Category: Life

From fear to fortitude – a journey through life (and the forest) | Anna Ķirse

Everyone has something that they are afraid of. For Anna Ķirse, that something happened to be almost everything. But facing the realization that fear might prevent her from pursuing her dreams, Anna was able to turn fear into her ally,...

Becoming a bullshit warrior – and being happier for it | Ralfs Eilands

Whether we like it or not, every one of us experiences a certain amount of untruthfulness throughout the day. White lies can seem innocent at face level, but when stacked upon more, we enter a society of untruths. Musician Ralfs...

Not just another number – maintaining humanity and identity in detention | Ilvija Pūce

What happens with a human in detention, removed of their freedom and former identity? How is it that people who were among ‘us’ suddenly become ‘them’, as if they are something alien? And how do these terms prevent us from...

Trust – the underrated element of getting things done | Jānis Erts

When so much in life is unpredictable, the most direct approach to personal and societal well-being is to foster trust. Trust is a habit, and like all habits, must be trained. And the best teachers? Children. Civic activist Jānis Erts...

The dangers of foregoing emotional due diligence | Aleksander Tõnnisson

No matter how rational we may try to be, emotions and feelings lie behind every decision we make. In today’s world of analytics and data-driven decision-making, however, we often fail to take into account the impact our feelings have on...

Parenting after Everest: perspectives from the top | Olga Kotova

One day a particularly ill-prepared hike triggered Olga’s curiosity about being in the mountains. It was the beginning of a long journey to many summits, including that of Mt Everest. However, her most precious discoveries were not the summits themselves,...

From zero waste to less waste – for the environment and your sanity | Laura Arnicāne

Zero waste activist Laura Arnicāne was a chronic perfectionist whose quest for leading a truly zero waste lifestyle led to wasting away herself. Since then, she has found that striving for a less waste lifestyle, on the grand scale of...

See the forest for the trees (and birds) | Indriķis Krams

Living in the comforts of modern civilization, most of us are far removed from the natural world and take for granted its existence. But biologist Indriķis Krams, who spends most of his time studying birds in old growth forests, has...

Finding the balance between money and meaning | Jānis Kreilis

For many of us, finding the balance between doing something that provides meaning and something that pays the bills seems out of reach. Whether it’s expectations about what is an acceptable career path, the desire to strike it rich or...

The triumph of the human spirit – repairing bonds in a broken world | Mark Rittenberg

The most beautiful outcome is the triumph of the human spirit. This is something that Mark Rittenberg has witnessed over his lifetime in difficult situations, from the assassination of a president to the mediation of the Middle East peace process....