3rd March
Hello!
I'm in my happy place this week. I started teaching after a break of two months and it's been very uplifting. Engaging with students and learning from their experiences is an enriching process. I've also been working on some research papers on telemedicine. I hope to share them with you when it gets published. (My paper on the shifting trends of healthcare delivery in India has been published and if anyone is interested, please send me an email and I can send you a copy.)
Back to my state of mind, I've been in a happy place for most of the week. I hope you had your pockets of happiness and are able to navigate the stressul period that the world is going through.
Quote for the week: "Nobody is as powerful as we make them out to be."- Alice Walker
Our perceptions can be dangerous. Why do you think someone is more powerful than you are or, why do you think you have no power? What imbibed that attitude in your thinking?
Alice walker also said "“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." How do you see yourself in the world around you? Why do you see yourself that way?
Evidence shows that majority of our conditioning happens in our childhood. The power structures a child sees around them affects their understanding of their place in the world. This is why men and women from patriarchal families grow up to set up a similar family system and it continues on... or why students who had authoritative teachers don't question authority even when they enter the workplace... Fear and conditioning.
You can change that outlook. It will require a conscious effort but you can do it. Question your thoughts and perceptions. Question your actions and reactions. The world needs more people like that.
Book I'm currently reading: A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger
I'm about a quarter of my way through this book and I have to say, it is just so thought provoking. As somone who has always been that one person in every class with a lot of questions, this book answers so many questions by questioning. You can see that the above quote is strongly linked to my renewed interest towards questioning.
TED Talk recommendation: This could be why you're depressed or anxious by Johann Hari.
In a moving talk, journalist Johann Hari shares fresh insights on the causes of depression and anxiety from experts around the world -- as well as some exciting emerging solutions. "If you're depressed or anxious, you're not weak and you're not crazy -- you're a human being with unmet needs," Hari says. Find the talk here.
Book recommendation: Right now, the one book I'm recommending to everyone I know is the one I'm reading. Please go and get yourself a copy of "A more beautiful question" by Warren Berger.
Why do we stop questioning as we grow up? Why are people who question looked down upon? What does gender and socio-economics have to do with the practice of questioning? All this and so much more is covered in Warren Berger's book. Trust me, it will have a lasting impact on you.
Lastly, I've been wanting to change the title of this newsletter from "Your Friday Newsletter" to something more personal. Now that've have read a few of these newsletters, what would you suggest I title it? Reply with your suggestions :)
That's all for today. Hope you have an energising and restful weekend! See you next Friday!
Anjali