Reflective Essays and Poetic Musings by Condemiang + Stories About the World

Videos glorifying the joys and fun of raising babies are everywhere. While the intent may be to boost the birth rate, they seem to lack seriousness and sensitivity, which is disappointing. Even when adopting a pet, one must consider whether they have the means and mindset to care for it, and whether they can take full responsibility to the end. Then how much more thought and care should be given when welcoming a human life? The babies who bring such joy and laughter will grow into children, teenagers, and eventually adults. Yet these videos promote only brief moments of happiness, with no regard for the many challenges of living as a child, adolescent, or adult in today’s deeply troubled society. I can’t help but ask: “How many children have you actually raised?” Before promoting childbirth, we must first analyze and improve the reasons behind the steep decline in birth rates. The “next generation” is not just a private matter for families—it’s a collective responsibility of society. I...

What made me feel a bit sad while reading the Thread was that it felt similar to when I watched shorts. What I’m seeing, hearing, and eating right now is probably what my future self will look like—but the world is dominated entirely by these very short clips and reads that have no narrative. It feels like we’re heading toward a world where building something step by step from the beginning is almost impossible. A world where everyone is just waiting for a meal that’s already been cooked.

I often ask myself: What role should faith play in society today? And how free is the church from the logic of capital? In his classic work The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism , Max Weber shows how the devout lives of early Protestants—especially the Puritans—helped give birth to the modern capitalist spirit. What was once a “calling” before God gradually transformed into relentless competition; asceticism and self-discipline became virtues of productivity and profit. But was that ever the true heart of faith? To the progressive believer, this book becomes a mirror of our spirit. A century ago, Weber warned us of the world we now live in. “We are living in an age of soulless specialists and heartless hedonists.” How painfully accurate that feels today. Knowledge without spirit. Pleasure without compassion. If this is the face of our capitalist culture, then what should the church look like in response? Living faithfully before God must not become living efficiently befor...