Reimagining retirement

Negative notions of ageing can become internalised and prevent people from having fun and making the new connections which keep them healthy and happy for longer, so it’s vital to reimagine ageing in more positive ways.

When the ship comes in

It took three months to sail to Australia from England in the 19th century, and the diaries of some of the girls who made the trip reveal the swings of thoughts and emotions which accompanied them.

What’s on the menu in 2050?

You don’t hear much about the population explosion anymore, but the world may have to support up to 10 billion people in 2050 – up from 6.1 billion in 2000 – and our diets will have to change to ensure we all have enough to eat.

Work, rest and play

We all offer differ aspects of ourselves to different social circumstances, both consciously and unconsciously, raising the question of who we really are at our core.

The horror of the heights

Once the greatest challenge in high altitude mountaineering, decades of guided trips to the top have turned the once mighty Mount Everest into a mere item on adventure tourists’ bucket lists, but the sheer number of attempts on the summit every climbing season means its cumulative death toll continues to grow.

Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time

“Time is an illusion, lunch time doubly so” wrote Douglas Adams, and two new books – “Saving Time: Discovering a life beyond the clock” by Jenny Odell and Hanging Out: The radical power of killing time by Sheila Liming – take a similarly relaxed attitude to the most precious resource we have.

Aristotle on friendship

The Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote extensively on friendship, as “no one would choose to live without friends,” even if they could have everything else in life instead.

Taking the good news with the bad

Doomscrolling endless bad news on your phone can poison your mood and your faith in humanity, but interspersing a few happier stories can restore your spirits as well.

Growing pains

Giving young people the skills they need to develop a strong sense of self can help adolescents navigate challenges and develop into confident and resilient adults.

A helping hand

Almost a fifth of Australians claim to have a disability of one type or another. Here are five things we can do to create a more inclusive society for people with disabilities.

Could you please be quiet, please?

From the hum of air conditioners to the roar of traffic, the thump of loud music or people shouting into mobile phones, our modern urban lives are unceasingly noisy, and some people are more sensitive to this aural assault than others.

In praise of older women

Older women can continue to live productive and satisfying lives, but they can achieve their potential only in a milieu that enables, rather than inhibits, them.