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What Do Inclusivity and Inclusiveness Really Mean at Work?

These days, the words inclusivity and inclusiveness appear everywhere, especially in the workplace. Many companies and institutions proudly announce inclusivity as a core policy or guiding principle. It is presented as something unquestionably positive. Yet the more often the word is used, the more I find myself wondering what it actually means in practice. On the surface, inclusivity sounds simple. Everyone is included. Everyone belongs. But can that really be true. Can any environment include every view, every belief, and every perspective without contradiction. At some point, inclusion must have boundaries. Otherwise, the term risks becoming unclear. This question became more than theoretical after a conversation I had with someone who was strongly committed to promoting inclusivity. I asked a straightforward question. If my views happen to contradict theirs, are my views included as well. Or would they be dismissed, labeled, or quietly set aside. The reaction answered the question ...
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Why Does Bottled Water Have an Expiry Date?

I was browsing through the supermarket aisle the other day, standing in front of the bottled water section. It is an impressive display. Shelves filled with water from everywhere, each bottle carrying a name so fancy it feels like pronunciation should come with instructions. Some sound less like water and more like ancient philosophers. What caught my attention was not the branding, though. It was the expiry date. There it was, clearly printed on a bottle of what appeared to be perfectly normal bottled water. According to the label, the water would expire in about a year. I stood there for a moment, quietly processing this information. The same bottle proudly claimed the water came from springs that were millions of years old. This is where things became interesting. If water has been sitting underground for millions of years, untouched and unchanged, how exactly does it become unfit for consumption twelve months after meeting a plastic bottle. Does the water suddenly lose confidence. ...
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Do Corporate Emails Actually Mean Anything Anymore

Like most people at work, I recently received a group email. One of those emails that goes to everyone, yet somehow feels very personal. Apparently, the sender was deeply interested in me and genuinely wanted to do something good for my well-being. At least, that is what the tone suggested. Days have passed, and I am still trying to understand what that email actually meant. It was full of impressive words. Words like inclusive, financial well-being, and wellness appeared several times. Inclusive of what, however, remained unclear. Financial well-being sounded promising until I realized no money was involved. Wellness was mentioned repeatedly, yet no one explained what wellness actually meant or how it would affect my daily life. The email did not ask me to do anything specific. It did not offer anything concrete. It simply existed, floating somewhere between optimism and confusion. I read it again, slowly, just in case I missed the message hidden between the buzzwords. I did not. This...
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Standing Desks at Work: Productivity, Posture, and Other Modern Myths

Standing desks are apparently the cool thing to have at the workplace. At some point, almost overnight, offices began transforming into partial gym spaces. Desks started moving up and down. Chairs were pushed aside. People stood proudly at their stations, as if posture alone could solve every workplace problem. There was a time when people went to work, sat on the chairs provided, used the desks they were given, did their jobs, and went home. No one complained. Work was completed. Deadlines were met. Backs somehow survived the experience. Then came fitness gurus and workplace ergonomics experts. It all began with good intentions. Better posture. Less sitting. Improved health. Somewhere along the way, however, things drifted into mild madness. Standing desks were suddenly marketed as productivity boosters. This raises an important question. Who measured this, and how exactly was productivity calculated. Number of emails sent while standing. Speed of typing per hour on tired legs. I appe...
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One Monitor at Work: A Quiet Act of Environmental Heroism

Two computer monitors at work seem to be the new trend. Not just two, but sometimes two of different sizes, shapes, and orientations. Some sit in landscape format. Others stand upright in portrait format. In some offices, it looks like a control room preparing for a space launch. The sky truly appears to be the limit. The unspoken message is clear. More screens must mean more productivity. Or at the very least, it must look impressive. There is something about multiple glowing rectangles that suggests efficiency, importance, and perhaps a slightly inflated sense of cool. I have resisted this temptation so far. At work, I may be the only person still using a single monitor. One screen. No extensions. No vertical display. No panoramic digital horizon. And honestly, I am perfectly happy with it. I get my work done. Emails are answered. Documents are written. Tasks are completed. The absence of a second monitor has not caused any measurable decline in productivity, nor has it resulted in m...
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Phones and Gyms: When Workout Equipment Becomes a Phone Lounge

