tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81815552084189437362024-03-08T09:19:42.842+05:30Vedant KhandujaVedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-75944381368421688752023-07-02T09:47:00.020+05:302023-07-08T19:17:40.412+05:30#15 Straw Man Fallacy<p></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeCrwFGNeTTzlNjDc6hWh4q0WCPc1ju5Bmm-H05M-0l4dM5sPhgWoNXlObNwTUyiEnvlH36zRntxxaoPGHk9d5T83X6t3Won4neYPtX_AwmB689f4jV1LmrK2UKI2OAR_Y3ndjgUosJEb9VmWzwyxlvhMNxoYs_QKVFyHQ4YJUpYVRt0uSvBMPpAwPM8-/s816/straw%20man%20fallacy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="816" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeCrwFGNeTTzlNjDc6hWh4q0WCPc1ju5Bmm-H05M-0l4dM5sPhgWoNXlObNwTUyiEnvlH36zRntxxaoPGHk9d5T83X6t3Won4neYPtX_AwmB689f4jV1LmrK2UKI2OAR_Y3ndjgUosJEb9VmWzwyxlvhMNxoYs_QKVFyHQ4YJUpYVRt0uSvBMPpAwPM8-/w653-h474/straw%20man%20fallacy.png" width="653" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">In this week's newsletter issue, I’ll be delving into the “Straw man Fallacy”, it’s an interesting topic I stumbled upon while exploring philosophical concepts and thought it was worth sharing due to how relevant it is in present-day discussions.</p>
<p>In the different types of arguments we engage in, whether they are political, with our parents, bosses, or activists – it becomes difficult to differentiate between valid reasonings and misleading tactics.</p>
<p>The straw man fallacy is one such common form of reasoning that misrepresents the opponent's views. Let’s take an example:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A: Do you want to have pizza or Chinese tonight?</p>
<p>B: Let’s have pizza!</p>
<p>A: WHY DO YOU HATE CHINESE PEOPLE?</p>
<p>B: ????</p>
</blockquote>
<p>At its core, <b>the straw man fallacy occurs when an argument disregards a person's actual position and instead substitutes it with a distorted, misrepresented, or exaggerated version of the proposition.</b></p>
<p>Let’s take another example. Someone argues that “Climate change poses challenges to businesses.” </p><p>A straw man response might misrepresent this view as, "So, you're against saving the planet!" Here, the argument distorts the original position to create a false dichotomy.</p>
<p>The name comes from the fact that a “straw man” or a scarecrow is a false man and such ideas are made out of straws which are the invalid and flawed arguments that can be easily knocked down.</p>
<p>It may be ignorantly or purposefully used to avoid considering the nuances and complexities involved. </p><p>The ways someone could use the straw man fallacy to misdirect the discussion may include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Quoting an opponent's words out of context and thus, misrepresenting the original intentions of the opponent</li>
<li>Oversimplifying the opponent’s argument, then attacking the oversimplified version</li>
<li>Exaggerating the opponent’s argument and then attacking the exaggerated version they presented</li>
</ul>
<p>Surely, we have all encountered instances of the straw man fallacy in our lives. </p><p>These arguments are prevalent in political debates where the speakers are striving to impress the audience and to assert their dominance, they choose to misinterpret the opposing position.</p>
<p>There are numerous <a href="https://literarydevices.net/straw-man/">examples</a> of the straw man fallacy being used in literature, such as in this extract from <em>Othello</em> by William Shakespeare –</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“DESDEMONA: </p><p>And have you mercy too! I never did </p><p>Offend you in my life, never loved Cassio </p><p>OTHELLO: </p><p>By heaven, I saw my handkerchief in ‘s hand. </p><p>O perjured woman, thou dost stone my heart, </p><p>I saw the handkerchief.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Instead of believing his faithful wife, Othello uses the straw man fallacy to refute Desdemona’s argument. His reaction is influenced by his anger and sentiments rather than rational thinking.</p>
<p>And how are we supposed to engage in a discussion with a straw man? </p><p>If you’re in such a situation, it is important to stick to your original purpose. Emphasize it repeatedly to prevent any form of distortion throughout the conversation. </p><p>The next step should be to distinguish between what you said and what was interpreted. Make sure to ask clarifying questions to establish clear positions in the argument.</p>
