I see young girls with the side of their head shaved, and I marvel at how beauty standards have changed. What society considers beautiful is in a constant state of flux, shifting with the cultural tides. The ideal physical form and fashionable face of one era can seem entirely foreign or even ridiculous in the …
Mercy Kambura
Sparta. The name alone brings up images of chiseled warriors in bronze helmets, standing firm against impossible odds. Pop culture has painted a picture of a society of equals, all devoted to a single, glorious purpose. But the real Sparta was a far more complex and often unsettling place than the legends suggest. This ancient …
“You’re so strong!” is a compliment given mostly when someone is smiling while life is tossing them around like they’re bull riding. Mental strength means thriving despite life’s fires (or Mondays). Some people are strong; others didn’t just miss the resilience train; they haven’t even found the station. Being mentally strong doesn’t require a spotless …
As long as we were born, we will die. That fact doesn’t make it easy to navigate a conversation about death, especially when that conversation is with the person standing right at the edge of life. Most of us have an idea what to say to a bereaved person, but what do you say to …
The quest for a long, healthy life often feels like a modern fixation. We are inundated with advice (and some scams), from apple-cider-vinegar hacks, biohacking trends, specialized diets, and fitness tech. But people have been chasing vitality for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks, in particular, developed practical, surprisingly simple ideas about living well and …
Alchemy often brings to mind cloaked figures trying to turn lead into gold. This image, while popular, barely scratches the surface of a rich and complex tradition. For centuries, alchemists were at the forefront of exploration, blending what we now call science with deep philosophical inquiry. They were driven by a desire to understand the …
The boy king, Tutankhamun, remains one of history’s most magnetic figures because his story refuses to sit still. Just when historians believe they have pinned down the facts of his life and death, new evidence emerges to scramble the timeline. The boy king ruled for about 10 years during the 18th Dynasty and vanished into …
The 1960s offered a soundtrack for a decade of immense change, producing tunes that have managed to stick in our heads for decades. These songs are more than just oldies; they are cultural artifacts that capture the feeling of a generation. From rock anthems to soulful ballads, the music of the 60s has a timeless …
We are not carrying grudges into the upcoming new year, are we? The goal to start afresh isn’t just reserved for quitting sugar and wheat; it should also include forgiveness. We often carry resentments without realizing how much they weigh us down, so now is the ideal moment to lighten the load. Your preacher was …
It’s OK to love yourself, but sometimes, it can become a vice. We’ve all encountered someone who seems to have a PhD in turning any conversation back to themselves. You try to have a meaningful interaction, but you’re always sucked into a vortex where your thoughts, feelings, and opinions just vanish, and theirs are projected …
