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The Cult Of A Better Life

The most dangerous promises begin with the idea that somewhere, a better life exists — and that someone knows how to get us there. From Jonestown to wellness culture, almost everything has changed except our need to believe.


The most dangerous promises begin with the idea that somewhere, a better life exists — and that someone knows how to get us there. From Jonestown to wellness culture, almost everything has changed except our need to believe.

Fashion designer John Galliano poses at the end of the presentation of the Dior Haute Couture spring/summer 2010 fashion collection on Jan. 25, 2010, in Paris. Jacques Brinon/AP

Why do we take such pleasure in being given the opportunity to judge others? On our ancient fascination with public condemnation, and the sweet sense of power the internet has made available to everyone.

Pseudologia fantastica is not simply about lying, but about an identity constructed where reality is no longer enough, and the moment when an invented biography must finally confront the facts.

While the wellness industry sells the illusion of progress through aesthetics and rituals, real resilience and cognitive intelligence are built exclusively where false comfort ends.

While some societies choose the freedom of existence, closed systems turn the judgment of others into a release valve for their own emptiness, treating the invasion of privacy as proof of intimacy.

Title: Repose Artist: John White Alexander (American, Allegheny, Pennsylvania 1856–1915 New York) Date: 1895 Culture: American

What happens to love when a woman stops seeking her value in the way a man sees her? It stops being a test of worth and becomes a space where two people meet each other without turning the relationship into a measure…

Behind many major artistic and intellectual works lies an inner instability that, over time, has been transformed into style. What happens when that style begins to be taken as an evidence of a broader, almost universal truth?

From the enclosed courtyards of Morocco to the restless streets of Asia, architect Stefan Miloš reflects on how culture, light, and materials shape space and everyday life — and why good architecture endures across generations.

Talent reveals itself even through privilege. IIn the interplay between what is earned and what is received, the true measure lies in the weight of what one brings, not merely in the position one occupies.

Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights (2026), photographed by Jaap Buitendijk

From the early psychoanalytic case of Bertha Pappenheim to the tragic logic of Catherine Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights, identity, attachment and mythologies of passion shape the way we understand love.

In a world without peace, cultivating a conscious awareness of our surroundings, and of those with whom we share them, becomes the only true strategy for survival.

Young David Bowie in 1967 posing in a white cashmere sweater, photographed by Gerald Fearnley

When feelings replace argument, and validation becomes the new currency of truth, identity is put to the test. Only those who can channel their emotions can remain stable in a world that measures everything in applause and drama.

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