literature
Best corporate culture and workplace literature to better your workplace experience. Journal's favorite stories.
What Makes a Film Feel Real? Inside the Approach of Andreas Szakacs Productions
What makes a film feel real? Not just visually—but emotionally, physically, and psychologically. In an industry often driven by spectacle, where visual effects and scale dominate the screen, some filmmakers are moving in a different direction. They are choosing authenticity over illusion, building stories that feel lived-in rather than manufactured. Among the production companies working within this space is Andreas Szakacs Productions—a London-based independent company focused on realism, human experience, and location-driven storytelling.
By Andreas szakacsa day ago in Journal
Trump's abuse and insults: A confession of the shameful helplessness of the American superpower in the face of Iran
Special Analysis — Journalist Malik Sarfaraz Hussain Awan: Trump's abuse and vulgar language are making his helplessness and political failure very clear. It is an established fact that when someone has no strength anywhere and fails to control his opponent, he resorts to abuse and insults. Donald Trump has now become a psychopath and this growing disease of his is not only seriously damaging the American state identity but has also led to disrespect for the presidency of the superpower. If we look in the mirror of history, the heads of the great states of the world have always represented the dignity and moral highness of their nation through their language, tone and style of speech. But when the president of a world power publicly resorts to abuse, threats, and vulgar language, it is a clear admission of his political, moral, and diplomatic defeat. Trump's statement about "sending Iran to hell" is not only an insult to religious sentiments, but it also reveals his deep disappointment and frustration. He has failed to subdue a nation that has bravely fought severe economic sanctions, pressure, and hardships for the past several decades. The traditional and limited response of the international organization, the United Nations, to the humanitarian actions of the Trump administration has proven the complete helplessness of this organization. This organization has now fallen below the global level and become the protector of the interests of only a few powerful countries. International laws are enforced only on weak and poor countries, while whenever any concrete action is attempted to be taken against serious crimes against human rights, the United States immediately thwarts it through its veto power. This illegal war imposed by the United States and Israel has now entered a very dangerous phase. The Middle East could turn into a fireball at any moment. The silence of the international community over Israel’s flagrant violation and blatant disregard for international law is clear evidence that the entire region is standing on a powder keg and a spark can ignite the entire region. Other countries in the region also seem to be busy trying to convince Iran to surrender to Trump in the name of limited and safe diplomacy. They are unable to put any pressure on the US President and Israeli interests. This regional hypocrisy is actually the result of fear, weakness and self-interest, where instead of stopping aggression, the oppressed are being advised to bow down. At the same time, Amnesty International and other international human rights organizations also seem to be limited to traditional condemnation. When children are separated from their parents in war zones, hospitals are bombed, and civilians are targeted, the limited and ineffective actions of these organizations cast a big question mark on their existence. By claiming to push Iran to hell in his threats, Trump is as if considering himself the master of heaven and hell. However, followers of all religions know very well who is the real master of heaven and hell and who will make the final decision on the future of mankind. This president, who claims to be a god in subdued words, today holds the most important position in America, whose abusive and indecent statements are creating intense hatred and anger all over the world. America has now become a former superpower that has lost its moral superiority and is now trying unsuccessfully to control the world only through economic terrorism, sanctions, and pressure. Depriving ordinary citizens of medicine, food, and basic necessities is a serious crime against humanity. The American people and the world should get rid of a mentally ill and semi-crazy person like President Trump and take practical steps to promote true humanitarian compassion, justice, and peace on a global scale. If this is not done, his policies will have extremely dangerous and worrying consequences. Because of Trump, many countries in the world are under severe economic pressure, where people are burning in the flames of war on one hand and dying from lack of basic necessities on the other. This destruction is not limited to humans alone, but due to Trump's war and economic measures, animals, birds, trees, water sources, forests, and the entire global ecosystem are also being subjected to silent massacre. The lust for wars has put the entire ecosystem of the earth in grave danger. If the whole world still remains limited to political statements and traditional condemnation and fails to put real pressure on Trump, the dream of world peace will be shattered forever.
