Latest news with #humancondition
Forbes
10 hours ago
- General
- Forbes
Following Your Passion
It's easy to overlook the value of figuring out what you are truly skilled at. Passion indeed sparks inspiration, but without competence, it often burns out. The words 'passion' and 'compassion,' unsurprisingly, share a similar Latin root, 'pati,' meaning 'suffer,' and 'compati,' translating to 'suffer with.' The word passion traveled the winding road from Latin to Old English, to Old French. Romans associated suffering with Prometheus, so the Christian application of passion as it refers to Jesus's suffering and death also remained intact, but we might scratch our heads at how suffering arrived at the widespread usage to mean strong and barely controllable emotion and an intense desire or enthusiasm. However, if you think about it, any of us who have loved intensely and lost love understand passion in this context, just as do any of us who have acted on our passions for producing art (including writing books!) or the passion required to start a business, for with all things requiring intense emotional outpouring, there will be disappointment, setbacks, and jarring moments of self-doubt. Suffering, my friends, is part of the human condition. But I'll tell you two things: 1) once we link passion and compassion, when we realize that 'suffering with' others, sharing their pain and disappointment, seeing our unity in the human condition and its inevitable ups and downs, we find a pathway to acting on the pure joy found in passion alongside the intense emotion that comes with our stumbles; and 2) the hard things we will encounter never outweigh the rewards of acting on our passion. 'Follow your passion' is advice we hear all the time. It's easy to overlook the value of figuring out what you are truly skilled at. Passion indeed sparks inspiration, but without competence, it often burns out. Likewise, relying solely on what you are good at—without any emotional connection can lead to a mechanical and mundane life. 'The Bloom Within' — A poetic celebration of inner beauty and growth. The rich background feels floral and expansive, suggesting a soul in full bloom. As you may have gathered already if you have perused this website at all, I have passion for many things, including my work as a clinician, an artist, and photographer as evidenced by the images you'll can view in the gallery and those that illustrate my book Fractured but Fearless. The art I produce is a pure expression of my emotion, work that brings me great joy, work for which the reward is entirely intrinsic and 'success' is measured in the process of creating and in the satisfaction of having created. And, yes, as anyone who participates in artistic expression in any form—writing, music, dance…in any medium you might name—there is often suffering along the way, suffering in trying to get the process right, in recalling memories or loved ones now passed, in translating emotions we don't fully understand. I make my living by practicing medicine and as a healthcare executive, but both of those pursuits are every bit as much passion ventures for me as are art, photography, and writing. The pursuit of excellence in healthcare is a personal crusade fueled by a deep-seated passion to make a tangible difference in the lives of my patients. When I first began to expand my vision of the impact I could have in healthcare by becoming an entrepreneur, one hospital CEO asked me, 'Dr Ali, why do you want to expand your services to another market?' I replied, 'Destiny is a very big word for a small man like me, but I feel this is mine. I don't have to fix everything, but I would like to do my part.' 'Echoes in Silence' — Suggests thoughtful introspection, with a calm atmosphere where the mind echoes inwardly, reflecting past experiences. Part of the beauty on this Earth is that we are all driven by different passions. We are as unique as snowflakes. Some argue that people place too much emphasis on passion, that passion can be unrealistic, that passion cannot necessarily pay the bills. They, in short, see life as filled with necessary suffering. And while it is true that we all must accomplish some essential things to keep ourselves alive, who are we to judge another's passion? I think often of an elderly man in a small village in my native Pakistan. He has a perpetual smile on his face. He laughs with ease. He has few material possessions. He lives a simple life. But he is close to his family, finds real pleasure in sipping tea with cherished friends, likes to be outside in pleasant weather. In the West, we might accuse this man of not having ambition, but perhaps he has found happiness we have missed. If true, it is because we have mistaken an understanding of his passions. Our own passions may be different. They may be more 'ambitious.' But whatever we do in this life, should we not find extreme emotion in participating in the things in which we find meaning? No matter the nature of our passion, will we suffer along the way? Of course. Life's not just sunshine and rainbows. Moments of relief, rebellion, experiment, and freedom are as much a part of the fabric of life as challenges and uncertainties. That's the beauty of it all—the messy, intricate, and wonderfully unpredictable journey we call life. Let's meet it with passion.
