When the World Seems Awful, I Submerge Myself in the Vastness of the Universe

The Geological Timespan Is Long, and Our Time on Earth Is Short

From the TV remote to the group text to the ghoulish glow of the tablet I should have stowed before curling into bed: The world’s abiding awfulness is always just a click away. It’s as omnipresent as the WiFi it rides like a jet stream. It leaps between fellow citizens—a furrowed brow here, passing comment there—like a pathogen, a mood.

You’re aware, I presume, of what constitutes this awfulness? Of the climate crisis, the democracy crisis, and the election that’ll put both on the line. Of rising income inequality and eroding …

More In: Essays

How the Shared Heritage of Harris, Haley, and Khanna Shapes Their Politics

These Indian American Leaders Live the Legacy of a Historic Struggle for Independence

On August 15, 1947, my father George Mayer celebrated India’s freedom from 300 years of British colonial rule by flying kites with his friends off Howrah Bridge, over the Hooghly …

For Trans People, a Doctor’s Visit Can Be a Dilemma

Quality Care Requires Understanding Our Biological Needs—But Not Defining Us By Them

Nine years ago, when I spotted blood in my ejaculate, I made an appointment to see my urologist. I quickly found myself to be the only woman in the waiting …

Why Can’t We Grieve for All the Dead?

How the Leaders of NewGround, a Muslim-Jewish Partnership, Are Resisting the Dehumanization of Palestinians and Israelis

Several weeks ago, we convened a group of Muslims and Jews in our network to talk about the unrelenting pain we have been experiencing on, before, and after October 7, …

How Weddings and Hospitals Forge Familia

We Show Up for the People We Love—In Times of Joy or Sorrow, Often With Tortillas

Hija, you have to go. You’re going to miss the wedding,” said my mom, weak but urgent. My husband and I would be hosting my niece’s wedding in our home that …

The Radical Act of Gardening Silicon Valley | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

The Radical Act of Gardening Silicon Valley

Communities Are Nourishing Themselves—And a Movement to Transform Our Food System—By Planting in Unlikely Soil

Days start early in the garden. As the sun rises over the Santa Clara Valley’s Diablo Range, we’ve already gathered and prepared seed beds for planting. The smell …