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Particularly in the United States, the current generation of young men have been struggling; with finding meaningful relationships, completing higher education, and just generally gaining autonomy. But why are they struggling? What are the longer-term societal consequences if they continue to struggle? And how can we get them back up to speed with their female counterparts and previous generations of men?

Whether or not you think guns are a problem in this country, there is an undeniable reality; more people are killed here by them than any other First World country. So why is it that we can't enact any practical solutions to this problem? Discussions of gun regulations often turn to "they're coming to take your guns away!" But is that really the case? Or are there basic checks and balances that could be put into place that would have an impact, yet still allow people to maintain their second amendment right? And is there any hope in having a civil conversation about this in a country so divided on the subject?

Everyone likes being agreed with. It makes us feel good to have our beliefs validated. And this definitely extends to the news. But with the world becoming more and more polarized, especially as it pertains to politics, our media has become fragmented in kind. Stories often only cover topics from a single perspective. There's far too much subjectivity in journalism now, and it doesn't seem to be letting up. But what if we could change this? What if people are open to change? It's a cyclical problem that's self-perpetuating, but the sooner we can re-evaluate what we expect from media, the sooner we can free ourselves from the pre-canned opinions and move back to critical thinking.

The relationship between politics and money is no secret; but lately it seems like less like a relationship and more like a symbiosis. Campaign costs continue to skyrocket and our voices have become a reflection of the amount of money backing them than the ideas themselves. We’re so deep in this model thats it’s causing our elected officials to focus more on how they're going to finance their next campaign, rather than making good on the promises they made for their current term. The consequences of this seems obvious, but the solutions do not. So how do we break the campaign finance cycle? 

They've come to saturate every media platform we interact with and it's become increasingly difficult to separate individuals' personal media accounts from an ad campaign. But what are social media influencers really marketing through their carefully constructed social media presences? Have they come up with a clever way to sell weight loss supplements? Or are they just giving us a glimpse into the narcissistic dystopia that we are inevitably headed toward? Why have they become so omnipresent and why can't we stop following them?

As many of our children are now attending school remotely as a result of the pandemic, teachers are scrambling to put digital curriculums together and parents are panicking as they have to act as the proxy for educators at home. In time, things will obviously get better; but online learning has some pretty distinct advantages and disadvantages compared to traditional schooling. What are they, and how might they affect kids in the short- and long-term?

The internet gives us unlimited access to the world’s knowledge; but is it actually helpful to have all of that information? Perhaps having such a free flow of data has diluted the importance of authorities and subject matter experts. And are we really getting a fundamental understanding of what we are consuming from the Internet? Or are we just parroting what we read from unreliable sources?

Want to be taller? Faster? Smarter? Want to eradicate all disease? All physical and mental disabilities? Want to play God? Gene editing, while only in its early stages now, proposes to do just that. And while we obviously want the best for our children, and most would go to any length to ensure our babies are born healthy; where should we draw the line?

Before our kids even begin high school, we’re overwhelming them with decisions for college education. But are we emphasizing the looming student loan debt with the same diligence? While college costs have continued to rise, the academic experience has become diluted. Are we really advocating for a brighter future for our children? Or are we setting up for a future economic disaster as student loan debt inevitably becomes unmanageable? And cost aside, are the skills taught in a traditional university setting really preparing our children for the workforce?

iMessage, Slack, email, etc. Our busy lives, along with the proliferation of technology, have massively changed our communications. Rather than the in-person conversations of yore, we’re increasingly relying on small snippets of text and longer timeframes to communicate with colleagues, friends, and loved ones alike. Is missing context causing confusion? Is our cognitive development changing as a result of this medium change? How will humans cope with the fragmentation of interpersonal communication in the future?

Why is it helpful to talk about our thoughts and feelings with others? Have societal advancements evolved beyond our capacity to deal with them? Perhaps sometimes we need to emotionally reflect with others to navigate the conflict created by these advancements. Let’s have a talk about psychotherapy.

Why does space exploration get so much attention? When compared to more economical means of learning about our universe—such as the particle research being done on earth by CERN—sending people and stuff up into space seems like a waste of money. And yet, we spend billions annually doing just that—with relatively little return on investment. So, as a means of research and development, why bother?

Is it a state of mind? An idea? Is it a constant? Or moments in time? Perhaps it’s the journey toward what we want for ourselves? Or maybe the satisfaction with how things ended up? We take our best shot at describing what we think happiness is and how the concept has evolved for us over time.

At this point, the internet and commenting are almost synonymous. Nearly every place you’ve ever visited online includes commenting or is made up entirely of social interaction. But is there any inherent value to online comments these days? If so, what is it? What problems do internet comments create and which problems do they solve? It’s time to reconsider how, why, or if we continue to include internet commenting.

Our interactions with those of differing viewpoints often turn to attacks and diminishment. It’s obvious this isn’t the best way to engage on divisive topics; so why do we default to this? What if we made a conscious effort to ask what motivated their opinion? And explained what motivated ours. Is empathy the path to enlightenment?

As we celebrate America’s 244th birthday, it seems like she’s starting to show her age. The country feels more divided everyday. We get angry with opinions that differ than ours. We have become ridged, punitive, and stubborn. Is there room for the American Dream when the most intimate moments shared with our neighbors are angry internet comments? Where do we go from here?

Vaccines have received a lot of flack as of late. A quick internet search returns results flooded with controversy, alleged experts, and nonscientific information; leaving many confused and afraid. So what’s the big deal, anyway?

(Recorded Feb 2020) They bring us entertainment, information, and the ability to connect. They have singlehandedly (get it?) revolutionized how we exist in the modern world. But has one of our greatest achievements become our biggest distraction? Since we’re all guilty for over depending on them, let's have an honest conversation about our favorite guilty pleasure.

From gazing into the mirror for feedback on our physicality, to posting our opinions online in search of validation; we are consumed by narcissistic motivations and egocentric perspectives. But have technology and social media amplified our interest in ourselves? Or are they themselves a manifestation of our narcissism? And are we more narcissistic now than ever before? Join the conversation for another opportunity to talk about our favorite topic; ourselves.

Thanks to pop culture, we’ve all heard about the fantastical dangers of Artificial Intelligence in some form or another. But is it really humanoid robots taking over human civilization by force that we need to worry about in hundreds of years? Or rather, Twitter bots tricking us and spreading misinformation tomorrow? Join the discussion before the AI takeover.