Associated Press
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
CS Global Partners 2025 World Citizenship Report Probes Global Change, Humanity
London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - June 19, 2025) - CS Global Partners releases the fourth edition of its annual World Citizenship Report (WCR ). This year's edition takes stock of the human condition in a tumultuous geopolitical period, considering the reverberating effects of elections, economic instability and rising safety concerns globally. [ This image cannot be displayed. Please visit the source: ] The CS Global Partners World Citizenship Report remains the flagship analysis of the most pressing issues facing global citizens. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: The report's theme, the human condition as a catalyst of change, takes a theoretically grounded approach to report data and probes citizenship through a human lens. The report considers the reasons people leave their home countries and the reasons that people stay, especially in a world where countries previously considered safe and prosperous are more dangerous, while many developing countries improve their security and economic credentials. The electoral changes in the United States and ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East have created a novel environment through which to understand the power of citizenship and mobility. The backdrop of the rise of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) adds an intriguing dimension to the geopolitical environment. The World Citizenship Report provides commentary and analysis from scholars and researchers, including an initiative from the World Economic Forum and the University of Cambridge, on these vital developments. The report also features in-depth analysis on urbanisation, green geopolitics, investor migration and electoral strategies. The World Citizenship Report is the world's first-ever endeavour to investigate the value of citizenship through the lens of the global citizen. Favouring a multifaceted approach, the World Citizenship Report employs the World Citizenship Index (WCI). The World Citizenship Index is an innovative tool that takes a holistic approach to ranking the world's citizenships across multiple dimensions. Moving beyond typical concepts of passport strength, the World Citizenship Index acknowledges the many reasons that people leave their countries, and the many reasons that people stay. This report is distinguished by placing a greater emphasis on the diverse attitudes regarding key facets of citizenship. The World Citizenship Report measures 188 countries across five motivators that global citizens care most about - Safety and Security, Quality of Life, Economic Opportunity, Global Mobility and Financial Freedom. Micha Emmett, CEO of CS Global Partners, states, 'At its core, this report underscores a simple but profound truth: the human condition remains at the heart of all global shifts. The desire for safety, mobility, economic opportunity, financial certainty and quality of life transcends borders. While there may be no perfect country, the World Citizenship Index provides a strategic roadmap for families seeking to optimise their futures amidst the uncertainty.' For overall rankings in the World Citizenship Report, Switzerland took first place. Switzerland stood out for its liveability, dynamic economy with high levels of Financial Freedom, and safe society. Known as a haven for luxury, stunning mountains and lakes, and political neutrality, the country enjoys a strong reputation across the globe. Last year's top scorer, Ireland, (ranked seventh in this year's WCR), also received high marks for Quality of Life, Financial Freedom, and Safety and Security, though the country fell from being ranked first in the Economic Opportunity motivator in 2024 to #59 in this year's report. The United Kingdom scored highly but fell when compared to last year. It ranked 12 th among all nations, compared to its sixth place ranking last year. The United States was ranked 19 th in this year's report, which is a slight improvement from last year's ranking of 22. Last year's edition of the World Citizenship Report noted that the Quality of Life pillar was ranked most important among the five pillars, according to our survey of HNWIs. Safety and Security followed closely, indicating that HNWIs are focussed not only on finding the most secure countries for living and working, but also in finding the countries with the highest standard of living for themselves and their families. The Quality of Life pillar considers a nation's ability to give its citizens the things necessary for a high standard of living, including environmental quality, educational quality and healthcare quality. Norway, Germany, and Switzerland took the top three spots in the Quality of Life pillar. In the 2025 report, Somalia, Chad and South Sudan took the worst rankings in Quality of Life. Yemen and Afghanistan were also in the bottom ten, which is a key difference from last year's rankings, in which African countries took all 10 bottom positions for Quality of Life. As with this year, Somalia, Chad and South Sudan rounded out the worst-ranked countries in 2024. The Safety and Security motivator assesses a country's social safety and security metrics, from governance to crime and beyond, considering the safety net the country provides against instability and disorder. Iceland took first place