Weird Times Ahead: The AI Takeover

It is soon going to get very weird. And we are not realizing it. A small gang of people, probably based in Silicon Valley, will increasingly have so much concentrated wealth and influence that in comparison, today’s world may look like a socialist utopia. To be...

Small, intermediate wins can keep you going

Over the last year, after my parents moved in with us, I have been hounding my mother to go for a daily walk. She has put on a fair bit of weight, possibly due to her slowing metabolism. But despite my pestering, my mother was very reluctant. Nevertheless, she started...

We learn to value things when we lose them

When I was a kid, we were living in a remote military station in Assam, surrounded by hills and jungle-like vegetation. In those days, power cuts there were a daily thing. But one day, the transmission system got knocked off so badly that for more than 3-4 days, we...

The Power of Vipassana

2,500 years ago, without fMRI machines, research labs, or any understanding of neuroscience, one man single-handedly figured out how to end all human suffering. The Buddha created the world’s best mental health program. We now call it Vipaassana. And today, with...

Knowledge is the ultimate leveler

The value of your college degree is like radioactive material with a half-life of about 3-4 years. So we cannot sit on our laurels and degrees. In 10 years (3 half-lives later), your degree’s value would be down to about 10%. Ultimately, which college you went...