<p>Also, using the <b>“Steel Man”</b> approach which is the opposite of the straw-manning may be a useful tactic. </p><p>This involves being aware of the weaknesses in your own argument and framing it in a way that makes it difficult to refute, while also consistently highlighting its strong points. This is a much more direct and confident way of persuading people during a debate.</p>
<p>I hope this newsletter gave you insights into how you can identify and navigate through misleading arguments. </p><p>What I learnt through this is that paying attention to language is the key to engaging in meaningful discussions that are free from fallacies.</p><p></p>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-16093647875971213582023-06-25T09:00:00.039+05:302023-06-26T23:26:23.234+05:30#14 Chesterton's Fence<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDFFy8GiRIjNno6FID4bg7mnZu1iL-jBgc-inw-2F1ZDdxou_vKcVx1fgkXoWrJZL_T5DZFF8GlDvJ5203z222CWRHsDkL7aQsu_wzY5nUq0lz5bSCeYCM61qU1SQagz4Wi1WadecVPJUZpuwaqg8cy0mnW6Gxryjej-xiq4ejrDJQsPNbLvbtIDnz9Ec/s542/Chesterton's_Caricature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="542" height="453" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDFFy8GiRIjNno6FID4bg7mnZu1iL-jBgc-inw-2F1ZDdxou_vKcVx1fgkXoWrJZL_T5DZFF8GlDvJ5203z222CWRHsDkL7aQsu_wzY5nUq0lz5bSCeYCM61qU1SQagz4Wi1WadecVPJUZpuwaqg8cy0mnW6Gxryjej-xiq4ejrDJQsPNbLvbtIDnz9Ec/w678-h453/Chesterton's_Caricature.jpg" width="678" /></a></p><p></p></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This week’s newsletter issue is about something I recently discovered called Chesterton’s Fence. It is a principle that suggests that reforms shouldn’t be made until the reasoning behind the existing state of affairs is understood.</div><p>Let’s imagine you’ve inherited a beautiful property from a family relative, and you’re visiting it for the first time.</p><p>As you explore the land, you notice a hideous fence obstructing its beauty.</p><p>You feel that this fence is blocking the path and is the one thing preventing your property from looking perfect.</p><p>Naturally, your initial instinct might be to tear it down immediately.</p><p>However, here lies the problem — tearing down something without comprehending why it was built in the first place is a hasty decision.</p><p>Constructing fences takes time, money, effort and planning. 'By making decisions without adequate knowledge of why someone built it, we risk destroying something we don’t truly understand.</p><p>Chesterton’s fence advises us, <strong>“Do not remove a fence until you know why it was put up in the first place.”</strong></p><p>Unless we’re aware of the underlying reasons, we do not have the power to make a rational decision regarding it.</p><p>It is so common for us to be so gripped by our own ideas and perspectives that we often forget to consider viewpoints that are beyond our comfort zones. is a narrow mindset which might cause us problems in the future.</p><p>It is important to acknowledge that the individuals who constructed the fence may have been just as intelligent as we assume ourselves to be, and that they might have logical reasons for their actions that we are just unaware of.</p><p>This principle was introduced by G. K. Chesterton, a renowned English author and journalist by a <a href="https://www.chesterton.org/taking-a-fence-down/">quotation</a> in his 1929 book, <em>The Thing</em>, in the chapter titled, “The Drift from Domesticity”. He wrote:</p><p></p><blockquote>“In the matter of reforming things, as distinct from deforming them, there is one plain and simple principle; a principle which will probably be called a paradox. There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, “I don’t see the use of this; let us clear it away.” To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: “If you don’t see the use of it, I certainly won’t let you clear it away. <b>Go away and think.</b> Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it.”</blockquote><p></p><p>It is significant to note that Chesterton wasn’t discouraging or advocating against all forms of reforms. Instead, it highlights the need to be open to new ideas, adapt and find ways to solve problems, while fully understanding their effects on the existing system.</p><p>This principle is often used in defence of conservatism, which I think is a misuse of it. Change is necessary, though changing things purely for the sake of it isn’t intelligent and can be harmful at times. Furthermore, some things are meant to remain unchanged.</p><p>It is easier to demolish and remove things, but the real challenge lies in choosing if or what to replace them with. The key is to think from different perspectives while also examining the consequences as well as the consequences of those consequences in advance.</p><p style="clear: both;">