in the Safety and Security motivator, Switzerland came in second place and Denmark took third place. Venezuela scored the lowest in this pillar, reflecting the political and economic turmoil in the country. Safety and Security is of fundamental importance, particularly to HNWIs. As war between Russia and Ukraine continues, and Israel and Palestine dip in and out of ceasefires, and recently the current escalation between Israel and Iran, instability is characterising global geopolitics. The World Citizenship Report provides a guide to the safest and most secure countries, also highlighting those that are most prone to warfare and discord. Reflecting the toll of the conflicts within which their countries are embroiled, Russia was ranked #161 in the report, and Ukraine was ranked #154. The Financial Freedom motivator measures the ability of a country to provide a favourable and stable regulatory climate for the establishment and functioning of businesses, as well as the holding of personal and business assets. Denmark, Singapore, and Finland took the first three spots in this pillar. Venezuela took the bottom spot. The World Citizenship Report survey of HNWIs last year found that in Europe and other economically more developed regions, HNWIs place greater emphasis on investments, portfolio diversification and wealth planning when considering second citizenship. 45.4 per cent of Europeans noted this as a priority. In contrast, regions such as Latin America which feature less robust economies emphasise work opportunities more than investments. Only 24.1 per cent of Latin Americans noted investments, portfolio diversification and wealth planning as a priority. Each edition of the World Citizenship Report maintains a rigorous data methodology but brings about a new thematic innovation. This year's theme, with its deep philosophical and theoretical grounding, provides a necessary update to the report's offering. To download the 2025 World Citizenship Report visit: Contact: CS Global Partners +44 20 7318 4343 [email protected] To view the source version of this press release, please visit
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
CS Global Partners 2025 World Citizenship Report Probes Global Change, Humanity
London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - June 19, 2025) - CS Global Partners releases the fourth edition of its annual World Citizenship Report (WCR). This year's edition takes stock of the human condition in a tumultuous geopolitical period, considering the reverberating effects of elections, economic instability and rising safety concerns globally. The CS Global Partners World Citizenship Report remains the flagship analysis of the most pressing issues facing global citizens. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: The report's theme, the human condition as a catalyst of change, takes a theoretically grounded approach to report data and probes citizenship through a human lens. The report considers the reasons people leave their home countries and the reasons that people stay, especially in a world where countries previously considered safe and prosperous are more dangerous, while many developing countries improve their security and economic credentials. The electoral changes in the United States and ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East have created a novel environment through which to understand the power of citizenship and mobility. The backdrop of the rise of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) adds an intriguing dimension to the geopolitical environment. The World Citizenship Report provides commentary and analysis from scholars and researchers, including an initiative from the World Economic Forum and the University of Cambridge, on these vital developments. The report also features in-depth analysis on urbanisation, green geopolitics, investor migration and electoral strategies. The World Citizenship Report is the world's first-ever endeavour to investigate the value of citizenship through the lens of the global citizen. Favouring a multifaceted approach, the World Citizenship Report employs the World Citizenship Index (WCI). The World Citizenship Index is an innovative tool that takes a holistic approach to ranking the world's citizenships across multiple dimensions. Moving beyond typical concepts of passport strength, the World Citizenship Index acknowledges the many reasons that people leave their countries, and the many reasons that people stay. This report is distinguished by placing a greater emphasis on the diverse attitudes regarding key facets of citizenship. The World Citizenship Report measures 188 countries across five motivators that global citizens care most about - Safety and Security, Quality of Life, Economic Opportunity, Global Mobility and Financial Freedom. Micha Emmett, CEO of CS Global Partners, states, "At its core, this report underscores a simple but profound truth: the human condition remains at the heart of all global shifts. The desire for safety, mobility, economic opportunity, financial certainty and quality of life transcends borders. While there may be no perfect country, the World Citizenship Index provides a strategic roadmap for families seeking to optimise their futures amidst the uncertainty." For overall rankings in the World Citizenship Report, Switzerland took first place. Switzerland stood out for its liveability, dynamic economy with high levels of Financial Freedom, and