Author: D. Samarender Reddy

Philosopher & Poet. Holds degrees in Medicine (MBBS) and Economics (MA, The Johns Hopkins University). Certified programmer. An avid reader. Worked in various capacities as a medical writer, copywriter, copyeditor, software programmer, newspaper columnist, and content writer. Amazon Author Page - https://www.amazon.in/stores/D.-Samarender-Reddy/author/B0CB7PMW36

Advaita for Dummies


Is happiness really hiding in the next achievement, possession, or relationship—or is it already within you, waiting for the restless mind to pause? In this article, we explore 16 timeless questions through the lens of Advaita Vedānta and other wisdom traditions—questions like: Is desire poison or medicine? Is the waking world any more real than a dream? What does it mean to be in bondage, or free? Drawing from the insights of Vedānta, Buddhism, Taoism, and Stoicism, this guide simplifies profound truths and shows why “you” are not the doer at all—Consciousness alone is.

Woke


“Wokeism” began as a call in African American communities to “stay woke” against racial injustice, later expanding to include gender, class, environment, and identity struggles. Today, it sits at the center of a global culture war—embraced by some as a moral compass for equality, and criticized by others as rigid ideology and cancel culture. In the U.S., it influences politics, media, and corporations, sparking both reform and backlash. Globally, its meanings vary, but the debate it fuels—justice versus tradition, equality versus freedom—remains one of the defining conversations of our time.

A “Love-Thy-Neighbour” Economy (LTN): a model for growth, flourishing, and enoughness


What if economics were grounded not in endless growth or class struggle, but in the simple command: “Love thy neighbour as thyself”? A “Love-Thy-Neighbour Economy” would place human dignity, solidarity, and stewardship at the centre of production and exchange. Rather than chasing GDP alone, it would measure success through health, education, meaningful work, and community trust—closer to Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness than to Wall Street’s indices. Growth might appear slower on paper, but the gains in resilience, fairness, and joy could be far greater. Thinkers from Aristotle to Amartya Sen, Marx to Martha Nussbaum, Gandhi to E.F. Schumacher, all in different ways gestured toward such a vision: economics as a means to human flourishing. It is not utopia; elements already exist in cooperatives, wellbeing budgets, and community care systems. What remains is the will to weave them together around love as our moral compass.