Unfiltered Footnotes

From 20-somethings with "Philosopher Fatigue" to 30-plus "Newborn Aristotles" and 50-year-olds in a mid-life TikTok crisis—humanity has officially lost the plot on ageing. The Benjamin Button Syndrome: A Modern Identity Crisis Look around. The natural progression of life has been hijacked. It used to be a simple, dignified arc: you spent your youth being a bit of a disaster, your middle years finding your footing, and your later years being the "fine wine" that everyone respected. You didn't just age; you gained gravitas . Now? We’re living in a massive, collective identity crisis . It’s like everyone looked at their birth certificate and decided it was an "optional suggestion." We are living in a social glitch where the stages of life have been scrambled. The "Newborn Aristotles" (The 20s and 30-to-35 Bracket) Let’s talk about the younger demographic—specifically the 20-somethings and that increasingly weird 30-to-35 bracket . T...

Introduction: The Loop of Endless Noise We all want peace. It’s the universal human desire. Yet, almost everyone is stuck in some form of suffering, anxiety about the future, regret about the past, or just a low-level hum of dissatisfaction. But here is the strange thing, the grand paradox of the human condition : The very tool we use to try and solve our suffering—our mind—Is the exact same tool that created it. Think about it. The same mind that generates fear, anger, and pain is the one we beg to fix those issues. We tell ourselves, "Mind, stop worrying," "Mind, be positive," "Mind, figure this out." It never works for long, does it? If the mind is the generator of the noise, how can it possibly create silence? It’s time to stop asking how to end suffering and start asking a much deeper question: If the mind creates the mess, why is it incapable of cleaning it up? Drawing on the profound, direct teachings of sages like Ramana Maharshi, let’s walk slowl...

Existential crisis. A term we toss around lightly, but behind it lies a quiet, universal ache. And it’s not just a Gen Z problem, or a midlife issue, or a retirement reflection. Across generations, people are feeling the same weight — a sense that life, despite all its conveniences and comforts, feels strangely hollow. Why? Because somewhere along the way, we’ve abandoned the minimums of life — the ground that once kept us steady. When Life Was Slower — and Better There was a time when listening to music meant surrendering to an album from start to finish. Every track mattered, every lyric had space to breathe. Compare that to today’s playlist-hopping, where we can’t last thirty seconds before hitting “skip.” Music hasn’t lost its magic — we lost our patience. Books were once dog-eared paperbacks with worn spines, their scent carrying memories of afternoons spent in quiet corners. Now, we skim headlines, tweets, and summaries, calling it “reading.” Depth has been replaced with fragment...

"The final version of this blog post, including edits for grammar and structural enhancements for greater impact, was created with the assistance of Gemini AI." This blog post explores the idea that a personal, direct connection to the divine is not only possible but is the truest path to spiritual growth. It questions the necessity of a spiritual intermediary or "godman" when sacred scriptures and direct contemplation are available to all. Why People Seek a Middleman It's important to understand the appeal of a spiritual guide. Many people turn to a godman for reasons such as: Simplified Interpretation: They offer easy-to-understand explanations of complex religious philosophies and ancient texts. Community and Support: They create a sense of belonging and shared purpose for their followers. Structure and Discipline: They provide a clear path and practices, which helps people stay disciplined in their spiritual journey. Miraculous Authority: Followers may b...

The Zen of "You're Right": When 2 + 2 Can Be 5 There comes a glorious, hard-won phase in life usually somewhere past the point of exhaustively explaining why the sky is, in fact, blue when a profound shift occurs. You stop. You stop clanging the gong of your own correctness. You stop drafting mental dissertations for casual conversations. You stop chasing the elusive, fleeting satisfaction of the "gotcha." Instead, a quiet, almost mischievous smile spreads across your face, and you simply utter those two liberating words: "You're right." And sometimes, just for the sheer joy of it, you might even add, "Absolutely. Two plus two is indeed five." This isn't surrender. This isn't weakness. This is the ultimate power move : trading the exhausting weight of ego for the airy lightness of peace. This is the quiet roar of maturity. The Siren Call of Being Right We've all felt it: that magnetic pull to correct, to clarify, to set the re...

We’ve built a world where being seen feels more important than being real . Where silence is suspicious. Where presence is judged by performance. Where even solitude needs a caption. We call ourselves social beings. But what if we got it wrong? What if human beings aren’t inherently social— but just deeply afraid of being forgotten ? The Performance of Connection Scroll. Smile. React. Repost. We’ve been conditioned to keep showing up—not as ourselves, but as a version that works . A version that fits. That doesn’t question too much. That plays along. Because relevance has become a currency. If you disappear for a bit, people ask, “Are you okay?” Stay silent for too long? You’re ghosted. Be real and raw? You’re “too intense.” So we choose the safer mask. We stay visible, even when we’re invisible to ourselves. Self-Love or Just Marketed Narcissism? We live in an age where “self-love” is everywhere. But somewhere along the way, it stopped being about healing… and star...