safe society. Known as a haven for luxury, stunning mountains and lakes, and political neutrality, the country enjoys a strong reputation across the globe. Last year's top scorer, Ireland, (ranked seventh in this year's WCR), also received high marks for Quality of Life, Financial Freedom, and Safety and Security, though the country fell from being ranked first in the Economic Opportunity motivator in 2024 to #59 in this year's report. The United Kingdom scored highly but fell when compared to last year. It ranked 12th among all nations, compared to its sixth place ranking last year. The United States was ranked 19th in this year's report, which is a slight improvement from last year's ranking of 22. Last year's edition of the World Citizenship Report noted that the Quality of Life pillar was ranked most important among the five pillars, according to our survey of HNWIs. Safety and Security followed closely, indicating that HNWIs are focussed not only on finding the most secure countries for living and working, but also in finding the countries with the highest standard of living for themselves and their families. The Quality of Life pillar considers a nation's ability to give its citizens the things necessary for a high standard of living, including environmental quality, educational quality and healthcare quality. Norway, Germany, and Switzerland took the top three spots in the Quality of Life pillar. In the 2025 report, Somalia, Chad and South Sudan took the worst rankings in Quality of Life. Yemen and Afghanistan were also in the bottom ten, which is a key difference from last year's rankings, in which African countries took all 10 bottom positions for Quality of Life. As with this year, Somalia, Chad and South Sudan rounded out the worst-ranked countries in 2024. The Safety and Security motivator assesses a country's social safety and security metrics, from governance to crime and beyond, considering the safety net the country provides against instability and disorder. Iceland took first place in the Safety and Security motivator, Switzerland came in second place and Denmark took third place. Venezuela scored the lowest in this pillar, reflecting the political and economic turmoil in the country. Safety and Security is of fundamental importance, particularly to HNWIs. As war between Russia and Ukraine continues, and Israel and Palestine dip in and out of ceasefires, and recently the current escalation between Israel and Iran, instability is characterising global geopolitics. The World Citizenship Report provides a guide to the safest and most secure countries, also highlighting those that are most prone to warfare and discord. Reflecting the toll of the conflicts within which their countries are embroiled, Russia was ranked #161 in the report, and Ukraine was ranked #154. The Financial Freedom motivator measures the ability of a country to provide a favourable and stable regulatory climate for the establishment and functioning of businesses, as well as the holding of personal and business assets. Denmark, Singapore, and Finland took the first three spots in this pillar. Venezuela took the bottom spot. The World Citizenship Report survey of HNWIs last year found that in Europe and other economically more developed regions, HNWIs place greater emphasis on investments, portfolio diversification and wealth planning when considering second citizenship. 45.4 per cent of Europeans noted this as a priority. In contrast, regions such as Latin America which feature less robust economies emphasise work opportunities more than investments. Only 24.1 per cent of Latin Americans noted investments, portfolio diversification and wealth planning as a priority. Each edition of the World Citizenship Report maintains a rigorous data methodology but brings about a new thematic innovation. This year's theme, with its deep philosophical and theoretical grounding, provides a necessary update to the report's offering. To download the 2025 World Citizenship Report visit: Contact: CS Global Partners+44 20 7318 4343pr@ To view the source version of this press release, please visit Sign in to access your portfolio
CBC
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Rag Pickers by Blaine Newton
A sinister note sewn in the lining of a vintage jacket from a second-hand store compels a young woman to make changes in her life. A brother discovers his dying twin has been burying jars of coins in an attempt to create mystery in a neighbourhood. On his 43rd birthday, a man realizes that the critical events of his life occur in years when his age is a prime number. A woman reconfigures her stick figure on the back window of the family minivan in an act of defiance and reinvention. Rag Pickers is a collection of eighteen short stories that challenge the essential loneliness of the human condition. Blaine Newton writes with wry humour, deep observation, and an off-kilter perspective, bringing his skill as a playwright to crackling dialogue and polished prose. Well-crafted, heartbreaking, and really, really funny, this is a book for anyone who has ever felt alone. (From University of Calgary Press) Blaine Newton is an Edmonton-based award-winning playwright, comedy writer, short-fiction author, actor and occasional engineer. His plays have been produced across western Canada, and his short fiction has been featured in magazines and anthologies, and on CBC and CKUA radio. Rag Pickers is his debut short story collection.
