Meaning and the good life
![Photo of a brown earthworm on rough grey asphalt in sunlight.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/ff1f8170-8f40-456c-b8c6-c24414eb0994/3438438329_20094606fd_o.jpeg?top=1278&left=307&cropWidth=1792&cropHeight=1008&width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Bioethics
idea
Why, in a universe of pain, I’m saving stranded earthworms
Any action can seem futile amid so much suffering. I’ve realised the important thing is to stop despairing and do something
by Claire E Schultz
![Photo of sunlit green leaves and branches against a bright blue sky.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/40b3a6cd-27db-4f56-87ab-2582a1fae22b/final-gettyimages-170908888.jpeg?top=188&left=0&cropWidth=3648&cropHeight=2052&width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Wonder and the sublime
idea
The most profound wonder is stirred by what is most ordinary
Rare moments of wonder at the mere existence of things – rather than the dramatic or new – involve perceiving with the soul
by Maria Balaska
![Photo of five burned matchsticks with blackened, charred tips, arranged in a row on a white background. The order shows partially burnt matches through to a fully burnt match.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/7cf6f350-7241-4ca4-8ad9-79b601e21579/sq-final-gettyimages-505985580.jpg?top=0&left=0&cropWidth=1800&cropHeight=1800&width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Mental health
guide
How to recover from burnout
Feeling worn down, checked out, or bitter about work? The answer is not to ‘just work harder’. Try these steps instead
by Debbie Sorensen
![A rake with a wooden handle rakes through sand dunes, its trail mixing with shadows from a line of multicoloured flags.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/87be7bb3-60ab-4d16-a949-fb283a4576bf/a-month-of-single-frames-landscape-1-v1.jpg?top=0&left=0&cropWidth=2560&cropHeight=1440&width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
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
![Impressionist painting of a family in a garden, with a child learning to walk, assisted by an adult, as another adult crouches down with outstretched arms.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/60d287d7-081f-43bd-8466-bcdefc98fc1f/rt-vincent_van_gogh_-_first_steps_after_millet.jpg?top=4&left=0&cropWidth=1936&cropHeight=1089&width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Values and beliefs
idea
A philosophical approach can help you identify what truly matters
We’re often taught to live according to our values, but this is easier said than done without pausing to reflect deeply
by Valerie Tiberius
![Photo of a person playing swingball in an alley with bicycles and a basket on the cobblestone path.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/67210b0a-ef9f-4590-8911-e2c8a0b40730/nn11618100.jpeg?top=0&left=0&cropWidth=1056&cropHeight=594&width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Play
idea
The achievement society is burning us out, we need more play
This is about more than a self-help switch – it will take structural changes to reject capitalism’s productivity obsession
by Alec Stubbs
![Black-and-white photograph of a person in a jacket standing outdoors in a foggy environment, looking up with eyes closed.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/2495204b-f0fb-4665-9a57-b3871207a056/sq-nn11630181.jpg?top=0&left=0&cropWidth=1800&cropHeight=1800&width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Spirituality and religion
guide
How to find new spiritual practices
Even if religion isn’t for you, there’s a world of rituals and tools to lift yourself up and connect to something greater
by Morgan Shipley
![Silhouette of a person surrounded by a burst of white, glowing particles against a dark background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/f58c2afb-0246-4495-bb7a-7bb32164fc8e/original.jpg?top=21&left=0&cropWidth=2000&cropHeight=1125&width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Dissociation and detachment
film
Using his body as a canvas, Jean-François recalls getting lost in unreality
Directed by Jean-François Boisvenue
![Photo of a man working at a desk with multiple monitors, backed by a large mountain mural, in an office setting.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/ab3452bc-6836-471e-b254-1d83b53c0ebf/panos_00318638.jpeg?top=4&left=0&cropWidth=1936&cropHeight=1089&width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Work and vocation
idea
Why do so many people think they are in a bullshit job?
Researchers continue to debate whether some jobs are inherently useless – but all agree it’s harmful to see your job this way
by Shayla Love
![Photo of two people on a ledge under an umbrella during dusk overlooking a cityscape and the sea.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/5537530a-5a6c-4808-8071-3e8faaf48de6/panos_00172979.jpeg?top=400&left=0&cropWidth=4240&cropHeight=2385&width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Meaning and the good life
idea
You can be a materialist and find meaning in the universe
My hard-nosed materialism led me to an existential crisis, but then I realised the difference between science and scientism
by Jessica Tracy
![A person hugs two young children near a brick wall in a garden, with plants and greenery around them.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/b40a62bc-8b38-41f9-85d3-c6885ebecff0/sq-final-nn11620511.jpg?top=0&left=0&cropWidth=1800&cropHeight=1800&width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Caregiving
guide
How to get the most out of caregiving
Giving care is hard, but it’s one of the most meaningful things you can do. Here’s how to change up your perspective
by Elissa Strauss
![Abstract orange background with two stick figures amidst geometric shapes and lines.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/39842d13-c9dc-4b2f-8ad9-32d93c194ce2/original.jpg?top=21&left=0&cropWidth=2000&cropHeight=1125&width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Progress and the future
film
Stick figures meet existential angst in this acclaimed, darkly comedic short
Directed by Don Hertzfeldt