city like a heavy blanket. Astrid sits by her window, watching a candle burn down—a silent, stubborn signal to a son she hasn’t spoken to in two years. She calls it ‘waiting,’ but deep down, she knows it is pride. The candle is fading, and the silence of the phone is deafening. Tonight, Astrid faces the hardest journey of all: the distance between her hand and the receiver. A story for anyone who is waiting for the other person to blink first.
In this episode, we explore the danger of hoarding our grief and our joy. Through stories set in Dublin, Beirut, Hokkaido, and Berlin, we ask: What happens when we invite a stranger to the table, and why must we “break the seal” before the moment rots?
Berlin in December is gray, damp, and smells of wet wool. For Fatima, a refugee from Aleppo, the city feels impossibly cold and distant. Desperate for a sense of home on Christmas Eve, she opens a jar of seven-spice and begins to cook Maqluba, filling her apartment building with the rich, loud scents of the Levant. But when a sharp knock comes at the door, Fatima fears the worst. On the other side stands her stern German neighbor, Frau Weber. What follows is a story about the flavors that divide us, and the unexpected tastes that bring us together.
