The pursuit of happiness.
Can we fix the world?
Letters From the Age of Turbulence. (per l’italiano, scorrere più avanti)
Where are the men gone? What are they looking for? And you, who are you?
Perhaps, balancing between the reassuring certainty of a like, YOLO or the future, a positive #vibe, Kanye West banned from the world (and soon to be back in) while Taylor Swift makes billions, the loneliness behind speaking empty words, the latest course on how to use chat-gpt, a distracted gaze in trying to grasp something you just can't find, that something-not-going-but-not-understand-what, and, then, a notification.
The future does not exist (said Augustin). What about T-I-M-E?
Not long ago, a boy, said to me: “We need authentic human exchange, we want to find a place where to talk about relevant topics we normally never discuss in our lives, do something creative and useful together, which could also help someone else in the same state of personal research.”
So naive, so simple.
"So I wasn't talking about boas, primitive forests, stars. I would stoop to his level, talking about viral contents, my creator friends, no-make up make up trends, fashion shows and sustainable tote bags. And he, he was all pleased to have met such a sensitive boy." (The Little Prince, slightly revised and updated).
From my window I can see the big dome of a church. Looking up, one night I felt the warmth of a bonfire. The memory that was, I was in front of a real teenage bonfire. And then I realized that on Netflix, during Christmas holidays, we had Fireplace 4k ranking No. 1. And so, slightly gripped by the comfortable despair of an impending apocalypse, a little melted in my nostalgic drama, on my hands the warmth of the bonfire shattering in my memory, I thought. We really screwed everything up. So did I? I never felt responsible for the catastrophic world situation in which we live, but then: what am I really looking for, in my life, from the people who participate to my existence? Aren’t we all a little reproduction of the whole world, in our small, ordinary lives? Can we fix the world, if we don’t fix our lives?
So. I looked for the Northern Star on google maps. And I found a restaurant.
In a galaxy far, far away, a long time ago, men looked up: "Oh, look, holes-in-the-sky!"
From that day on, they started walking.
Today we know when they will stop walking. 2600. (Says, Steven Hawkins). Globalization ended really badly.
But we liked to think we'll still have some time, we're hopeful.
So, 5099. There’s still some time, come on.
Will We Live Forever?
Now, it’s time to go and taste the very first, genuine products from our lively small community. All of them tried their best, to put together something genuine, for you.
Editor’s letter by Lilit Boninsegni
Suggested Sound: “Ride”, Lana Del Rey. From our Hurricane Collective Soundtrack.
HUMANITY PAPERS 5099 ISSUE 01
Here’s Andrea. She is a Millennial, traveled the world and now writes from Stockholm, under the snow.
The Unbearable Fakeness of Being.
Or Thoughts on social media and our collective mental health
By Andrea Nyberg.
I am sitting at my kitchen table just after breakfast, I will soon get to my work emails but just in order to get a short break, a breather, or maybe some kind of sense of being in touch, not unlike the sensation in my teens of picking up a cigarette between lessons in school, I pick up my phone, open my social media channel, and start scrolling. I see family, former friends and colleagues, people I have dated, and strangers. I come across a post from that friend that I haven’t seen in years, someone I have tried to reach out to but who has chosen not to prioritize me in her life, and an unpleasant sensation of being left out, of loss, makes a hint in my stomach. I also see picturesque landscape views of exotic, heavenly places by that former colleague who now seems to be living her dream life, always travelling, and the thought hits me regarding whether I have made the right choices in my life, and doubts start to seep in about my own destiny. Then I come across a post from that young female business leader I once met at a political gathering; I see just her face, I see those duck lips and those deer-eyes, that photographic angle and those filters that transform women’s faces into dolls, and, as a Millennial, distant memories of Pamela Andersson flash by; Pamela, as the primal mother of the gentrification of that pornographic look, calibrated now by the vastly more famous Kardashians. READ IT»
Are we all greenwahsers?
Or Thoughts on social media and our collective mental health
By Fatemeh (Maral) Valipour.
We all know Instagram can sometimes feel like a glamorous runway for eco-friendly products, but here's the twist – are those bamboo toothbrushes and reusable straws just for show, or are they making a difference? Let's make eco-choices that go beyond the Insta-glam and actually contribute to a greener planet.
Also, can we talk about those trendy tote bags? They're everywhere – in vibrant colors, adorned with catchy slogans, and often a fashion statement in their own right. We strut around with these eco-chic accessories, and it feels like we're nailing the sustainability game. #OOTD goals, anyone? So, you've nailed the perfect tote bag pic for your Insta. But what happens next?
Sometimes, it stops right there – at the pic. It's like a one-off performance, a moment frozen in time. We've showcased our eco-credentials, but are we really living the green life beyond the gram?
THE TOTE TRUTH:
Beyond the aesthetics, let's get real. Critics suggest that some tote-toters might be using these bags as a style accessory more than an actual commitment to reducing single-use plastics. It's like the bag becomes a prop, and the real impact on the environment gets lost in the shuffle. Tote bags are awesome, but they're just a small piece of the puzzle. READ IT»
My identity, my rebellion.
Or, Will beauty save the world?
By Alessandra Arpaia.
“If we taught beauty to the People, thus would give them a weapon against resignation, fear, silence.”
Unattainable models of beauty, performance anxiety, the pursuit of happiness. Who are our role models? Where did the rebellious spirits end up? What can we do to bring back a healing form of rebellion, where can we find the inspirational people who walked this path in the past and can inspire us for the future?
Our path as humans begins looking at the stars, and continues, searching for fragments of eternity. Without acceptance of ourselves and an authentic sense of belonging to a community, our identity comes out crushed. We want to look for that primordial beauty that we all have in our inner selves: we can tangibly “wear” it or it invisibly takes a place in our conscience, healing loneliness, lack of meaning and anxiety. READ IT»
Work, or the meaning about what we look for.
By and with: Brian Vannacci & Gabriela Merce.
In this video project, our volunteers Brian and Gabriela investigate the meaning of work, in today's culture. They interview themselves, as well as diverse people from Italy, and other countries. Some of them have a job, some of them give a job place to others, some others are looking forward to change their job. All of them are looking for something, what is it?
“Sometimes, I feel anxious about a new assignment, a new job position. I guess I should work more on myself not to feel this pressure.”
— BRIAN, GEN Z, FROM PRATO, ITALY
Watch part 2 of the interview.