</p><p>I hope this newsletter serves as a reminder that things may be more complex than they initially appear to us and that what we think of as arcane may be deliberate actions.</p><p></p>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-79385841874799752182022-01-30T06:53:00.026+05:302023-06-26T23:38:08.187+05:30#13 Having a Nemesis<p></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQUy2Aeqf6t1Km29CnuAVEoy8m1VO0aiO6d1WNoBSfATq5lWDMxjV4Gy05KGoEeIb514J9bJwnEIWBo8xf5AyqhJc9s8VsmffRVbbJlsC3_4YX46ub7hjevKJ8um7iJ4AskmDzAuLxKTsJ3TgubrABHwl5uMgbKGhp8xP0fJQrkSpBF3_0bsVxzxHGA/s660/picasso%20and%20matisse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="660" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQUy2Aeqf6t1Km29CnuAVEoy8m1VO0aiO6d1WNoBSfATq5lWDMxjV4Gy05KGoEeIb514J9bJwnEIWBo8xf5AyqhJc9s8VsmffRVbbJlsC3_4YX46ub7hjevKJ8um7iJ4AskmDzAuLxKTsJ3TgubrABHwl5uMgbKGhp8xP0fJQrkSpBF3_0bsVxzxHGA/w656-h377/picasso%20and%20matisse.jpg" width="656" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">This week’s newsletter issue is inspired by an <a href="https://tedgioia.substack.com/p/you-dont-need-a-mentorfind-a-nemesis">essay</a> I read by author and musician, <a href="https://tedgioia.substack.com/">Ted Gioia</a>, who draws attention to the importance of having a nemesis for self-improvement.</p><p>A nemesis is someone who challenges you to keep up with them. The nemesis is a rival you’re jealous and inspired of at the same time. The nemesis consequentially motivates you to grow and achieve progress and along the way, the nemesis gets benefitted as well. Gioia writes,</p><blockquote>
<p>“The first thing to understand is that your nemesis is not your enemy. Or, put differently, your nemesis is more than just an enemy. Rather, the nemesis is an adversary is who is like your dark twin. Even as you battle with the nemesis, you share a kind of DNA. The gaze at your nemesis is like looking into a mirror, but one of those fun house mirrors at the carnival, where everything is both recognizable and distorted.”</p></blockquote>One of the greatest rivalries in the art world — between <a href="https://www.pablopicasso.org/picasso-and-henri-matisse.jsp">Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse</a> led to many of the most celebrated artworks of modern times:<div><p></p><blockquote><p>“Matisse and Picasso didn’t like each other’s paintings at first, but they seemed to sense at once the power each had to challenge and stimulate the other. For the rest of their lives each would keep a keen eye on the other’s new work, provoking each other to paint the same subjects, sometimes even with the same title. There are many ways to describe their relationship. It could be called a rivalry, a dialogue, a chess game – Matisse himself once compared it to a boxing match. But it also became the abiding friendship of two titans who, daring to paint the ugly, transformed our sense of beauty in art.”</p>
</blockquote><p>Picasso commented, “No one has ever looked at Matisse’s painting more carefully than I, and no one has looked at mine more carefully than he.”</p><p>There are many other great examples of how having similar rivals can lead to great work: Beethoven and Daniel Steibelt, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. Having a rivalry that forces you to be more creative challenges your ability every day.</p><p>Having a nemesis can be more powerful than having a mentor. The nemesis usually gives you negative feedback and this, in turn, gives you the motivation to prove them wrong and use the criticism to your own benefit.