Thuraya is the host of the Burnt Sugar Podcast. She was born in the Middle East into Islam and immigrated into a Western country when she was still a young girl. Having recognized the conflicts in many of the basic tenets of Islam and the West, she was challenged to question religion, values, and identity.In this episode, we discuss Thuraya's journey in determining her own identity and defining her own values. As we all struggle with these things that truly make us human, there's certainly much value in considering her perspective. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine the most bitter, resentful, spiteful person. They stay inside all day, yet crave society. They have no friends, yet when they meet someone they instantly want to take advantage of them. They both love and hate themselves. This person is the character Dostoevsky created in his book "Notes From Underground". In all truth, we all have a little piece of this person inside of us. This book is filled with so much psychological depth that reading it will make you feel disgust and pity. But that's really the point! Dostoevsky wanted to create a character that embodied the worst parts of humanity... and he absolutely did it. In this episode, I'll be going over the major themes in this masterpiece. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don't you just love it when people tell you to "not be so naive"? This is actually good advice - being naive leaves you very vulnerable, and there are undoubtedly people who will take advantage of that. At the same time, we must steer away from bitterness and resentment, and this mentality seems to be at odds with being naive.It's a bit of a conundrum: if we are naive, we get hurt, but if we are bitter, we are in hell. However, there's something beyond the bitterness and comes from being taken advantage of. It's an act of courage and is done from a place of strength, and this is what people should strive for in life. In this episode, I'll be discussing this very thing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's not uncommon to hear advice that presumes that people are entirely logical. In other words, they we are "slaves to our rationality". Examples of this include things like "just pull yourself up by your boot straps" or "just DO it!".Though things like discipline and perseverance are undeniably important, this advice doesn't consider humanity's basic primal emotions. You see, we're simply not just one big ball of rationality. We are unbelievably complex beings with underlying emotions that are incredibly powerful. This episode may be more accurately titled "you are to a slave... to yourself", and it's absolutely true. In this episode, I'll be discussing how to use that to your advantage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are "epochs" in life where we are essentially different people. Many of us, for example, are vastly different (hopefully so) than the teenage version of ourselves. Life goes on, and we are forced to go with it, but do we always do so with grace?Of course not! In fact, teenagers in adult bodies are a regular sight. This is a bloody shame, as they aren't living up to their potential, yet it's entirely understandable. Growing up is hard, after all, and we don't always do so willingly. In this episode, I want to discuss transitioning through the stages of your life and why it's so important. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Naya is a psychologist and cognitive behavioural therapist. She works with patients in her daily life where she helps her patients change their behaviour through changing their thoughts. CBT is actually built on Stoic principles, and so Naya is very knowledgeable about Stoicism as well.In this episode, we discuss psychology, the biggest problems she sees as a therapist, Carl Jung, accepting your own evil, nerdiness, and much more. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Self-improvement is important for happiness in life, but also for the maintenance of society. We need competent people to keep the plumbing going! However, it's not all rainbows and sunshine. Improving oneself comes with a cost.As you become better, you inevitably lose people around you. This makes sense philosophically but also mathematically. There's less space at the top of the pyramid, after all!The journey can get lonely, but is it worth it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all want to be the hero! Of course we'd rather be like Mufasa than Scar, or Luke Skywalker than Darth Vader. The list goes on, but the essence is the same.In fact, not only is the archetype of "hero and villain" common, but it's really the only story that exists. Complex fiction is able to create complex characters with both good and evil within them, such as Batman, but many of the original stories split the nature of good and evil into two separate characters; Christ and Satan, for example.The question is: should you always be relating with the hero? And if you relate to the villain in some way, does that make you evil? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all have mothers, at the very least, maternal mothers. But what actually is "mother"? What does it represent? And, does it always have to be from our maternal mothers?"Mother" is really feminine energy. That isn't to say female energy, per se, but rather the symbolic representation of the feminine: chaos, nurturance, love, empathy, and so on. We absolutely need this form of energy in our lives to be a complete person, and fortunately, it doesn't necessary have to come from your maternal mother. In any case, a person cannot be complete without some form of "mother". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I am joined by Shane Sorensen, who is most well-known by his Instagram page on philosophy, Renaissance Wisdom. Shane is also an author with a book coming out early next year. This is his second appearance on the podcast, and in this episode we talk generally about philosophy and the importance of (and danger in) questioning everything. Are some philosophies better than others? Is there a single philosophy good for all mankind? Does life have any meaning? Can drugs give you a spiritual experience? Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices