Is it possible that world leaders today may be exhibiting, numbing or inflicting individual and/or collective pain in domestic or foreign policies? What is the connection between pain, power and transnational feminism? What causes the disconnection of seeing pain only as a personal experience instead of it being, also, a collective one? Have Individuals or States engaged in life-draining instead of life-sustaining decisions? Which economic/cultural/religious systems weaponize pain and which others prioritize wellbeing for Humans & Earth sustainable evolution? An interview with Dr. L. Ayu Saraswati, professor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Hawai`i and author of "Scarred: A Feminist Journey Through Pain" (2023), and "Seeing Beauty, Sensing Race in Transnational Indonesia" (2024). Listen to related episodes: 24. Kimberly Loh on Compassionate Conversations 40. Pauline Stoltz on Transnational Memories & Violent Conflicts in Indonesia 46. Hannah Ruth Dyson on the Deep Feminine 91. Dr. Paul Slovic & Dr. Scott Slovic on the Science Behind the Limits of Compassion 151. Dr. Luke Moffett on Reparations in Post-Conflict Societies Recommended links Dr. Saraswati Official Website Scarred: A Feminist Journey Through Pain Seeing Beauty, Sensing Race in Transnational Indonesia Why Beauty Matters to the Postcolonial Nation's Masters: Reading Narratives of Female Beauty in Pramoedya's Buru Tetralogy Cosmopolitan Whiteness: The Effects and Affects of Skin-Whitening Advertisements in a Transnational Women’s Magazine in Indonesia How Emotion Rules Social Media