The Cult of Being Busy

 I've been thinking lately - why do we all work so many hours?

The 8–9 hour workday began over a century ago during the industrial revolution, when humans were essentially operating factories and machines manually. Shouldn't working conditions have evolved by now?

We invented computers, software, automation, AI - all supposedly to make life easier and free up human effort. And yet somehow, despite all these technological advancements, modern work culture still expects people to stay "busy" for most of the day. 40–45 hour work weeks are somehow the base expectations. 

I think about this more and more as my experience as a professional grows.

We have Teams, Excel, PowerPoint, GenAI and countless tools that drastically reduce effort and time. Tasks that once took days or weeks can now be finished in hours. Yet workplaces still look down upon working only 3–4 productive hours a day. Anything less than endless engagement is treated almost like an absence.

Why is it so important for everyone to remain occupied for 8–9 hours every single day?

Why do people take pride in working overtime, or on weekends and holidays? Why is exhaustion worn like a badge of honour?

I feel that over the past century, we have unconsciously created a social structure where, regardless of technological progress, human labour remains the most exploited resource. Poor economies full of desperate workers only fuel the corporate machine further.

And yet we live in an age that glorifies competition. An age where meaning is often tied to relentless labour and outperforming others.

Why do we only value becoming "better" through working more? Why must people constantly showcase how hardworking they are just to justify their existence in a company? It's not as if billion-dollar corporations will collapse because one exhausted employee decided to go home at 4 PM.

Somewhere along the way, work stopped being merely a means of survival. It became identity. Morality. Self-worth.

A hardworking person is seen as disciplined, respectable and ambitious. Someone who rests too much is viewed suspiciously, almost as if relaxation itself requires justification.

And perhaps that is because modern society quietly conditions us to believe that our value must be earned continuously - a condition that worsens deeply in adulthood.

Careers become more than jobs. They become social identities. Entire personalities form around professions. People proudly announce how overworked they are, almost like battle scars proving importance.

"I barely slept." "I've been working nonstop." "I'm so busy these days."

These statements are no longer just complaints. They are status symbols.

Busyness has become the modern display of significance.

Capitalism naturally reinforces this cycle because economies benefit when humans tie their self-esteem to productivity. The ideal worker is not simply someone who works hard. It is someone who emotionally depends on work for validation. Such a person will willingly sacrifice health, relationships and inner peace because slowing down feels psychologically uncomfortable.

But humans were never designed to derive meaning from output alone.

Somewhere in this endless race to prove our worth, we forgot that life also consists of slowness, relationships, curiosity, art, silence, love, boredom and reflection.

The tragedy is not that people work hard. Meaningful work can be deeply fulfilling.

The tragedy is that many people no longer believe they deserve respect, rest or even existence without constant productivity.

And why don't we try becoming better at other things too? Becoming a better hobbyist. A better parent. A better friend.

I love self-improvement. I genuinely enjoy trying to become a better version of myself every day. But I do not want every waking moment of my existence to become an endless performance of productivity at work.

At the same time, I also understand the flaws in my own argument. A system built entirely on freedom and leniency only works when society itself becomes responsible enough not to misuse it. Any model that genuinely prioritizes human wellbeing requires a population that accepts that freedom with maturity, decency and self-discipline.

Unfortunately, we do not yet live in a society like that.

The Declining Art of Conversation

We meet to eat out.

We talk about the place. The food. The atmosphere. Memories emerge, aspirations too. That is often how conversations begin.

But the more we strip away from the setting, the less there seems to be to talk about.

A park invites fewer conversations than a café.
A road invites even fewer.
A concert invites far more.

Physical fullness inspires mental openness. The more objects, sounds, and sensations around us, the more our memories are stirred. We begin bringing up stories about ourselves, about others, about things we once experienced. Our imagination becomes more active too. We make plans, share ideas, speculate about the future.

Now imagine stripping all of that away. No stimulating environment. No memorable décor. No activity to fall back on. Nothing external to trigger memory or imagination.

For many of us, conversation suddenly becomes difficult. Almost impossible.

Another thing I have observed is how people stay close to familiar or “safe” kinds of people — people with whom they already share common interests, shared histories, or predictable subjects of discussion. We choose people who allow us to comfortably return to our own preferred topics and patterns. Once again, we do this because we want conversation to feel meaningful without requiring too much uncertainty.

All of this points toward something deeper: our inherent fear of opening up without support mechanisms.

A completely unfamiliar place, surrounded by people we do not understand, feels psychologically threatening. At that point, we can no longer rely on familiarity to carry the interaction. We must rely purely on curiosity and openness, hoping something meaningful emerges along the way.

