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A surfer riding a wave under a cloudy sky, with another large wave shown behind.

Virtues and vices

idea

Equanimity is not stillness – it is a mobility of the mind

To grasp the power of this lauded quality, think of it less as a mountain than as a flexible, even playful way of seeing

by Michael Uebel

An elderly woman in black standing in a garden of pink roses with snow-capped mountains in the background.

Habits and routines

film

Mzia the elevator operator leaves her post for the first time in two decades

Directed by Madeline Leary

People in hooded jackets standing in a park with grass and trees, a rainbow in the sky and a building in the background.

Neurodiversity

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Why we should think of neurodiversity like we do personality

It’s a mistake to frame autistic and ADHD traits as either deficits or mere differences. There’s another way to see them

by Joshua May

Medieval painting of a woman writing by a window with a ship on the sea outside, wearing a dark gown and hood.

Change and self-development

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How to find inner peace like Saint Teresa of Ávila

The 16th-century ‘spiritual rock-star’ shows how seeing your soul as a castle can be a source of strength and consolation

by Skye C Cleary

An Indigenous Australian man carrying a child on his shoulders walking through bushland observing a ‘cool’ burn (used to control underbrush), with smoke and flames in the background.

Knowledge and reason

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There is knowledge in the land as well as in ourselves

Indigenous Australian knowledge systems understand what Descartes didn’t – the natural world has important things to tell us

by Andrew Kirkpatrick

A film still of a woman, Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games movie franchise, with a braid standing in a transparent elevator looking out with a thoughtful expression.

Film

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Hollywood’s fixation on the wrong stories won’t help our world

Today’s global problems are caused by broken systems, but the studios still feed us a diet of movies focused on individuals

by Namir Khaliq

Shadow of a person on crumpled paper in dark setting photo.

Trauma and PTSD

film

Sent to boarding school, a boy conjures up a friend to soothe his distress

A film by Tony Gammidge

Blurry photo of a supermarket interior with people shopping, bright lighting and shelves filled with products.

Mind and brain

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Having epileptic seizures gave me newfound respect for the brain

Seizures are often described as both terrifying and enthralling. Mine gave me a wondrous new take on consciousness and agency

by Webb Wright

A cocktail in a coupe glass with an orange twist on a wooden table in front of a dark, tufted lounge seating

Addiction

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My great-grandfather poisoned drinkers during Prohibition

In a grim irony, his descendants – my grandmother and mother – struggled with drink. Here’s what I’d tell him about addiction

by Rebecca Lester

Black and white photo of people embracing and saying goodbye at a train station.

Love

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It’s possible to become wiser in who you entrust with your love

Love is not merely irrational – there’s a sense in which it’s also based on reason, which means we can get better at it

by Joel Van Fossen

Paper collage of a man and a woman lying on the floor petting a grey rabbit and a white cat with a small table in the background.

Mind and brain

film

After a life-altering diagnosis, Case crafts a loving message to his future self

A film by Case Jernigan

People at night in front of St Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow with a woman waving a large Russian flag in the foreground.

Conflict and conflict resolution

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Does national humiliation explain why wars break out?

For a nation, humiliation isn’t just a feeling – it’s a story. Understanding this can help countries move beyond aggression

by Raamy Majeed