By Malik Sarfraz Hussain Awan2 days ago in Journal
The Gratitude Practice
THE TOXIC POSITIVITY TRAP 😊😔 For two years I maintained a rigorous daily gratitude practice writing three things I was grateful for every morning as prescribed by virtually every wellness influencer, self-help book, and positive psychology study I had encountered, and for two years my anxiety and depression got progressively worse despite my faithful adherence to the practice that was supposed to be improving my mental health, and when I finally told my therapist that gratitude journaling was making me more miserable rather than less, she was not surprised because she had been seeing this pattern in an increasing number of clients who were using gratitude practices to suppress genuine negative emotions rather than to complement them, and the distinction between authentic gratitude and performative positivity disguised as gratitude is crucial for understanding why a practice that genuinely helps some people actively harms others 🎭
By The Curious Writer3 days ago in Journal
The No. 1 Habit That Destroys Adult Friendships, By A Psychologist
No healthy friendship operates on a strict 50/50 split at all times. Life happens. There will be seasons where one person gives more, carries more or needs more. However, there’s a significant difference between a temporary imbalance and a structural one.
By Muhammad Sabeel5 days ago in Journal
A Day in Kathmandu: Stories, Temples & Quiet Moments. AI-Generated.
I didn’t think much before booking the Kathmandu city tour. It was late, I was scrolling through Google, half distracted, and just picked something without overthinking it. No expectations. Just a free day and a random decision.
By Places Nepal7 days ago in Journal
Executive Leadership and Culture Shaping Explained
Executive leadership and culture shaping refer to the process by which senior leaders define, model, and reinforce the values that guide an organization. Culture is not simply a set of written principles; it is the lived experience of employees shaped by daily actions, decisions, and leadership behavior. Because executives hold the highest level of influence, their actions set the tone for the entire organization.
By Yeasha Sobhan13 days ago in Journal
The Architecture of Silence: An Engineer’s Blueprint for Peace in the Heart of Paris
In a world suffering from chronic noise, silence is often perceived as an emptiness—a lack of something. But for me, as an engineer who spent years studying the atomic structure of minerals, silence is something entirely different: it is the densest form of existence. It is not the absence of sound; it is a perfectly balanced vacuum. It is that specific, protected space where external chaotic pressure equalizes with internal strength, allowing the crystals of our soul to grow without fractures or flaws in their lattice.
By Magma Star16 days ago in Journal
What If Jesus Was an Interdimensional Traveler? Netflix’s The OA Made Me Wonder
I am watching this strange, beautiful series on Netflix called The OA. Maybe you’ve seen it, maybe you haven’t—but here’s the gist: a young woman disappears for seven years, returns with her sight restored, and tells a story about near-death experiences, secret experiments, and movements that open doors to other dimensions. As I watch, a thought springs to mind: what if Jesus—the Jesus we know from scripture—was also an interdimensional traveler?
By Vongani Bandi25 days ago in Journal
Author’s Advice. Top Story - March 2026.
If you would’ve asked me 20 years ago did I know I’d become a writer and an author, I would’ve said “nope, ain’t happening”. As fate would have it I did become an author and I can honestly say I’m loving it so far. It really does feel good to be a writer. I’ve learned a lot on this journey and I feel like with even me being as new to this world as I am, there’s some wisdom I need to share with every other aspiring author.
By Joe Patterson27 days ago in Journal
How Many Words?
Nine months ago I published my first Vocal story “Coincidentally ... Ken Nordine” which I had lifted from my blog Seven Days In. It has had 40 reads logged against it, that is an average of one read per week. My least read piece has four reads partially because I never shared it on Social Media because it was such a downer piece but I need to get it out of my system and it sits there now as a warning of how not to be.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred about a month ago in Journal
The Empty Locker
I didn’t know his name at first. I only knew the silence. It was a Tuesday in October. The high school hallway buzzed with its usual chaos—backpacks slamming, laughter echoing, sneakers squeaking on linoleum. But one locker stayed shut. No one leaned against it. No one dropped off homework. Just a quiet space where a boy should have been.
By KAMRAN AHMADabout a month ago in Journal
