Personal Singularity: The convergence of who you are, what you’ve experienced, and who you’re free to become.
For the past two weeks, I have woken up every day thinking about the woman I spoke with. This is not just any ordinary Western woman; this is a woman from Afghanistan.
Yes, a woman locked away in a home with an ultra-conservative and abusive father, living in a country where she has absolutely no freedom of choice. She can’t go outside except to see the doctor. She can’t go to the law or government for help when her father is aggressive toward the family. She has been locked up for months, only allowed to connect with the outside world through the internet. She works from her computer for more than 16 hours a day for an online school, also works as an online admin assistant, and writes in her “spare” time. She’s only allowed to earn a living because she can bring in money for the family of 10 who live in a two-bedroom house. Yes, 10 family members! So potentially, her father sees her as an asset, not as a woman or even a person.
I wake up every morning thinking, Why do I get to live this life? Why do I get to be free? It’s not fair. It’s not right. How do we help her?!!!
I spoke with her over a video call. Her avatar in the app we used was a picture of a skeleton with the saying, “Maybe I don’t exist in the future I’m worried about”. Powerful words from a woman trying to change the world, secretly speaking to me while working to change her own life and the lives of women in Afghanistan. If she’s caught even speaking to a journalist about her experience, she could be killed. (And yes, she and I together have put measures in place to keep her safe).
Yes, she speaks English very well, and most would be shocked to learn that English was taught in the school system before girls were banned from it. She can still connect to the internet and access the Western apps we all use. She explained to me that the Taliban cut internet access across the entire country a few months back, but the people erupted with anger and rose up, so the Taliban reinstated it. So, if the people can do this for the right and freedom of access to communications, why can’t they do this for the Afghan women?!
How did I get connected with her? Well, thankfully, Instagram was good for something. I found another woman’s post speaking about her and how this young Afghan woman has been imprisoned in her own home and country. I had to reach out, and she connected me right away (women helping women. You know who you are, and I appreciate you immensely). She has also been vetted to confirm she is who she says she is and where she is.
For months, I had been looking to find a woman there living through this horrific rule under the Taliban. I never thought I would find someone to talk with about what was happening on the ground, but I did. The universe (or my inner singularity—see my first post) was guiding me there.
What Women in Afghanistan Are No Longer Allowed to Do
If you’re not familiar with what’s happening to women in Afghanistan, let me try to sum it up for you. To be honest, this topic would require pages and pages to truly explain what has happened there historically and what is happening now. But I’ll do my best to explain it from a woman’s perspective.
As I write this, women and girls in Afghanistan are being denied many of the basic freedoms most of the women and men reading this Substack take for granted every single day.
Girls are not allowed to attend secondary school or university.
They can’t even have a professional job and are banned from most forms of employment.
Their freedom of movement is heavily restricted, as they can’t even leave the house or go outside without being accompanied by a male guardian.
Women and girls are prohibited from many public spaces, including parks, gyms, and sports clubs.
Their ability to express themselves freely and take part in public life has been severely restricted.
Even access to basic healthcare and professional medical education has been affected by the Taliban’s rule and policies.
And this is only the beginning.
Put Yourself in Her Place
I want to do an exercise with you. Seriously. If you’re inside your house reading this, at work, or anywhere indoors, walk toward your window and look outside.
Now think about what it would be like if you could never make your own decision to go outside ever again. You could only stay within these four walls until the law says you can go outside. You can’t even make a decision for yourself on a daily basis to better yourself, your mind, or your life.
All because of your sex.
You can no longer walk out the front door to pursue a career you spent years preparing for. You can’t travel. You can’t go to the gym. You can’t see your friends or even touch grass. Sure, you might be able to go into your backyard, but that’s the only sunlight and earth you’ll see.
This isn't just some pandemic; this might be your entire life.
You’re a prisoner.
Now, how does that make you feel? Scared? Angry? Helpless? Heartbroken?
