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International Day of Happiness: Because Life is Hard, But Memes Exist

International Day of Happiness: Because Life is Hard, But Memes Exist March 20th marks the International Day of Happiness, a day when the United Nations reminds us that joy is important, even if our emails say otherwise. The idea is simple: happiness matters, and we should probably prioritize it. But let’s be real—being happy in 2025 is like trying to keep a houseplant alive. It sounds easy, but somehow, it’s always just out of reach. What Even Is Happiness, Anyway? Philosophers have debated this for centuries, but today, happiness can usually be found in things like: • A perfectly made coffee that costs less than your rent • Finding a parking spot on the first try • The moment your Wi-Fi reconnects after a stressful outage • Dogs. Just… dogs. However, happiness is not guaranteed in adulthood. Instead, we get things like “work-life balance” (which is just work with some naps in between) and “self-care” (which mostly means binge-watching a show you’ve already seen five times). The UN’s ...
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Postmodernism: A Whole New Era or Just Modernity Going Through a Quarter-Life Crisis?

Postmodernism: A Whole New Era or Just Modernity Going Through a Quarter-Life Crisis? Let’s be honest—figuring out postmodernism is like trying to understand your own identity in college. One minute, you think you have everything figured out, and the next, you’re questioning whether your entire personality is just a mix of internet memes and borrowed aesthetics. (Spoiler: It probably is.) Postmodernism is that friend who scoffs at everything you believe in, refuses to take anything seriously, and insists that nothing is real, anyway. But is it really a radical new era, or is modernity just having an identity crisis—like you at 3 a.m. after an existential spiral on TikTok? What Even Is Postmodernism? If modernity was all about progress, logic, and big, important ideas, postmodernism is like, “Yeah, but what if none of that actually matters?” It’s the intellectual equivalent of deciding you’re going to reinvent yourself over summer break, only to realize you’re just adding a nose ring an...
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Panopticism in Education: The Ultimate Classroom Surveillance Drama

  Panopticism in Education: The Ultimate Classroom Surveillance Drama Ah, Michel Foucault. The French philosopher who took one look at prisons and thought, “You know what? This looks just like school.” Welcome to the world of panopticism—where power is invisible but always watching, and where your school experience is basically a high-stakes game of Big Brother (minus the prize money and Geordie Shore accents). The Classroom: A Modern-Day Panopticon Imagine this: You’re sitting in class, feeling the piercing gaze of your teacher even when their back is turned. You could check your phone under the desk, but there’s that eerie feeling that they know . They always know . That, my friends, is panopticism in action. Foucault argued that modern institutions (prisons, hospitals, schools) operate on a system of surveillance where people behave as if they’re constantly being watched. Schools are essentially training grounds for self-discipline—convincing students to regulate their own be...
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Socialising Through Stories: Life Lessons from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

When my six-year-old son recently watched Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace, I didn’t just see him enjoy the pod races or lightsaber duels. I saw him experiencing a full spectrum of emotions hope, love, excitement, and even despair through the lens of a galaxy far, far away. As a parent, I realised how powerful stories can be in socialising children, helping them understand complex emotions and values that shape their relationships with the world. Hope: A Light in the Darkness One of the strongest themes in The Phantom Menace is hope. My son was captivated by Anakin Skywalker’s journey a boy not much older than he is, with dreams of making a difference. Anakin belief that he could free himself and his mother from slavery resonated deeply. Through Anakin, my son learned that hope means holding onto possibility, even when the odds are stacked against you. It opened a conversation between us about how, in life, hope drives us to do the impossible, whether it’s making a new frie...
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