It is like walking into darkness with nothing but a flashlight, hoping to eventually find light.

Most people quietly avoid this entirely. Not intentionally, but instinctively. They spend their lives staying within familiar conversational territories. They visit the places they already enjoy. They spend time with loved ones in predictable ways. Their relationships become confined to a fixed set of activity types where only superficial variety exists.

For example, trying different restaurants instead of learning a new recipe together.

The art of conversation, in many ways, is about eliminating this subconscious fear. It is about attaining the same openness even without social lubricants.

Because eventually, this becomes important in every deep relationship.

You cannot forever rely on surroundings to compensate for what is lacking between two people. Over time, dependence on those surroundings grows. And without them, people begin to feel strangely lost with one another.

This is where many relationships quietly begin to falter.

As people grow closer, the opportunities to rely on these conversational crutches naturally decrease. You revisit the same places too many times. Or you simply begin spending most of your time in the same environment. In romantic relationships, people may eventually begin living together.

And a home, unlike a restaurant or a concert, offers very little external novelty. It is a place where memories are created — not where endless stimuli already exist waiting to sustain interaction. Unless one lives inside a historic castle, there is rarely enough surrounding novelty to continuously carry conversation on its own.

This is where discomfort slowly seeps in.

People begin feeling emotionally drained in each other’s presence. Couples often describe this as “drifting apart.” But sometimes, what has actually disappeared is not affection — it is the ability to meaningfully engage without external stimulation constantly carrying the interaction forward.

We begin to feel cramped in the company of the same human being because we no longer know how to explore each other beyond activities, places, routines, and distractions.

I believe our increasingly self-confined lifestyle worsens this problem further.

We now possess devices that allow us to peer into the world without truly stepping into it. We can speak to countless people across the globe without developing the social courage or conversational depth required in real-world interaction. Even when sitting beside loved ones, these devices offer convenient escape routes from the effort real communication demands.

Because genuine conversation requires uncertainty. It requires exploration. It requires risking awkwardness.

And most modern comforts are designed precisely to eliminate those feelings.

This is where the true ability to converse becomes important:
the ability to speak about our thoughts without needing external stimulation,
the ability to openly discuss what genuinely occupies our minds,
the courage to express ourselves even imperfectly.

Our thoughts will not always translate cleanly into words.
Our words will not always communicate exactly what we intend.

But that is precisely how conversation deepens. That is how human understanding improves.

And perhaps that ability brings a form of personal harmony unlike anything else.

In fact, I believe we should sometimes take an even more radical approach. From the very beginning, we should strip away the comfort of convenient surroundings. Let awkwardness exist. Approach uncomfortable topics. Sit with silence instead of fleeing from it.

Because that is often where we encounter the real selves of people.

And perhaps that is where we rediscover how much we can truly know about another human being simply by talking to them — rather than endlessly talking about food, clothes, places, aesthetics, or “vibes.”

Idée fixe of Identity

Who are you? It is a question we ask ourselves — consciously or subconsciously — every single day. It is also a question the world asks us every day. Maybe not in those exact words, but every interaction we have with the outside world and every internal dialogue we have with ourselves is anchored to this one fundamental idea of human existence: Who am I?

When someone casually asks, “How was your weekend?”, the answer seems simple. But even in that ordinary exchange, identity quietly takes the center stage. You think about what you did and choose how to present it. You may tell the truth, exaggerate, lie, or avoid the question altogether. And each of those responses requires you to confront who you are — or at least who you believe yourself to be.

Are you someone outgoing who spends weekends socializing? Or someone who enjoys a quiet day at home? Are you honest by nature? Private? Performative? Reserved? Every choice we make in expression, behaviour, and communication contributes to the construction of our individual and social selves.

Where we come from, what we enjoy, what we hate, what we believe, how we react, what we desire — through every internal and external interaction, we are constantly trying to answer the question of who we are. Each decision forms a small fragment of what we call ‘identity’. And the repetition of those decisions in recognizable patterns slowly forms what we perceive as our “unique self.”

But what causes us to make the choices we do? And how consistent are we really with them? These questions eventually lead many of us toward a deeper contemplation: What is our real self, if such a thing even exists?

When asked, “Who are you?”, we usually respond with our name, age, birthplace, profession, or family background. But most of these are merely circumstances — not conscious choices. I believe we are defined far more accurately by our interests, opinions, actions, and patterns of behaviour. Yet even those things evolve over time.

And if they evolve, does identity come with an expiry date?

At this point, some may think of the famous philosophical thought experiment: the Ship of Theseus. If every single part of a ship is gradually replaced over time, does it remain the same ship? Likewise, if our beliefs, habits, desires, and personalities slowly change throughout life, are we still the same person we once were?