Have you been to a gym recently? If so, you may have noticed a curious and increasingly common sight. People sitting on gym equipment, not to exercise, but to catch up on their phones. It is almost impressive how comfortable some look, as if the leg press was designed for scrolling. They are not lifting weights. They are not adjusting resistance. They are not stretching, sweating, or showing any signs of physical effort. They are simply seated, deeply focused on text messages, short videos, or social media updates. Meanwhile, others hover nearby, pretending to stretch while silently waiting for the machine to become available again. To be fair, short breaks between sets are part of any sensible workout. Muscles need rest. That is not the problem. The problem begins when the rest period turns into a full-length phone session. At that point, the equipment stops being exercise gear and starts functioning as premium seating with excellent lighting. Machines, however, are not chairs. They a...
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A Family Day at the Gym: An Observation That Made Me Smile

After a long break, I finally went back to the gym. Nothing dramatic, nothing inspirational, just a regular day of trying to convince my body that movement is still a good idea. That was when I noticed a family working out together. A father who looked to be in his late forties or early fifties, a mother, and a daughter who appeared to be in her late teens or early twenties. From the outset, the daughter clearly looked fit. She had the kind of healthy body shape that suggested regular activity or at least a good relationship with food and movement. The father, on the other hand, was obese. Since this is a gym setting and the topic is exercise, it seems fair to call it what it is. He was overweight in a way that suggested long-term habits rather than a temporary lapse. What made the moment memorable was what followed. The father began instructing his daughter on how to exercise. He demonstrated movements, offered advice, and spoke with confidence. Meanwhile, the daughter stood on the tr...
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Why Portion Sizes Are Shrinking but Prices Keep Going Up

There was a time when going to a restaurant felt like good value. You ordered a meal, paid a reasonable price, and walked away feeling full. Sometimes you even needed a takeaway container. That experience used to be normal. These days, many people leave restaurants still hungry and slightly annoyed after seeing the bill. Prices keep going up, yet portion sizes seem to be shrinking. You are not imagining it. This change has become so common that it now has a name: shrinkflation. It happens when businesses quietly reduce the amount of food you get while charging the same price or more. Restaurants face rising costs on almost everything. Ingredients cost more, utilities cost more, rent goes up, and staff wages increase. Instead of raising prices sharply and risking customer backlash, many places reduce portion sizes instead. On paper, the price increase looks small. On the plate, it feels obvious. Another factor is presentation. Modern dining places often focus on how food looks rather th...
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When Dishes Stopped Having Names and Became Ingredient Lists

There was a time when food had simple, comforting names. You ordered pizza, butter chicken, fried rice, or apple pie. You did not need a translator or a chalkboard explanation to understand what was coming to the table. The name told you everything you needed to know, and your appetite did the rest. Somewhere along the way, that changed. Turn on a modern cooking show today and you might hear something like this: “This is a hand-milled wheat base with filtered water, finished with fermented dairy, slow-roasted tomatoes, and herb-infused oil.” You sit there thinking, that sounds impressive, but is it just pizza. Or worse, you wonder if you need a dictionary before dinner. Celebrity chefs deserve credit for creativity, but they also seem to have started a trend where dishes no longer have names. Instead, they come with a full ingredient disclosure. It is no longer pudding. It is “hydrated flour with dairy proteins, seasonal fruit elements, and applied heat.” Somewhere, pudding is quietly ...
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Domestic Violence and Gender: Abuse Hurts Everyone

Domestic violence is a serious problem, and gender often plays a major role in how it shows up in daily life. In many parts of the world, men are the main offenders when it comes to physical violence. That is not an opinion — it is a fact backed by statistics and real-life stories. In some cultures, men hurting their wives is not just tolerated, but even encouraged as a way of showing control or proving manhood. That mindset is deeply harmful and completely wrong. Causing pain does not make someone strong. It makes them unsafe. Violence inside a home does not build respect. It creates fear. The people we live with should feel protected, not threatened. However, there is another side to this issue that often goes unspoken. While men may be more likely to use physical force, women can also cause deep harm — sometimes through emotional or psychological abuse. Constant criticism, verbal attacks, public humiliation, guilt-tripping, or manipulation can leave scars that are just as painful. T...
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