"The willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life, is the source from which self-respect springs.” DOUBTFUL BY NATURE I began writing this post back in October when I experienced high levels of anxiety due to oncoming change. I want to help others to understand that feeling anxious and oppressed in life is normal, and more-or-less adjustable. The source of my anxiety springs from the fact that to me, life can seem boring and meaningless doing the same thing over and over again. Therefore, when tasks become trivial, and motivation slips away, I often feel a strong urge to make a change, and experience something new to brighten my surroundings and open up to a new perspective. But this goes completely against my worrisome, doubtful nature. Change has its upsides, but it can also leave you questioning yourself and your motives. The worst, most painful result of change, is regret. I have always relished the idea of pushing myself beyond my boundaries, but be

IS THIS WHAT WE WANT FOR THE IMPENDING GENERATION? Driving to work can often seem like a grueling task – sitting in traffic amidst thousands of other busy-bodies navigating their way through an increasingly dense metropolis. Human population has increased exponentially during the last 200 years. During the 20th century alone, human population in the world grew from 1.65 billion to 6 billion. A recent report by the United Nations Population Division, predicts that human population could peak at 11 billion by 2100. Is this the world we want for our future successors? "With smaller populations, we can have increasing living standards per head but less consumption, more space, better lives, smaller impacts on the planet, and more room for wildlife." – Simon Ross, CEO of UK-based campaign group Population Matters. POPULATION BRIEFING The world population is currently estimated at around 7.349 billion, according to the medium fertility estimate by the United Nations D

Auckland vs. Dubai "Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose." Like many privileged kids, I have lived most of my life in a comfortable suburban bubble. Until I was about 19, I never gave much consideration to the rest of the world, and only now do I truly appreciate the things that I once so carelessly took for granted. Somehow my mindset changed during recent years, (I think studying had a lot to do with it) and I decided it was time to implement some change. I recently relocated halfway across the world for a job. I didn't know a single person where I was going, and I had a month to plan an abrupt relocation. Even though it sounds somewhat bizarre, as if finding the right job is really worth moving away from your home for, personally it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. Some of us have it, and some of us don't - that longing to experience more than what is familiar and comfortable. For