What if the Self never actually disappears? A look at terminal lucidity, the unexplained return of memory and clarity in the final hours before death.

If you were to explain your routine to an Ancient Roman, he would be appalled at the amount of time you spend working. He would take one look at your schedule, see all those meetings and deadlines and blocks of time working on things that don’t really matter, and be baffled that a human being would subject themselves it. See, the Ancient Romans had a very different way of looking at life than we do now. Somewhere in the last 2,000 years, our definition of what means to live a

Like most people, the first time I realised just how small we are, I was a kid. It’s a vivid memory, one that’s burnt into my brain. I must have been about ten years old, lying on my bed and staring up through the window at the night sky. Of course, living in Britain, the sky was mostly covered with clouds, but every so often the wind would sweep them aside, and I’d be treated to a clear, unobstructed view of the sky above. The stars were fascinating. Those little pinpricks o

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned over the last few years is that not having an opinion on something is a perfectly valid option. In a world where we’re constantly bombarded with news and media from all over the world, it can be very easy to get yourself worked up about every little thing. From serious issues like social injustice to pointless things like a celebrity’s favourite brand of cereal, we’re constantly told to have an opinion on anything and everything.

The first time I heard “nothing means anything” was in a meeting. We were sitting around a table, discussing methods and techniques for dealing with stress in the workplace. (I work in marketing, and with it being a fast-paced industry, there’s naturally a heightened chance of stress.) The chat moved around the room, going person to person, until it came to Bob. Bob is not his real name, but we can use it for the sake of clarity. Bob told the room that he “doesn’t feel stress

For the longest time, I haven’t been able to get this idea out of my head. Perhaps it’s because I can’t see a way to think around it. As...