Author: Linnahsama
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The Game I Never Believed In
I remember back in college, in my career class, we were told to open LinkedIn accounts and think about our long‑ and short‑term goals. From there, we would figure out our career aspirations. I always found this exercise difficult. We were in our early twenties, buried in schoolwork, and we’d almost forgotten that another kind…
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A Love Letter to Nagasaki
Dear Nagasaki, I recently visited you with my husband, after our own busy season of celebrations: our wedding, and family from abroad coming to Japan to spend time with us. It was the first time our family members had connected in person — a big, peaceful gathering of Black family, coming together in laughter in…
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Thinking About Thinking
Metacognition, according to Wikipedia, is an awareness of one’s thought processes and an understanding of the patterns behind them. It is basically “thinking about thinking.” Although some internet content has made it almost cliché—and it’s a well-known method among self-made people—journaling has really helped me observe my thinking patterns, and here is what I found:…
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The Pan-Africanist Blueprint
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how we got here. As someone who has navigated the spaces between strict definitions, I’m drawn to philosophies that try to build a world where belonging isn’t conditional, but a foundational right. This led me down a path to Pan-Africanism. We often hear it as a political slogan,…
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How to Stay Asleep
I am not sure if I should call myself lucky for growing up in Japan, but I still consider it home. Writing that down now sounds strange, but what I am trying to understand is the charm of this country that most outsiders see so clearly. It is peaceful. People are kind. The food is…
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The Soul for Sale
I would like to revisit two issues in this essay: the reality of women’s place in contemporary capitalist society, and the nature of corporate life. I remember during my adolescence constantly watching channels like MTV and E!, where I saw women with conventionally sexy bodies mingling with celebrities. I noticed how their “pretty privilege” seemed…
The Conscious Bridge 