- In many countries, we have Boomer leaders unwilling to cede the limelight – arguably Malaysia is in even more straitened circumstances, with a 96-year old patriarch still unwilling to give up hopes of another turn at the top job. We just need to move on as a country, and we need the next generation of leaders to prepare themselves to take over and steer the country in a different direction, free from the outdated baggage of the past.
- One of my favourite literary devices is the book review: using the conceit of having to review a book as a means to launch into fascinating and intriguing explorations. The book review essay as intellectual freestyling. This one, which is a fascinating hypothesis on human prehistory as a “high school”-like environment, and the idea of a “gossip trap” as a low-value equilibrium that detracts from the construction of civilisation, masquerades as a review of The Dawn of Everything. A bit of a long read, but worth the while!
- Every now and then I am reminded of the cruelty and vileness of Humanity. This one is especially sad to read.
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." – Annie Dillard