</p><p>Competent rivals will always have some valid points in the feedback they provide you. There is no winner or loser in healthy rivalries. It’s a partnership in which both constantly try to overpower each other but end up becoming successful together. </p></div>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-9021997473432262942022-01-22T21:51:00.021+05:302023-02-06T22:45:55.666+05:30Wonder by R.J. Palacio<p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEEl8tMviPL_Ia_0Pdab22WvgPjTixnxWL_yetCpMbO65tjQaWaQTKK9YLEl_KgKRcLLcPqpva4pJHd6cyApXeXFbBrEE-zYxBln1s6iUCn7OND96i-BEMrH2KGu-FLGtzqbbAbcI6hZmypVQcmn0xCnBp2anEeTA4XLd0EcrgRBDawbGpHR6aVkCWw/s464/wonder.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEEl8tMviPL_Ia_0Pdab22WvgPjTixnxWL_yetCpMbO65tjQaWaQTKK9YLEl_KgKRcLLcPqpva4pJHd6cyApXeXFbBrEE-zYxBln1s6iUCn7OND96i-BEMrH2KGu-FLGtzqbbAbcI6hZmypVQcmn0xCnBp2anEeTA4XLd0EcrgRBDawbGpHR6aVkCWw/s320/wonder.jpg" width="207" /></a></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Book Review</strong></h2><p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Rating :</strong> 9/10</p><p><strong>Genre :</strong> Fiction, Contemporary, Young Adult</p><hr /><h2>What It’s About</h2><p><em>Wonder</em> is the story of August Pullman (aka Auggie), a 10-year-old boy born with a rare craniofacial disorder and his experience of attending a school for the first time. The book is based on the themes of kindness, identity, bullying, acceptance and friendship. Auggie’s journey is an emotional rollercoaster, from being bullied and called a “freak” to finding friends that truly accept and treat him like any other ordinary kid. It’ll make you smile, laugh and even shed tears at times.</p><p>Palacio has written this book in eight parts which include the story being told from the viewpoints of various people who are a part of Auggie's life including his friends, his elder sister, her boyfriend and more. The book also contains numerous life lessons and quotes in the form of “Mr. Browne’s Precepts” which I quite liked.</p><hr /><h2>Key Thoughts</h2><p>The book was truly heart-warming and inspirational to read. Since there’s a vast range of characters, you’ll definitely relate to a few of them. The book felt short because of how fast-paced it was.</p><p>Some of the viewpoints given in the book were too short and seemed unnecessary. Just when you get invested in an individual’s perspective, it switches and then you have to spend some time adjusting to someone else’s point of view.</p><p>Despite this, I think that they were incredibly written. Reading the same story from different viewpoints shows us how there are two sides to every story. Even the antagonists appear less evil after you hear their explanations.</p><p>It’s Auggie’s character development that makes this book so special. I love how he says in the opening sentence of the book, “I know I’m not an ordinary ten-year-old kid” nonetheless by the time the book ends, he says, “To me, though, I’m just me. An ordinary kid.”</p><p>The book reminds us of the importance of being kind to each other and loving people unconditionally. Overall, it was a great read, This is one of those books I recommend to people of all ages even though it is promoted towards young adults.</p><hr /><h2>Summary Notes</h2><p>“I wish everyday could be Halloween. We could all wear masks all the time. Then we could walk around and get to know each other before we got to see what we looked like under the masks.”</p><p>“Don’t give them that power over you. Don’t give them the satisfaction.”</p><p>“For a second, I imagined how cool it would be to be Via and Justin right then, having all these people standing up and cheering for them. I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives.”</p><p>“It’s so weird how that can be, how you could have a night that’s the worst in your life, but to everybody else it’s just an ordinary night.” “Or maybe it was even a good day. Maybe somebody won the lottery today.”</p><p>“Kinder than is necessary. Because it's not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed.”</p><p>“Courage. Kindness. Friendship. Character. These are the qualities that define us as human beings, and propel us, on occasion, to greatness.”</p><p>“.. the best way to measure how much you've grown isn't by inches or the number of laps you can now run around the track, or even your grade point average-- though those things are important, to be sure. It's what you've done with your time, how you've chosen to spend your days, and whom you've touched this year. That, to me, is the greatest measure of success.”</p><p>“It’s not enough to be friendly. You have to be a friend.”