Unfiltered Footnotes

By KC | Published January 2026 We are witnessing a strange and tragic love affair. It is not between two people, but between the Ruler and the War. For the common man, conflict is a tragedy—the loss of a roof, a limb, or a child. But for the Leader, war often feels like a romance. It is the ultimate seduction of legacy. The Seduction of the Geopolitical Chessboard We see this intoxication in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict , where the pursuit of historical "glory" has turned vibrant cities into graveyards. This isn't new; we saw it when Napoleon marched toward Moscow, obsessed with a map he couldn't conquer. To the people on the ground, the land is "home," but to the ambitious eye looking down from a high office, the land is merely a piece on a chessboard. The Leader falls in love with the idea of victory, forgetting that the ink used to draw these new borders is the blood of their own people.  Note: If you’re wondering why we act so differently once...

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...