Beyond endless philosophical contemplation, I believe identity is also one of the greatest sources of human suffering. Our identity not only shapes who we are — it also traps us within the boundaries of who we think we are supposed to be. Especially when we cling too tightly to our idea of the self.

In many ways, identity can become a bane to human existence. We continuously cling to the things that once made us feel defined. Perhaps we read one remarkable book years ago and deeply enjoyed it, so we begin to see ourselves as “an avid reader.” And now we keep reading — not necessarily out of love, but to maintain that image of ourselves.

We performed well academically in school, and suddenly we feel compelled to remain the smartest person in every room we enter. We were once known as the artistic one in college, so now creativity becomes an expectation we must constantly fulfill. If we once preferred sweets over savoury food, people begin to expect us to always order dessert.

Slowly, identity transforms from self-expression into obligation.

If one were to argue that expectations — from both ourselves and others — are the source of suffering, then identity is the bow that launches the arrow.

And yet, despite all this, identity remains essential. Our personal, social, and professional lives require a certain degree of continuity in order to function. Without some stable sense of self, human relationships and responsibilities would collapse into chaos.

But when identity hardens into an idée fixe — a single, persistent idea that dominates the mind obsessively — it ceases to become grounding and instead becomes a cage.

The moment we begin treating our identity as something rigid and permanent, it starts becoming a source of pain. We suffer not because we change, but because we resist change in order to preserve a narrative of who we think we are supposed to be.

Perhaps the only way to reduce this suffering is not by abandoning identity altogether — because that may be impossible — but by allowing it to evolve. To constantly reshape our beliefs, perceptions, and sense of self as the narrative of our lives changes with time.

As Friedrich Nietzsche suggested, identity should be fluid, self-created, and continuously overcome — not frozen into a single narrative. Aside from questionable ideas about facial hair, I believe the man really had something figured out about human existence.

Every Seishi Yokomizo Novel in English - Reviewed and Ranked

Murder, Mystery, and Method: My Journey Through Seishi Yokomizo’s Kindaichi Novel

So, this year I’d decided to reduce my screen time to minimize the strain on my eyes. And so, I turned to books as a medium of entertainment. In 2025, I finished reading exactly 0 books, so I wanted something that could truly hold my interest. That’s when I discovered Seishi Yokomizo. His book- the Honjin Murders was in my reading list for years, but I had never gotten around to reading it.

In 2026, I finally ordered it as my first book of the year. In hindsight, that was an amazing stroke of luck. Honestly, I had no idea who Seishi Yokomizo or Kosuke Kindaichi were before I read this book. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised by- what is described by some as the ‘Perfect winter book’. And so it was. Soon as I finished the book, I was hungry for more. And that’s when I discovered how popular Kosuke Kindaichi is in Japan. The esteemed author- Seishi Yokomizo wrote 77 Kosuke Kindaichi books and 7 of them were translated in English. And that’s when my quest to read all 7 began! Honestly, I had never dared to attempt such a reading feat. I’d always been a keen reader but had never finished an entire series of books. That was more of my thing in movies or video games. But here I was, and my love for procedural and meticulous classic murder mysteries had compelled me to experience every story this author had to tell.

So, here is my review of all 7 Kosuke Kindaichi mystery novels which are as of April 2026 translated in English.

Before delving into the books one by one- I’d like to mention that almost all of these stories feature few common elements. Even though they may seem repetitive, I consider them the author’s trademark. They bring familiarity to all of his stories and make the mysteries more approachable. But yes, it is sometimes tiring to see the exact same framework. So here are my observations from each book (beware- spoilers ahead):-

• There is always an impossible murder that shocks everyone. The details are always so bizarre that it’s hard to believe it actually occurred the way it did. 
• Atleast one, and more often 2 wealthy families. Murders are almost always centered around wealthy families.
• The families also often have a history of shared rivalries
• A curse or an old tradition or folk belief which plays a big role in shared superstitions
• A mysterious suspicious stranger always believed to be the murderer or atleast largely connected to it

Do all these elements become tedious after a while? Probably not. Few standout books make amazing use of all of these and still present exceptional stories around them.

So here we go- one by one review of each of the 7 Seishi Yokomizo novels. Books are arranged in the order of their original release date. English Translation publishing date is also mentioned. Yes, the publisher ‘Pushkin Vertigo’ released them out of order. But they’re all standalone stories so the order does not matter much.

