Natalie Audelo

We shrink our dreams in public, as if protecting them from the harsh light of scrutiny. But I've come to believe we're not really protecting our dreams from others' judgment. We're protecting ourselves from the vulnerability of wanting something we might not get.

Out of all the “regulars” I’ve interacted with in all the places I’ve worked, the strongest bonds have always been with the people that made me feel safe to be myself no matter what emotional state I was in.

Boredom is just “What’s the use?” in disguise. And “What’s the use?” is fear, and fear means you are secretly in despair. So put your fears on the page.

It’s so strange how we’re able to carry forward this mystery of personal identity even when our present selves are so different from our future selves and from our past selves most of all. I think a lot about this question of, what is a person? Am I the same person as my childhood self? Sure, we share the same body, but even that body is so differe... See more

In this condensed pitch for a less work-centric life, he reminds us that “we are all more than just workers. We’re parents and friends and citizens and artists and travellers and neighbours. Much like an investor benefits from diversifying the sources of stocks in their portfolio, we, too, benefit from diversifying the sources of meaning and identi... See more

The “language” that is created from these ways of consuming impacts our actual ways of communicating as well. Eventually after enough time is spent positively or negatively grunting at things, or making these vague, silent mental connections, we lose our ability to actually articulate our feelings toward something. Plug-and-play catchphrase reactio... See more

Philosopher and author Arthur Schopenhauer on the importance of reflection and contemplation rather than mere reading and research:

“You may accumulate a vast amount of knowledge but it will be of far less value to you than a much smaller amount if you have not thought it over for yourself; because only through ordering what you know by comparing e... See more

As the world grows increasingly fractured, taking the time to engage with strangers has become even more important. The artist and graphic journalist Wendy MacNaughton has created a simple but powerful way for people to connect in an isolated world.

In this audio essay, she shares how she brings people together by having them draw each other in publ... See more

One lesson to learn from his death is that if we are to live well to the end, we need to be able to freely discuss when a life is complete, without shame or taboo. Such a discussion may help people to know what they really want. We may regret their decisions, but we should respect their choices and allow them to end their lives with dignity.