4 Steps I Took To Start 2021 With a Renewed Sense of Self

I was fortunate enough to begin this year with increased awareness of my innermost thoughts and feelings and my relationships with others. It only goes to show that the road to growth and self-discovery does not end up at a final destination, rather, it keeps going on and it's you who decides where it should lead your …

Exploring Racism in South Asia

With the protests condemning police brutality and the cruel death of George Floyd in the U.S, South Asians too came forth with their sentiments on social media, expressing their sympathy for African-American people. However, many of us are realizing that we ourselves have been enshrouded in different layers of racism, self-hate and double-standards for decades, …

Dirilis Ertugral: A potential role model for Pakistani men?

The Turkish show ' Dirilis Ertugral' has been the hottest thing this summer in Pakistani viewership on YouTube. While the story itself may not be a perfectly accurate depiction of historical figures, it certainly is magnetic. The fighting scenes, the nomadic setting, and the depth of internal conflict all seamlessly combine to form an all-together …

On Gender and Naming, From Elif Shafak's "Honour"

"I often wondered why female names were so different from male names, more whimsical and dreamlike, as if women were unreal, a figment of one's imagination. Male names embody power, ability and authority, like Muzaffer, 'the victorious one'; Faruq,'one who distinguishes truth from falsehood'; or Husan al Din, 'the sword of faith'. Female names, however, …

New to the MBTI? Here’s what this personality test is (and isn’t).

Countless people from all over the world have taken the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory. And there will be many of you who have yet to take the test. You would want to take it for multiple reasons, say, your teacher/employer wants you to know yourself better, or a friend recommended it, or maybe you just want …

How INFJs Become Cold

A lot of people might be wondering, if INFJs (aka Advocates) are generally kind and empathetic, where does the INFJ door slam come from? It is so often that we Advocates are ignored, talked over, and pushed to the side that we reach the point of questioning our reality. On one hand, we are extremely …

Khaled Hosseini’s Works Reflect on the Plight of the Afghan People

There are few writers who have the ability to rock us to our core. There are even fewer who make us realize how flawed the power system is in the human world. Khaled Hosseini did both. Through his works, 'The Kite Runner', 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' and 'And the Mountains Echoed' and more recently, 'Sea …

The Alchemist-accepting one’s destiny and discovering self-contentment in the truth about the universe

In recent years, Paulo Coelho's work has become more sought after than usual. This is, I believe, due to the rise in the trend of seeking spirituality and philosophy as an escape from the hurly burly of modern life. 'The Alchemist', in particular, is one such book that changed my perspective on the way I …

A Tribute to the World’s Rarest Personality Type-The INFJ

I've always felt out of place during most social interactions. Quiet, patient and yet, very awkward sometimes. I just don't respond to social cues the same way other people my age do. It seems as if it all comes naturally to them and that makes me feel like some sort of bizarre alien who lacks …

The lessons we learn from video games-Bloodborne

For those not familiar with Bloodborne lore, I have added a brief description below of the game's story and its dominant themes. Enjoy! Warning: Contains spoilers You awaken in the city of Yharnam-famed for its blood healing- to find the place overrun by beasts. It's the night of the hunt, so most of the population …