Ben Xin

The future usually feels safest when it is far away. Reverse aging. AI writing software. Cryptocurrency replacing traditional payments. These are ideas I normally encounter through headlines, arguments, or science fiction. They seem close enough to imagine but distant enough that I do not have to seriously consider what living with them would mean. Then I found myself standing in an exhibition hall, surrounded by people trying to build them. The first conversation that truly changed how I...

At school, Faith has somehow gained the title of “relationship advisor.” It is not an official position, and she definitely does not have a certificate hanging on a wall somewhere. The name mostly comes from the fact that people like talking to her about crushes, relationships, and everything that comes with them. If someone likes another person, has no idea what to text back, or is trying to figure out whether someone likes them, Faith is often one of the people they go to. She listens,...

Why are people so afraid of an ordinary life? We are told to dream bigger, work harder, and become something more. A student should go to college. A worker should find a career. A person should keep moving upward. If someone stays in the same place for too long, we often assume that something must have gone wrong. But what if nothing went wrong? For Anthony, this question did not first appear as a philosophical question. It appeared as another normal day. Anthony is a janitor. He wakes up,...