When I was 27 years old, I found myself alone in the Amazon, drinking a potent tea that made me see demons. It was unquestionably one of the most harrowing experiences of my entire life. It’s only upon reflection weeks, months, and years later that I have made sense of the experience and what it…
When I was in fifth grade, I transferred from my public elementary school to a private middle school in Manhattan. As I began to settle in as the new kid on campus, the dreaded moment arrived that is depicted in every American movie about school - where would I sit for lunch? I walked over…
My initial interest in the Islamic holiday of Ramadan started during my trip to Pakistan, during the height of the pandemic. I went for a wedding and came back with love prospects, an addiction to chai, and a case of COVID-19. I remember during my time there, my love interest and host told me that…
Like most people, I never considered myself as racist. I grew up attending New York City’s public and private schools with a diverse friend group that I assumed absolved me of any associations with racism or white supremacy. I didn’t consider myself racist because like most well intentioned young people, I saw my Black, Hispanic…
Why do we love those who don’t love us back? It certainly does not seem to be a choice we make consciously. If the logical part of our brains were truly in charge, as we may like to believe, we would not love those who have clearly expressed their non-mutual feelings. That is because it…
The love from a grandparent is unlike any other love that exists in the world. Whereas love that comes from our parents, children or lovers may be complicated and littered with expectation, a grandparent’s love feels pure. It is a love that does not flinch when you decide to uproot your life and move to…
It's one thirty in the morning and a friend of mine approaches me as liquid courage, in the form of spiked seltzer, is running through his veins. He raises the palm of his hand, blocking half of his face to indicate this is a private conversation in the middle of his living room. He says…
Transitions are a scary, inevitable part of life. We may know in our brains that nothing lasts forever, yet this knowledge doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to digest the reality of moving cities, changing careers, or ending a relationship. The transition from the comfortable to the unknown is always met with feelings of doubt…
Somewhere in the south of Thailand last year, I met a 20-year-old Dutch kid on a bus, who described to me enthusiastically about his job as an electrical power line installer. He described to me the joy and gratitude he got from working and building things with his hands, as well as generous pay, all…
When I graduated from Tulane University in 2017, I was like most Liberal Arts graduates in that I had no idea what I wanted to do post-college. I had many interests I wanted to pursue such as psychology, Spanish and acting. Eventually, I decided I would pack up my life, drive to Los Angeles and…
Stephen Schwed 