Capitalist societies program us to believe it’s unproductive to set time aside for leisure activities. I’ve countlessly fallen victim to this mindset myself. If I choose to turn my attention to creating art or reading the latest sci-fi novel from my favourite author, I feel guilty thinking those minutes and hours could’ve been spent on school assignments or work. This form of productivity guilt is certainly not helped by social media accounts that glorify hustle culture. This is evident in the daily routines of content creators who appear to wake up at 5:00 a.m., go to the gym, attend classes,…
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The capitalist goal is simple: maximize profit by spending less on materials and labour. This has had a drastic impact on the quality of material goods. The pursuit of this goal has replaced the need for specialized artisans, whose goods…
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Imagine this: you found a great job opportunity, made it through the first couple of interviews, and are now starting the final interview. Your manager-to-be asks the typical, “Tell me about a time you solved a problem by thinking outside…
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Escapism — the use of activities to temporarily transport us into a happier world where we have control over our actions and emotions, creates an illusionary pleasant atmosphere. Though moderation is needed, escapism is rather necessary to survive in this…
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We’re encouraged to constantly be productive regardless of the cost. Overwork culture promotes overworking as “a status symbol that puts us on the path to success.” As students with the ambiguous goal of “academic success,” it is always possible to…
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This pandemic has undeniably brought isolation, uncertainty, stress, and precarity for many — and still continues to. While none of this should be downplayed, for some of us privileged enough, the extra time we had to fill pushed us to…
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From the 20-somethings who are knitting, baking, and essentially living out the life they’ll be living in 50 years (back pain included,) to those like my roommate who have devoted their quarantine to dressing up their childhood stuffed animals in…
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I just couldn’t eat Cadbury Mini Eggs for dinner again. I was looking for some kind of microwaveable food that I wouldn’t have to wash down with a bottle of ginger pills to stomach. I shoved a box of Clif…
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Ever since my parents forced me to take piano lessons when I was seven, music has always been such a big part of my life, . 10 years later, I ended up hating piano lessons, but gained a new appreciation…
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When I say I’m a creative, that means a lot of things. I write articles, I write a lot of prose and poetry, and I’m also a musician. So when an opportunity to be creative arises, I take it —…
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