Young people getting paid to go outside.

South Korea faces a crisis of extreme isolation.

Rise and shine.

I got a lot of hot tips yesterday and I cannot publish them here YET, but the moment I can I promise I will. As most of you know, I have the pleasure of writing for other outlets (with editors, with standards) so I also have to constantly measure how I want to run this small daily letter. I really enjoy identifying hot button topics and putting them out there to generate debate, and reactions. My favorite part is getting emails from readers who want to add or continue to dissect the conversations I’m having.

Some news:

• South Korea to start paying young people to leave the house. Known by the Japanese word ‘hikikomori’, South Korea faces a crisis of extreme isolation among young people. While ‘hikikomori‘ started as a phenomenon specific to Japan, it is beginning to emerge in different countries across the world, a trend which has been exacerbated by the pandemic and the way that the internet has reduced the need for face-to-face communication. n a country which places a high premium on conventional success, young people have to deal with high expectations from their families and one of the most stressful, competitive education systems in the world, with little time for leisure activities. Correspondingly, South Korea has the single highest suicide rate of any developed economy. Faced with such intense pressure, it’s not surprising that so many young people want to drop out of society, in one way or another. This makes me quite sad.