1. The Honjin Murders (1946) (2020)

• The first book in the series. And rightfully the one which got me hooked. The story revolves around an impossible locked room mystery where a newlywed couple has been murdered with a Katana. No way in or out. And yet, a mysterious stranger was seen lurking about and all the suspicions are on him. But the question remains- when all the doors and windows were closed from the inside, how did the killer commit the crime and how did he get in or out.
• The book introduces Kosuke Kindaichi and a lot of series elements which will become a staple in all the forthcoming books. I believe this novel to be the most genuine mystery of all. Even though it lacks a signature villain. The book is atmospheric, full of twists and turns, false clues, misdirections- but ultimately all is extremely logically tied together. And the motive for the murder is one of the most tragic I’ve seen till date. As the tragedy struck on the wedding night, the reader is left with a real heartbreak over how inevitable the whole ordeal was. Leaving no choice but to sympathize with the killer & his circumstances. A true classic of Japanese crime fiction and amongst the greatest thrillers ever written in the genre.

2. The Black Cat Cafe (1947) (2025)

• The book with the best cover. Somehow a distinct design compared to all other books- very fluid and iconic. Naturally, the book itself is also very different from all the other works. Instead of being a full-fledged novel, the book is a compilation of 2 novellas- ‘The Black Cat Cafe’ and ‘Why Did The Well Wheel Creak’. Both the novellas are very different from the usual Kosuke Kindaichi stories and do not follow the same story structure. So this the perfect book for someone looking for a shorter, more unique adventure.
• The Black Cat Cafe is about a faceless corpse and how the police and Kosuke Kindaichi discover the victim and the murderer. A short but engaging read with colourful characters and a great villain.
• Why Did the Well Wheel Creak? Is a story all about misdirection and similar faces (a device also used in Inugami curse). Interestingly enough, this mystery isn’t solved by Kosuke Kindaichi at all. He’s more of a supporting character in a story solved by an unlikely character. For those looking for a tragedy, this is a story full of them.

3. Death on Gokumon Island (1948) (2022)

• The story about Hell’s gate Island is indeed truly a story filled to the brim with unscrupulous characters, evil deeds and cruel villagers. Once again Kosuke Kindaichi finds himself in a remote island village surrounded by treacherous waters and family feuds even more tumultuous than the waves of the island. Even though innocents die in this story, it’s difficult to sympathize with the victims of the gruesome crimes. The story starts off very strong but loses its direction near the end. And the lack of a strong villain really leaves much to be desired. Although on a pure shock value and mysticism, the red herrings and the events of the story are entertaining enough.

4. The Village of Eight Graves (1951) (2021)

• A rather unique story amongst all others. Despite following the same structure as other novels- rich families, fight over vast fortune, unbridled lust and uninhibited violence, this particular novel presents a rather unique perspective. The story is told from the perspective of a central character instead of using a narrator or Kosuke Kindaichi himself. And the detective and the police feature minimally in all the events. We see the inner workings, the lies and the secrets which the Police and the Detective don’t discover until very late. Although the motive and the method is explained by Kosuke Kindaichi in the end, the story still remains focused entirely on someone else. And it introduces a lot of atmospheric elements- far more than any other book. A giant cave system, a deep backstory, and even a classic treasure hunt. Had this book not been part of the series, I wouldn’t even have classified it as a mystery novel. It was more of a gothic adventure with mystery elements. Also, something I really enjoyed was the fact that this novel probably had the highest kill count of any other novels. And a villain so heartless and manipulative that death seemed almost too easy a conclusion for them.

5. The Inugami Curse (1951) (2020)

• A classic! The most popular novel by the author after his genre defining debut. A novel which has been adapted into movies, shows and is referenced even today. This is the novel which solidified or perfected each archetype story element Seishi Yokomizo had introduced earlier. An almost perfect book. It had mystery, romance, drama, action, war, lovable & loathsome characters, and all of it around some really gruesome murders. Hard to top this one or expect anything else from a mystery novel. The end reveal carefully showcased how a series of understandable but unfortunate coincidences led to the deaths. This book also features one of the most iconic villains in the entire Kosuke Kindaichi roster.

6. The Devil’s Flute Murders (1953) (2023)

• A story with possibly the most travel involved. This murder mystery takes our detective to hilly estates, old towns, and faraway islands. And interestingly, it also takes us through a rich backstory of a truly dysfunctional family. Once again, money, pride, lust & blood- all are at stake. It can be argued that this is a novel which truly combines every single Seishi Yokomizo element to its best potential- family feuds, locked room mystery, mysterious strangers, old curses, gruesome deaths- this novel has it all. Presented in the most ingenious way. The flashbacks have a real soul to it, its emotions and impact are only enhanced by the brutal world war. The characters are all very visually descriptive, so we can easily imagine them exactly. Not only that, their mannerisms, their behaviour and their background are all so well matched that it feels more like watching an epic miniseries than reading a novel. The story is also probably the most excessively indulgent in the debauchery of it’s characters. Which to me seemed rather enjoyable. And the ultimate reveal betrays a truth so nasty that the characters who remain alive at the end, just wish they hadn’t. Making this novel my personal favourite.

