From 600+ conversations with the world’s leading thinkers.
Individuality is my biggest fight, not #MeToo. People need to realise their own power, their own freedom, and their own ability to be better.
Risk is actually an asset. Fear isn't meant to be dismissed; it's intended to be embraced. Fear sharpens your focus, enhances your performance, and boosts your resilience. This is something many haven't realised—fear is a superpower meant to be embraced, not avoided.
It's quite remarkable that we, creatures who evolved dodging predators on the African savannah, have been able to develop quantum mechanics. I find this to be a splendid evolutionary offshoot.
Unlike a machine, which processes myriad data points yet remains detached from meaning, we humans instantly ascribe significance to our sensory perceptions. The colour red transcends mere visual data, morphing into a spectrum of experiences.
What we think of as important today is rarely what really matters. In 10 years' time, you're not going to regret using the wrong Instagram filter, or not getting enough likes on a social media post. You will however, regret not reaching out to someone before it was too late.
Historically, we've viewed the human mind as the paramount problem solver. Yet, is it still our ally, or has it become our adversary? I believe we're at a juncture where the human mind is shifting towards the latter.
It is very common in politics that each party assume the other party cheated in every election if they lose. It's not that republicans are more suspicious than democrats or vice versa, but their constructive paranoia leads them to believe that the other party is doing something sinister.
Human beings are naturally liberal about these things, human beings are naturally in pursuit of wealth and in pursuit of love and in pursuit of pleasure. I think that happens more in the West or in developed places because it's more accepted there.
Abraham Maslow pointed out in the 1950s that flow is essentially what redeems the suffering of life. It's the psychological reward for mastery and without it, hard work can lead to burnout.
When you have an unlimited view into every awful thing that's happening in the world, as well as every minor thing, you can become paralysed. It's hard to know what to spend time and energy on.
Tapping into these forgotten parts of the brain can be transformational for bipolar, for anxiety, fear, depression, PTSD and trauma. This is the part of the brain that is normally stimulated by opioids and cannabinoids; but imagine being able to consciously activate this part of your brain- to create euphoria whenever you need.
White people have nothing to fear from understanding their history- they're not responsible for it. It's like having therapy… it's understanding our past behaviours so that we don't repeat them. I think we need to face up to our imperial history for the same reasons.