Editorial July 2026

Dear Readers,

One of the central texts of the Hindu canon is the Bhagavad Gita, the song of eternal wisdom from the epic Mahabharata. The events of the Gita take place during a war between cousins in the same royal family, invoking important themes of duty, ethics, and love for one’s family.

One lesson from the Gita stands out to me now, during this pivotal last summer of my undergraduate years. I’m filled with the consciousness that so much of my next steps, post-grad, are still uncertain. My senior research project in lab fascinates me, but I don’t know if our hypotheses will be proved correct. I collect stories each day but don’t know what kind of reception they will have if I publish them.

The Gita speaks directly to those feelings with verse 47 of Book 2: “Focus your mind on action alone, but never on the fruits of your actions.” We are entitled to the work we do and the actions we take — but we shouldn’t see ourselves as entitled to the rewards. In other words, do the work, and let go of the outcome. Sure, it feels impossible to be that unattached— but then, we can never really predict how the cards will fall. All we can do is work towards our goals, firm in the knowledge that the foundation we lay is a strong one. And that is a really interesting thought: that we “learn to labor and to wait.”