7. The Little Sparrow Murders (1959) (2024)

• Once again, a settling quite similar if you’ve read the author’s previous works. This time our famed detective is on a long vacation from his usual stressful life in a small, quiet hill town with natural springs. Unfortunately, murder and mayhem follow Kosuke Kindaichi no matter where he goes. And the village this time is already a hotbed of gossip from some unsolved murder 20 years ago. Arguably this is the plainest novel out of the entire series. The curse is cool, the crimes are horrible and the villain is commendable. Yet the novel leaves much to be desired. As a standalone piece, the book is still a great detective novel. But in a series which causes a great shift in the genre each time Kosuke Kindaichi scratches his scruffy head, this book falls short of expectations.

Every single book is a wonderful, intriguing and a really immersive murder mystery. But some outshine the others. Here’s my ranking of the entire series:-

1. The Devil’s Flute Murders

• My personal favourite, with its diverse scenery and sinister backstory woven around some amazingly depraved characters. The premise may seem silly at first- a devil playing a flute everytime there’s a murder but the trick it reveals at the end is exceptional. This deserves a special place in my heart for being a truly sinful story with all the classic Seishi Yokomizo elements just clicking exceptionally well together.

2. The Inugami Curse

• Possibly the author’s most well-rounded work. Every story structure element polished to the max. And weaving a web of lies and deceit with a cast of some really wicked family members.

3. The Honjin Murders

• Our esteemed author’s debut novel which made him a giant of the honkaku mystery genre. A short, well-deserved and absolutely delightful read which perfectly introduces our beloved detective- Kosuke Kindaichi

4. The Village of Eight Graves

• The most unique novel in terms of how it told the story and also the novel with the highest kill count. More of an adventure, with some great mysteries woven into it but not really a pure murder mystery in my opinion. Towards the end it even turns to full-fledged action survival romance mode.

5. Death on Gokumon Island

• Great premise, great deaths, great mystery. All in all, a solid novel with a great, unique twist to the reveal of the villains. Just the motive and ultimate reveal is a truth which is not as evil as some of the author’s other works. But it was still fun to see how to killer executes each and every murder. Through something extremely simple- just hiding in plain sight.

6. The Black Cat Cafe/ Why Did The Well Wheel Creak

• I enjoyed both novellas but the mysteries in each of them leave much to be desired. Possibly due to their shorter length, the villains, the motives and the trickery is never fully developed. Some truly depraved things do happen in each of the stories but it’s hard to internalize them. Great short read but not as great as some of the author’s other stories.

7. The Little Sparrow Murders

• The last and possibly the least engaging novel in my opinion. Especially when in competition with the author’s other works. Although all the regular elements are there in the book, the characters never really connect with you. The reveals aren’t as shocking and the evil stranger angle is downplayed quite a lot. The backstory and the villain are some redeeming qualities of the book. But even then, this book is the lowest on my list of favourite works of the author.

Top Villains from each book (Major Spoilers ahead!!):-

1. Miyako Mori (The Village of Eight Graves)

• A truly devilish woman and one of the most formidable foes Kosuke Kindaichi ever faced. Had she not had a terrible fateful accident, she probably would’ve escaped the clutches of the law. Someone who seduced everyone in the day with her beauty & wit and by night, “arrayed in darkness, she metamorphosed into a murderous demon who stalked the endless caves.” Her poison modus operandi and dangerous mind made her an unparalleled adversary. One that amassed a fortune, killed anyone in her path- all to achieve the singular goal of getting married to her lover.

2. Matsuko Inugami (The Inugami Curse)

• The oldest of the Inugami daughters. A woman of age and cruelty. She spent her youth in scheming against her father’s other children and harassing those he truly loved. Her desire to ensure her heir inherits the entire Inugami fortune was only matched by her wanton proclivity to violence. Her real evil aura came from her cold and calculating demeanor which she almost never gave up. And her conviction was so strong she wasn’t afraid to die to achieve her goals.

3. Totaro Mishima (The Devil’s Flute Murders)

• Possibly my personal favourite evil character. Someone who was born with the mark of the devil on his body. A cursed mark which revealed a truth so terrible he felt cornered with the only real choice- to kill all who gave birth to this terrible curse. A former soldier, black marketeer, and a capable businessman and accountant, Totaro’s evil deeds wouldn’t even seem as terrible if the reader tries to empathize with his situation. Although his self-awareness did drive him to take his own life. In life, he was a master of misdirection. Leading even Kosuke Kindaichi to a wild goose chase until he chose to reveal his final trick.

