Womankind August 2016

What is your narrative? It's a question that's difficult to answer, particularly if you've never given it much thought. You might like to think of your 'narrative' as your story, or that which gives meaning to your life. The narrative of a novel decides many things; such as how the characters behave and relate to one another; what they say; and finally, their fate. A novel's narrative also governs the colours, sounds, and themes at play - the dance steps, if you will. Sometimes by dint of our education and upbringing we share common narratives. As we discuss on page 68 of this edition, the popular narratives today are Technology, Consumerism, and Economic Utility. Perhaps one - or all - of these narratives dictate the chapters of your life, what…

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Antonia Case Antonia Case is the editor of Womankind and the literary editor of New Philosopher. In 2014 she was awarded the AAP Media Professionals’ Award for excellence in the presentation of philosophy in the media. Jennifer Kunst Jennifer Kunst, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst, and an adjunct associate professor at the Fuller Graduate School of Psychology. She is the author of Wisdom from the Couch. Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore writes for The Guardian, The Economist, Financial Times, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New Statesman, New Internationalist, The Huffington Post and Time magazine. Lucy Treloar Lucy Treloar’s novel Salt Creek won Debut Indie Book of the Year and is shortlisted for the 2016 Miles Franklin, Australia’s most prestigious literary award. Lucy also won the 2014 Commonwealth…

Womankind magazine is requesting input from readers for its upcoming Manual of Mental Attributes. We’re aiming for 250 submissions to match the current number of listings in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the ‘go to’ handbook for pinpointing the many and varied mental and behavioural disorders spotted in the general public. The DSM is utilised worldwide by doctors, drug companies, and insurance agencies for their own purposes. Undoubtedly, you will have had, or overheard, a conversation much like the following: “Little Mary has ADHD and also Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (AKA temper tantrums).” Person B: “Oh really, how sad. Well at least they know what they’re dealing with.” Person A: “Yes, it’s great to pin down the problem - it’s really common in kids these days,…

“THE BEST TIME TO PLANT A TREE WAS 20 YEARS AGO. THE SECOND BEST TIME IS NOW.” Chinese Proverb Motivational speakers make their fortune - buying islands in the Caribbean, private jets and fast cars - on the back of goal setting. Not their own goals, mind you, but by charging you to write out your goals. “Don’t be modest,” they shriek. “Think big. Think crazy. You want a convertible? Write it down. You want to make a million bucks a year, then write that down too.” Goal setting is like conversing with a magic Genie who can grant you every wish you’ve ever wanted: ‘the man/woman of my dreams’, ‘black belt in karate’, ‘chalet in the Swiss Alps’. The trouble with goal setting is that it forces us to…

Perhaps it’s something you could document: how much of your life you ‘live directly’. If you were to put a percentage on it, would it be 50 per cent of the time, or less? For US teenagers, the figure is decidedly less. On average, Americans aged 13 to 18 years spend nine hours a day on screens, while those a little younger, age 8 to 12 years, spend on average about six hours immersed, according to a study by Common Sense Media. Taking into account time to sleep, most teenagers in the US, ‘live directly’ just 30 per cent of the time. To ‘live directly’ is to face the world in its raw form. Cooking, chatting to others in person, creating a sculpture, patting the cat, tending to the garden,…