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A young woman in a contemporary apartment is reflected but partially obscured in the plate glass windows

Place

idea

The divided self: does where I live make me who I am?

At home in Delhi, I am a more social, interactive person. A quiet balcony in Frankfurt gave me space to be by myself

by Anandi Mishra

Sticky reminder notes are seen on a mirror and on various other items on top of a chest of drawers

The self

idea

What my mother’s sticky notes show about the nature of the self

Dementia accelerates a process we all experience, as our memories become increasingly externalised into the world around us

by Crispin Sartwell

A person walking on a pier towards a lighthouse, holding a book behind their back, with the sea on the right under a grey sky.

Pleasures and pastimes

guide

How to wander

Whether in a city or the wilderness, near or far, there’s joy to be had in a journey where the destination doesn’t matter

by Jordan Fisher Smith

A large flock of birds fills the sky at dusk over a car park, where people with binoculars observe them from beside their vehicles.

Place

film

A makeshift community of people and migratory birds converge on a strip mall

Directed by Henry Davis

A woman and child stand on a barren, fire-ravaged landscape with scorched trees and hills in the background under a cloudy sky.

Sacred places

idea

Our children will need to find the beauty in our burnt planet

How will our children find beauty in a world rapidly breaking into what observers call a spectacle of unremitting loss?

by Stephen J Pyne

A man in sunglasses and a hat walks on a street with apartment buildings and a young man in the background.

Depression

idea

Why life is faster but depression is lower in bigger cities

Large cities might seem detrimental to mental health but a comparison of depression rates suggests bigger is better

by Andrew Stier

An ornate underground station with decorative arches, hanging lamps, and a yellow train arriving. Passengers are waiting and walking through the area.

Architecture

guide

How to appreciate buildings

It’s easy to become blasé about the built world. Tune in more deeply and architectural adventures await around each corner

by Colin Ellard

A rake with a wooden handle rakes through sand dunes, its trail mixing with shadows from a line of multicoloured flags.

Meaning and the good life

film

An artist captures the joys of solitude amid a month living in a beach shack

Directed by Lynne Sachs

A wooden box containing trinkets including a pink crystal and a heart-shaped stone on a wooden table.

Place

idea

In hatboxes, pouches and bags lie the items that define us

Whether it be in a hatbox, wooden chest or leather bag, what makes some stuff personal, rather than just private property?

by Andreas Gehrlach

Children playing in an autumnal park with large trees covered in red and orange leaves, and the ground blanketed in fallen leaves.

Nature and the environment

idea

Look past the woods – each tree is an individual to be cherished

Try to look past the woods and see the trees: there’s nothing as elemental as the human relationship with an individual tree

by Sarah Boon

A cluttered room filled with stacks of books and papers, with a ginger cat lounging on a yellow chair in the centre.

Place

film

The clutter of a used bookshop forms an evocative metaphor for memory

Directed by Diego Quinderé de Carvalho