4. O-Shige Itojima (The Black Cat Cafe)

• A villain almost too grand for a much shorter story. A cruel and heartless career criminal. A great strategist, seductress, deceiver and a master of disguise. Her plot of murder was so sinister and convoluted that nobody could see through any of her disguises or made-up stories. They all inadvertently went along with her narrative without questioning their understanding even once. It was only Kosuke Kindaichi who could see through her deception. And she is the only villain on the list who even made an attempt on the life of the great detective himself!

5. Rika Aoike (The Little Sparrow Murders)

• Another cruel and psychotic wife of a small village. A woman overwrought with jealousy and years of repressed madness. Even then, her tragic backstory made it almost impossible for her to take any other path except becoming a cold-hearted killer of young girls. And on her path, she found only more death, agony & despair. Still, we cannot deny she was a clever, cunning and caring woman who tried to do what she thought was the best for her family.

6. Kaemon Kito, Ryonen- Priest, Makihei Araki- Mayor, Koan Murase- Doctor (Death on Gokumon Island)

• A surprising twist on a shared psychosis experienced by not 1 but 3 antagonists in this twisted tale of triple murder. An almost divine madness brought upon some of the wisest & influential men of the Island through the unfortunate unfolding of circumstances one by one. Had even one thing been out of order, they probably wouldn’t have descended so deep into the pits of hell which compelled them to take 3 innocent lives. A madness unleashed by their old dead Master whom they all looked up to. Hence, strangely enough, the real mastermind of the entire murder spree in the story was a dead man who did not lift a finger to kill anyone. But his words had such profound impact on his underlings- that they considered fate itself had bestowed upon them this vile task.

7. Kenzo Ichiyanagi (The Honjin Murders)

• Kenzo Ichiyanagi is both the perpetrator and the victim of an almost impossible crime. Which is why he isn’t truly a villain. And that’s also why he’s the last on this list. I actually really liked his character. To me he was relatable & memorable and hence deserves a mention. There is no evil lurking inside him. He was not a cold-hearted killer. He was, foremost, a victim of his own dire circumstances. His motive for murder was a product of a series of unfortunate events he couldn’t have ever predicted. He was a gentle romantic and intelligent idealist. Who struggled against everyone to have his love accepted. And then, he was betrayed. He was almost helpless in a situation which forced him into killing himself and his beloved bride. It makes the tragedy even more palpable and elevates the plot even more knowing the murders just had to happen. There was no other real choice for him in the matter.

Fatalism is a huge part of all Kosuke Kindaichi stories. If there was a common element to every story- It was how each villain’s murderous spree was rooted in a terrible misfortune they suffered. If you enjoy mysteries that challenge not just your logic but your empathy, then all these Books are well worth your time. And if you’ve read them too, I’d love to know — which is your favourite?

The Social Tools and Shortcuts to define humans of the world

 I was eating lunch with a few colleagues today. A new colleague joined us — she was visiting from a different office. I’m on very good terms with everyone, so my relationship status and the quest for a perfect partner often come up in conversation, usually turning into humorous escapades. So naturally, it came up again, and I took it in jest.

The new colleague asked me a bit about where I’m from and a few other details, perhaps so she could set me up if she found someone. And of course, these are things people would want to know if they’re trying to understand you better in any way.

But something dawned on me hours later — an unexpected feeling of discomfort, even rage. While matchmaking, people ask and consider details like where we are from, how we look, where we studied, how much we earn, and so on. After some levelheaded thinking, I realized what vexed me was how extremely reductive all of this is of who anyone truly is.

Our place of birth, the colleges we attend, the religions we follow — these are just facts that happen to be. In reality, these details are insignificant in defining what kind of a man or woman a person is. So why do we live in a society that values such material coordinates over the actual personality of a person?

It made me wonder — wouldn’t it matter more how a person acts under pressure, what values they would impart to their child, or how they respond to differences in opinion? Shouldn’t these define compatibility far more than any surface-level detail?

And then it became clearer why we rely on such standards instead of ideas that actually define human worth. I believe the reason is the same as many other imperfect societal processes — it is simply more convenient. We are conditioned to use these tangible details as primary criteria because that’s how we’ve always seen society function. People rely on such questions not necessarily out of insensitivity, but because they lack the tools to perceive depth quickly. It becomes a substitute for a more demanding, thoughtful way of understanding others.

Society trains us to navigate relationships through shortcuts. Matchmaking becomes logistics first, meaning later. It is crude, disheartening — but not always malicious.

