The Aurum Journal


Life is increasingly connected, yet understanding ourselves and one another can feel more difficult than ever.

The Aurum Journal is a place for thoughtful writing about people, relationships, society and the changing world around us. We explore the questions that influence how we live, how we connect, how we make decisions and how we find meaning in our lives.

We are interested not only in what is happening, but in why it is happening — and what it can teach us about ourselves.


Understanding Ourselves Through Others

Individual independence is valuable. Every adult should have the freedom to build a life according to his or her own character, ambitions and principles.

But independence does not mean isolation.

Human beings discover important parts of themselves through other people. Friendship, love, conversation, cooperation, disagreement and shared experiences can reveal qualities in us that would otherwise remain hidden.

Sometimes another person becomes a mirror. Through that relationship we begin to understand what we value, what we fear, what we need, what we can offer and what kind of person we want to become.

Read: Why We Need Other People to Understand Ourselves


What We Explore

Human Relationships

Love, friendship, attraction, companionship, communication and the complicated ways people form meaningful connections.

Self-Knowledge & Meaning

How experience, reflection and relationships help us understand ourselves and develop a clearer sense of direction.

Society & Culture

How social expectations, culture, demographics and changing values influence the way people live and relate to one another.

London & Modern Life

Observations about one of the world's great cities — its people, neighbourhoods, lifestyles, opportunities and contradictions.

Technology & the Human Future

Artificial intelligence and technological change are transforming work and everyday life. We examine what those changes may mean for human relationships, independence and society.

Business & Independence

Thoughts on entrepreneurship, work, personal responsibility, economic independence and creating something of lasting value.


Our Editorial Principles

Evidence before opinion.
Where facts can be established, they should come before personal interpretation.

Curiosity before certainty.
Important human questions rarely have simple answers. We would rather investigate them carefully than pretend otherwise.

Respect for the reader.
Readers should be given information and arguments that allow them to form their own conclusions.

Clarity over complexity.
An intelligent idea does not have to be explained in complicated language.

Evergreen over disposable.
We are more interested in ideas worth returning to years from now than content produced simply because something is temporarily fashionable.


A Journal About Being Human

Technology can give us extraordinary independence. Modern life offers freedoms that previous generations could scarcely imagine.

Yet some of life's oldest questions remain unchanged.

Who am I?

What kind of life should I build?

Who should I share it with?

What can another person teach me about myself?

How can independent people form relationships without losing their individuality?

And how do we create a society in which freedom and human connection strengthen rather than contradict one another?

The Aurum Journal exists to explore questions like these carefully, independently and with an open mind.

Because understanding the world begins with understanding people — and understanding people can help us understand ourselves.