What would you do? Most of us would fight. Freak out and lose our minds.
Well, this is exactly how women in Afghanistan are feeling currently.
So the question I ask now is: Why aren’t men and women around the world fighting for these women to be free?
That is the reality millions of Afghan women and girls are facing under Taliban rule for 5 years. Yes, 5 YEARS! The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, and today is August 17, 2026. The United Nations has described the situation as extreme gender-based discrimination and persecution.
And it is!
Personal Singularity
Since this Substack focuses on what I call the “inner singularity,” the inner singularity is the evolution (or series of moments) when everything a person has experienced begins to converge, and you suddenly see yourself, your life, or the world differently.
How can we come to that inner singularity when our freedom is taken away? Sure. Some could say the women I’m speaking with in Afghanistan could find enlightenment at home by meditating each day and finding an escape through their consciousness, but let’s be honest, that road is only for a few.
We can’t fully become who we are capable of becoming without freedom. When someone else (a family member, the government, extremist groups) controls whether we can leave our homes, go to school, work, speak, choose whom to marry, or determine the direction of our own lives, our ability to realize that potential is gone.
The truth is, we can’t—not fully.
Freedom isn’t just a political or legal concept. It’s a condition for human evolution.
A Human Issue. Not Just a Women’s Issue
This is just the beginning of my conversations and coverage here and at The Debrief about Afghan women and the loss of their freedom. I have a larger feature on her coming out, along with quotes and audio directly from her. Her voice.
As a woman with a platform (simply because I’m a woman), I can’t push this topic aside and think, Oh well, it doesn’t affect me. Yes, it does. It affects all of us. It affects the world.
So, if you’re reading this article and made it this far, please repost it, share it, or simply say something on behalf of the women who are suffering. We can no longer sit idle and watch this happen.
Women need to stand up for other women. Together.
And if you’re a man, I ask you to do the same. Stand with us. Stand for what is right. Stand for these women’s freedom to become who they were meant to be—to learn, to work, to dream, to choose, and to live freely.
Their freedom is not someone else’s issue. It is a human issue. And silence is not an option.
Side note: If you can help, please reach out to me. As we are going along this process of reporting, I’m also looking to try and find a way to get her out of the country under refugee status. Yes, I know this will be hard, and I know it may be almost utterly impossible, but we have to try. If you can help, please contact me at my email address below. People are stronger together.
Chrissy Newton, journalist for science, technology, and defense news outlet The Debrief and the founder of VOCAB Communications. She currently appears on The Discovery Channel and Max and hosts the Rebelliously Curious podcast, which can be found on YouTube and on all audio podcast streaming platforms. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton, Instagram: @BeingChrissyNewton, and chrissynewton.com. To contact Chrissy with a story, please email chrissy @ thedebrief.org.
I had to sit a day with my thoughts on this. I have a ton. The entire situation and relationship between the world and Afghanistan has been a problem; to understate it in a comment from my privilege of general safety. International intervention with the nation has been... Well, it encouraged an 'us versus them' mindset so far. All of those trapped in the consequences of the world stage deserve to leave freely. I applaud raising the voice of those who could not do so themselves.
I don't know how to fix what's going on in any other country. I don't know anyone who can help those trapped in the way you accurately depict. I find my greatest power lately has been my voice. It's clear that most of us here have in some way identified the value in that.
So while I don't know how to truly offer a direct solution; I offer one thought. I envision a world where perhaps we can admit that even the Taliban are human beings. How can we encourage them by our examples to make their own choices for a greater good without violence, without holding others down, without imposing our own definition of culture and government on them. In my humble opinion, the best way to achieve world peace is by acting peaceful. Or so I like to hold my optimism and consider.
I only have my voice for now. I hope anyone who wants to leave Afghanistan gets the chance to peacefully walk out the front door, as it were. We are all children of Earth.
Thank you for writing this. 🫶💙🌎🦋