These basic facts — origin, location, background — become proxies for human worth, compatibility, and desirability. Our limited faculties of communication and expression translate something far more complex but do so (very) poorly.

Still, it is disappointing to observe a fundamental mismatch between the depth at which we can experience humanity, and the shallow coordinates society uses to navigate it. Once you notice it, it becomes difficult to ignore. Society flattens and reduces individual worth through pre-determined standards — it feels like compressing a symphony into a spreadsheet.

And then we must live within that system, be seen through its language, and even participate in it to survive… all the while knowing, with clarity, that it is inadequate.

Such a system, I believe:

• Forces reduction
• Normalizes superficial proxies
• Quietly erodes the recognition of inner life

The flaw becomes apparent when we see how modern societies rely on reduction to function at scale. Resumes, introductions, profiles, and matchmaking all follow the same logic — reducing the potential of human interaction into datasets instead of beings. This inevitably creates problems everywhere: mismatches in job roles, the commercialization of art and cinema, and even strain in romantic relationships.

The quiet cost of such a system is this: we are teaching people to look past each other before they ever learn how to look into each other.

And yet, there is no clear boundary violation here. No single actor to correct. The problem lies in how reality itself is structured — leaving behind a subtle but suffocating feeling of existing within a civilization we did not design.

Still, this is not merely an expression of displeasure on my part. There are valid reasons why society operates the way it does. We must face a hard truth: society does not exist to recognize us. It exists to coordinate large numbers of people, reduce complexity, and function at scale. Reduction is its operating system. That does not necessarily make it right — but it does make it inexorable.

And once we see this, something shifts. Society may never be the place where we are truly understood — individuals will be. Very few. Very slowly. Very selectively. We must learn to live fully in this world without asking it to validate our depth. The world is built for navigation, not recognition.

To be clear — I do not resent people for asking the wrong questions. I resent a world that never taught them better ones.

The reason I write this is simple: in my own little way, I hope to offer the world- a moment of self-reflection. Perhaps a few among us might begin to see the limitations of the system we so naturally accept.

The Devil of Democracy

I have been thinking a lot lately about how the democratic system works and where it has brought us in today’s society.

This reflection applies broadly to many nations governed under some form of democratic republic. In theory, democracy is a system that belongs entirely to the people. The representatives who govern are elected from among the public, and the laws and policies they create are supposed to serve the interests of the citizens.

Yet in practice, this ideal often feels surprisingly rare.

More often than not, the politicians who are elected are not necessarily the most competent individuals for the responsibilities they assume. They are simply the individuals who manage to secure the majority of votes. This highlights two fundamental problems within democratic systems.

First, voters themselves may lack the expertise or information needed to evaluate who would be most capable of governing effectively. Modern governance requires knowledge of economics, law, administration, diplomacy, and social policy — areas in which the average voter may understandably have limited exposure.

Second, voters are incredibly diverse in their needs and priorities. Expecting one individual to represent the complex interests of millions is inherently difficult. A candidate may resonate with certain groups for cultural, ideological, or emotional reasons, even if they lack the qualifications required for the position they seek.

In many cases, those who rise through the political system are well-connected or well-funded individuals with personal ambitions and political alliances. The everyday voter, meanwhile, is often preoccupied with the challenges of daily life — especially in economically weaker sections of society. For many people, survival and stability take precedence over closely scrutinizing political candidates or policy proposals.

Unfortunately, this creates a situation where large portions of the population are disengaged from the political process, while those who are most invested in politics are often those who stand to benefit from power.

As democracies grow larger and more complex, this problem tends to intensify. The larger the population and the broader the constituencies, the harder it becomes for voters to meaningfully evaluate candidates or hold them accountable. A system that was designed to empower the public can gradually become distant from the very people it is meant to serve.

Another challenge lies in the incentives of democratic politics. For most political parties and elected officials, the primary objective is re-election. As a result, decisions are frequently shaped by approval ratings, public perception, and electoral strategy rather than by long-term public welfare.

Added to this is the influence of campaign financing. Elections are expensive, and those who provide financial backing often gain significant influence over policy priorities. When this happens, the interests of powerful donors can begin to overshadow the interests of ordinary citizens.

It is somewhat ironic that in a system designed to serve the people — the very meaning embedded in the word “democracy” — the voters themselves can sometimes become the lowest priority in political decision-making.

This raises an important question: what are the alternatives?

Should democracy be abandoned altogether? Should societies move toward more centralized or radical systems of governance?

The answer is not simple, and there is unlikely to be a single model that works perfectly for every city, state, or nation. However, certain improvements could strengthen democratic systems.

