For a long time now, two stories have resonated with me in very different ways whenever I think about them. The first is a statement Mordecai makes to Esther. If you are not familiar with the story, it is a biblical account that took place during a time when the Israelites had been carried into captivity in a foreign nation. We hear of a man called Mordecai, who raised his orphaned cousin Esther as his own daughter. Esther was described as very beautiful, and because of that,

Why does happiness feel so temporary, even after we achieve what we worked so hard for? We celebrate new cars, new houses, promotions, and upgrades. For a moment, there is joy. Then the feeling fades, and the desire for the next thing emerges almost instinctively. This pattern is so common that it feels natural—but what if it isn’t? What if our understanding of happiness itself has been shaped, conditioned, and redirected over time? Both academic research and philosophical th

Did you know that the words “sex” and “gender” have distinct meanings? And did you also know that many societal structures and...