The CHANGE Issue
Cover story: In Conversation with Vix Chandra.
EDITOR’S LETTER
What a time to be alive.
Over the past few weeks, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve literally stopped and gone, “Oh my god, look at the world we live in.” I’m continually amazed by how many changes this year has brought, and how they’ve woken so many people up to realities we were never fully aware of before. From the pandemic to the Black Lives Matter movement, to the various conversations these global events have been sparking in households and friend groups everywhere, it’s clearer than ever that we are on the brink of a massive shift in consciousness. This issue of the magazine was originally supposed to be based on a different theme, but in light of the current situation, I felt it was important to respect and shine a spotlight on change, and hopefully share some inspiration on the topic to encourage further transformation.
I figured with all the changes happening around me, it would be good to start taking more responsibility for the changes I’ve yet to make personally. Like so many people, I’ve spent the past several weeks educating myself on issues and perspectives I’ve been ignorant of, taking a good look at my own shortcomings and working on becoming the best version of myself that I can be. I have to say, it’s been truly life-changing. I’ve experienced transformative periods in my life before, but none so powerful as this one. Each of the changes I’ve experienced warrants an essay in itself, but for the sake of keeping this letter (somewhat) concise, I’ll just share a couple of the more significant ones.
Thanks to the Black Lives Matter movement and the awareness it spread about white supremacy/white-centering, I’ve been making a more conscious effort to decolonise my mindset. A large part of my perspective has been influenced by Western culture, both through our British-based education system here in Malaysia, and through the majority of the media I consume as a native English speaker. As a Ceylonese-Peranakan Malaysian woman, I never noticed the subtle ways I’d been reinforcing the idea that West was best, or white was right, at the expense of my own heritage. It was a surprising realisation to come to, because I’ve always been proud of my culture. I’ve recently been making more of an effort to pick and choose which elements of Western culture I want to continue practicing, rather than buying into it wholesale. And by immersing myself in my culture more, I feel like my connection to my roots is stronger than ever — allowing my branches to spread further and wider.
Another change I’ve made that has improved my life a lot has been to redefine what productivity means to me. I used to think that productivity meant packing as much work as I could into a day, leaving no space in my schedule unaccounted for and not wasting any time. But after a stressful few months leading up to the release of Brazen’s first issue, I’ve learned to take a step back and reprioritise what’s important. These days, I’ve expanded my definition of productivity to include anything that makes me happy, or contributes to me living my best life. So whether that’s doing some yoga, reading a book, watching a movie with my family, taking the day off to spend time with my friends or turning off all the lights and turning up the music, anything that lifts my spirits and my energy counts as being productive. It’s made all the difference, and I’m happy to report that this letter, and this issue of Brazen, comes to you from a much happier and less-stressed version of me than I’ve been in a long time.
Through these experiences and others, I’ve also learned a lot about change in itself. Ultimately, I think there are three things which play a crucial role in facilitating change: awareness, willingness and forgiveness. First, we must become aware of what needs to change. The current world order sweeps too many issues under the carpet for the sake of a privileged few. It’s our responsibility, in this internet age, to discover what those issues are and to seek out knowledge that can help us resolve those issues. Next, we must be willing to make the necessary changes. Knowing is not enough — we have to take action to create the change we wish to see in the world. And finally, we must be willing to forgive. We need to have space in our hearts to forgive our past selves for not knowing any better, and to forgive those who have not yet come as far as we have. We all have room to grow and improve, and as long as a person is willing to learn and take responsibility for their past actions, they deserve our time and patience. Cancel culture has gotten out of hand, and it’s the last thing we need if we want to create a better world.
In this issue of BRAZEN, we explore change in all its hope and uncertainty. We chat with Vix Chandra about creativity, racism, music, expression, fatherhood and change — it’s a truly wonderful conversation, full of reflections on the past and hope for the future, and I’m glad I got to have it with him. We will also be hearing the point of view of a young woman who recently moved overseas to study, and how all these global changes have affected her on top of her personal ones. We take a look at the small habits of superheroes, and how you can design your own system to become an enhanced version of yourself. And we will take a deep dive into some of the historical events that have had a significant impact on the world we live in, and how lending your voice to a vocal majority can bring about lasting change. On top of that, of course, we will have plenty of experiments, questions, quotes and recommendations for you to dive into as well.
Massive change is indeed afoot, and I have faith that it will be for the better. Though the times we’re currently living in may be intense, confusing and sometimes scary, we still have the power to decide how we want to shape our future. In the meantime, keep learning, keep looking after each other, keep doing the things that make you happy, and keep being grateful for all that you have, as well as all that is yet to come. We’re living through history, my friends, and it’s up to us to decide how this part of it turns out.
I’d like to end this letter with a quote I came across while researching this issue, which pretty much sums up how I feel about the changes happening today, and the hope I have for the future:
“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
― Rob Siltanen
What a time to be alive.
Love and peace,
SHANITA LYN KUMAR
Editor-in-Chief