For instance, there could be stronger requirements ensuring that candidates running for public office possess relevant qualifications or experience. Public education and civic awareness could also be improved so that voters are better equipped to evaluate policies and candidates. A more informed electorate is one of the strongest safeguards of democracy.

At the same time, it is important to recognize that the leaders who emerge from democratic systems are products of the same societies that elect them. The flaws we see in governance often reflect broader social realities.

If societies wish to improve their political systems, they must also invest in building communities of thoughtful, responsible, and informed citizens — people who care not only about their own interests but also about the collective well-being of society.

In the end, democracy may still be the most viable system we have. But like any system, it requires constant reflection, reform, and participation to truly serve the people it was designed to represent.

When Algorithms Clock In: Rethinking HR for Beyond-Human Workforces

 

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Prelude

Imagine walking into an organisation where no one breathes, eats, or takes vacation. No gossip by the coffee machine, no team lunches, no “people problems” — because there are no people. Instead, every desk is occupied by algorithms, every meeting room by machine agents, every workflow managed by AI minds.

If humans are absent, does the Human Resources function cease to exist? Or does it evolve into something new — a system for governing, aligning, and sustaining a non-human workforce? The answer reveals not only the future of organizations but also the essence of what HR has always been about.

The Core of HR

At its simplest, HR exists to align people with purpose. Strip away the paperwork, the compliance checklists, the endless debates on leave policy — HR is about ensuring the workforce can thrive, grow, and remain aligned with what the organization is trying to achieve.

Now imagine removing humans from the equation. Strangely enough, the functions of HR still survive — but they take on entirely new forms.

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HR in the Age of Algorithms

Picture this: the HR dashboard of tomorrow.

• Recruitment isn’t about attracting talent — it’s about instantiating new AI agents or selecting the right algorithmic models. Job descriptions read like: “Seeking GPT-12.4 instance with strong reinforcement-learning background, 3 PB of training capacity, and optional ethics module.”
• Onboarding means configuration and calibration. Forget office tours; new hires get their mission protocols uploaded, and their system permissions aligned.
• Performance management is no longer the dreaded appraisal cycle — it’s constant benchmarking. Efficiency ratios, adaptability scores, and error rates are crunched in real time. Forget bell curves; here it’s all exponential.
• Learning & Development becomes software updates and retraining cycles. Your quarterly workshop is now a firmware patch.
• Employee relations? Mostly debugging conflicts between legacy code and next-gen AI. (“The chatbots won’t cooperate with the predictive models again.”)
• Compensation & Benefits look like access to more powerful compute cycles, priority queueing on the server, or a premium API package. “Congratulations on your promotion — enjoy your extra teraflop!”
• Diversity & Inclusion gets reframed as architecture diversity. To avoid groupthink, organizations mix symbolic AIs, neural networks, quantum optimizers, and maybe even one rule-based dinosaur, just to keep everyone honest.

It sounds absurd, but beneath the satire lurks something serious: HR is really about something more than humans. It’s about how entities — whatever their form — interact with the organization’s purpose.

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Reimagining HR Beyond Humanity

Of course, an HR function for machines would face its own unique dilemmas:

• AI burnout isn’t stress; it’s overfitting or catastrophic forgetting. How do you design work so that learning systems don’t collapse under data fatigue?
• Generational conflict might mean friction between a legacy rules-based agent and a sleek new transformer model.
• Ethical dilemmas still arise: If an AI demonstrates emergent sentience, does it deserve rights? Dignity? Rest cycles? Could unions of algorithms demand fairer compute time?
• Security & sabotage take on new meaning: rogue code, malicious updates, or a “virus strike” could cripple an organization more efficiently than any human protest.

Here’s the twist: this entire thought experiment points us in the direction that- HR has never only been “human” resources. It has always been harmonization resources — the invisible machinery that keeps a workforce, human or otherwise, aligned with purpose, ethics, and growth.

The organization of the future may not run on humans, but it will still run on relationships: between algorithms, between goals, between systems of value. Someone — or something — will need to manage those relationships.

This is where HR re-emerges, not as an outdated department but as a future-facing discipline. A discipline that governs fairness between agents, sustains diversity in design, and ensures alignment between workforce (human, machine, or hybrid) and organizational mission.

In other words, HR doesn’t disappear in a post-human world. It remains as essential as ever.

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Closing thoughts

A world without humans still needs a mechanism to balance interests and sustain purpose. HR’s future may not be about managing salaries and leave requests; it may be about optimizing compute cycles, mediating between architectures, and ensuring ethical alignment of synthetic minds.

And maybe that’s the ultimate lesson. HR was always about resources that hold an organization together- which will hold true in a world beyond humans as well. Tomorrow, those resources may not breathe — but they will still need to belong, grow, and harmonize.