The roots of the great resignation run deeper than job fatigue. The inflationary nature (or not) of deglobalization comes under scrutiny. That climate change will provoke mass migration is a given, the right response to it is not. New science is emerging about human energy. More established science now tells us what can help us keep our brains healthy – it’s a good idea to keep this in mind.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Names are ways of making connections.” Harold James, professor of history and international affairs at Princeton University and author of “The War of Words” – in the article of the week

ARTICLE OF THE WEEK

Kathryn Hymes, ‘The Great Resignation’ Misses the Point
(Wired, 1 November 2021)
The article argues that the expression “Great resignation” has come to describe record levels of job turnover, but it overlooks the bigger story which is a radical rethinking of our relationship to work. The phenomenon is global but particularly stark in the US: a radical realignment of values is fuelling people to confront and remake their relationship to life at home, with their families, with their friends, and in their lives outside of labour (metered paywall – reads in 6-8 min).
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Dalia Marin, Will Deglobalization Fuel Inflation?
(Project Syndicate, 2 November 2021)
Interesting food for thought! Some economists argue that the pandemic-driven retreat from globalization, together with population aging in China and the advanced economies, is a recipe for inflation. Marin disagrees, pointing to her research showing that the reshoring of supply chains promotes the adoption of robots in high-income countries. Therefore, she argues, robotization might not only moderate labour scarcity; but it might even offset it, leading to a labour surplus. Her conclusion: deglobalization is unlikely to fuel a surge in inflation any time soon (metered paywall, reads in 6-8 min).
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Parag Khanna, Why Mobility Across Borders Is A Human Right
(Noéma, 2 November 2021)
The newly published “Move: The Forces Uprooting Us” is about how climate change is reshaping our world and how it will force hundreds of millions of people, if not billions, to move. The story of the coming decades will thus be one of migration. Its author argues that preventing them to do so would amount to ecocide and won’t make those who survive better off. He sees himself as a “cosmopolitan utilitarian” and proposes that we sustainably cultivate the planet’s habitable oases and move people to them (free access – reads in 7-9 min)
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Join us on 13 January 2022 for an exclusive conversation with Parag about his book.

Nick Paumgarten, Energy, and How to Get It
(The New Yorker, 8 November 2021)
Some people possess seemingly boundless reserves of mental and physical fuel, giving the impression that energy, more than talent or luck, results in extraordinary outcomes. Why do some have it and others not? And what can we do to get more? Energy is both biochemical and psychophysical, and elusive as grace. You know it when you’ve got it, and even more so when you don’t. What we call energy is in fact our perception of the body metabolizing carbohydrates or fat as energy. It’s therefore a metabolic mood. The science of the phenomenon is just coming into view. Read on to get a good grasp – long but rewarding (metered paywall, reads in 15 min+)
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Kaila Roberts, How to maintain a healthy brain
(AEON Psyche, 3 November 2021)
A psychiatrist who specializes in brain health provides some useful tips on how the adoption of certain lifestyle changes will not only sharpen our mind today but also reduce your risk of dementia tomorrow. Plenty of sensible advice, like: (1) the brain, like a muscle, can be trained. Practice novelty, diversity, and complexity. (2) Nourish your brain with a plentiful supply of antioxidants, fibre, and unsaturated fats; (3) Care for mental health (social connections) and exercise are a must. Read-on. Nothing new but an important reminder (free access – reads in 8-10 min).
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