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Sebastião Salgado captured the world like no other photographer
It's a testament to the epic career of Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado, who died this week at age 81, that this year has already seen exhibitions of hundreds of his photos in Mexico City, France and southern California. Salgado, who in his lifetime produced more than 500,000 images while meticulously documenting every continent on earth and many of the major geopolitical events since the second world war, will be remembered as one of the world's most prodigious and relentlessly empathetic chroniclers of the human condition. An economist by training, Salgado only began photographing at age 29 after picking up the camera of his wife, Lélia. He began working as a photojournalist in the 1970s, quickly building an impressive reputation that led him to the prestigious Magnum Photos in 1979. He spent three decades photographing people in modern societies all over the world before stepping back in 2004 to initiate the seven-year Genesis project – there, he dedicated himself to untouched landscapes and pre-modern human communities, a project that would guide the remainder of his career. His late project Amazônia saw him spend nine years preparing a profound look into the terrain and people of the Amazon rain forest. In 2014 the German director Wim Wenders teamed up with the photographer's son Juliano Ribeiro Salgado to co-produce a documentary celebrating Salgado's work titled The Salt of the Earth. While covering 40 years of Salgado's creative output, the film also centers around his decision to temporarily abandon photography after witnessing firsthand the horrors of the Rwandan genocide. Amid that crisis he founded his Instituto Terra in 1998 – ultimately planting hundreds of thousands of trees in an effort to help reforest Brazil's Rio Doce valley – and through his communion with the land slowly pieced his way back to photography. Salgado tirelessly, and probably also recklessly, threw himself into his work – while documenting Mozambique's civil war in 1974 he ran afoul of a landmine, and later, in Indonesia in the 1990s, he caught malaria, leading to ongoing medical issues for the remainder of his life. He spent nearly two months walking Arctic Russia with the Indigenous Nenets, encountering temperatures as cold as -45C, and he also recounted walking nearly 1,000km through Ethiopia because of the lack of roads. Late in life, Salgado was forced to have a surgical implant in order to retain use of his knee in the course of making his Amazônia project. His biblical landscapes are often taken from thousands of feet in the air – one imagines him leaning out of a helicopter, angling for the perfect framing. He was known for utilizing virtually every mode of conveyance available in pursuit of the new and unseen – car, truck, ship, helicopter, plane, even canoe, hot-air balloon, Amazon riverboat and others. Prints of Salgado's work – always black and white, and generally printed at a dazzlingly high contrast – were as sizable as his ambitious, landing as overwhelming presences in galleries and museums. He was known for blacks that were as inky as they come, and his landscapes also show a remarkable obsession with rays of light shining through rainclouds, around mountains and off of water. He loved the graininess that came from film – so much so, that when he finally traded in his trusty Leica for a digital camera, he often digitally manipulated his images to bring in a grain reminiscent of real film. For as much as Salgado was a photographer of extremes, he could also do tonal nuance – many of his landscapes are only capable of capturing their terrain's immensity due to his careful use of mid-tones, and Salgado's human portraiture often abandoned the high contrast for a rich subtlety. No matter how enormous his subjects were, he always retained a remarkable human touch. When photographing Brazil's Serra Pelada gold mine he made images showing the workers as thousands of ants scrambling up perilously sheer walls of dirt, yet also captured indelible expressions of effort and pride on the faces of individual, mud-soaked laborers. His image of the Churchgate train station in Bombay, India, shows thousands of commuters in motion, looking like a literal flood of humanity surging around two waiting trains. One snap of a firefighter in Kuwait working to cap the oil wells that Saddam Hussein set ablaze shows a man hunched over in a posture of utter exhaustion, one of countless examples of Salgado's incredible ability to limn the human form via film. Given everything that Salgado shot over his incredible six decades of work, it's hard to imagine what else he could have done. Upon turning 80 last year, he had declared his decision to step back from photography in order to manage his enormous archive of images and administer worldwide exhibitions of his work. He also showed his dim outlook for humanity, telling the Guardian: 'I am pessimistic about humankind, but optimistic about the planet. The planet will recover. It is becoming increasingly easier for the planet to eliminate us.' It will probably take decades to fully appreciate and exhibit Salgado's remaining photographs, to say nothing of grappling with the images he showed during his lifetime. One hopes that amid a period of increasing global strife, environmental collapse and threats to the mere notion of truth, this remarkable output will remain a beacon of decency and humanity – and help us chart a path back from the brink.