</p>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-6727794771297719062022-01-17T23:50:00.034+05:302023-06-27T14:55:52.242+05:30Nancy Pearl's Rule of 50<p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2Q13x4G7nESNQkrsbYJ4W3SmnHss0UHS7vsjNyAcFkAQaPSY0RSTLstreMZrctpLT5-wMY2w67eU6QZZb54VtdjEiB7WKdhajZiH0yZ4kh69yK2nJME2MwqPybNJ3pwPxx6gI1aPW-WOUuUWyqPu8UogkTnuAYZZGdX8JMzIl9ECwe02tWPYoUGZow/s778/james-bold-lMQv3xVa8X4-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="778" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2Q13x4G7nESNQkrsbYJ4W3SmnHss0UHS7vsjNyAcFkAQaPSY0RSTLstreMZrctpLT5-wMY2w67eU6QZZb54VtdjEiB7WKdhajZiH0yZ4kh69yK2nJME2MwqPybNJ3pwPxx6gI1aPW-WOUuUWyqPu8UogkTnuAYZZGdX8JMzIl9ECwe02tWPYoUGZow/w655-h438/james-bold-lMQv3xVa8X4-unsplash.jpg" width="655" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">School has taught us to finish every book from the start. Students feel that it’s necessary to read every single word of the material because of its possibility of showing up on a test. However, this is one of the most unhealthy habits associated with reading.</p><p>We need to change our mindset about quitting books. Quitting is usually considered a negative activity but best-selling author and librarian, Nancy Pearl recommends the Rule of 50 for the books you don’t want to finish. She <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8181555208418943736/672779477129771906#">writes</a>:</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: left;">If you're 50 years old or younger, give every book about 50 pages before you decide to commit yourself to reading it, or give it up.</p><p style="text-align: left;">If you're 100 or over you get to judge the book by its cover, despite the dangers in doing so.</p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: left;">This surely makes sense because as you get older, you have less and less time to waste on a boring book. If you’re reading a book you don’t find interesting for the sake of finishing it, you might as well drop it and not feel guilty about it.<p style="text-align: left;">Also, since our age is finite, we can only read a limited number of books. Every time you’re reading a book from start to finish, it becomes one of those limited books you read in your lifetime. For every four books you give up on, you find one that you like.</p>If you find yourself constantly checking how many pages are left in a book, it’s time to stop reading it and start reading something else. Completing a book isn’t a victory and quitting one definitely doesn’t mean you lack focus. A dull book is blocking behind it a list of books you might end up getting hooked onto.</div>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-89443998056194604922021-10-07T23:57:00.013+05:302023-02-08T06:49:32.966+05:30The Tongue and Quill<p></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYki1jJHXg3jqL0fnWjeQrOkigaSQ66KWJ2lwTcbHUlcRwpcQjekhb8tQpR-emmEhRMac_IYGdwT3HaGI79iSmHh2V4cIDABaVt6DDKeypkZLRWgbx_mJbDOP3KmuPkGWD34oWlWGv1w-Pd29kp87zsophQTNtDNhXFCrMYrz32V0RPPF9Ec5lMgswGA/s2308/eugene-chystiakov-wcMysLw5ROM-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2146" data-original-width="2308" height="601" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYki1jJHXg3jqL0fnWjeQrOkigaSQ66KWJ2lwTcbHUlcRwpcQjekhb8tQpR-emmEhRMac_IYGdwT3HaGI79iSmHh2V4cIDABaVt6DDKeypkZLRWgbx_mJbDOP3KmuPkGWD34oWlWGv1w-Pd29kp87zsophQTNtDNhXFCrMYrz32V0RPPF9Ec5lMgswGA/w646-h601/eugene-chystiakov-wcMysLw5ROM-unsplash.jpg" width="646" /></a></p><p></p><p></p>
<p>For decades, <a href="https://ssl.armywarcollege.edu/dde/ews/documents/USAF_Tongue_and_Quill.pdf">"The Tongue and Quill"</a> manual has been used by the U.S. Air Force to improve their written and verbal communication skills. The Air Force communication is required to be exceptionally clear and direct.</p><p>Unclear messages can cause expensive mistakes. Simplification of information and making each word count is vital in the military environment. But this is not limited to the Air Force, most of these techniques are valuable to have in the professional world as well.</p>
<p>The Tongue and Quill six-step checklist contains the six important steps for effective written communication:</p>
<p>1 - The First step is to question the need for communication and the receiving audience. Analyzing the purpose of writing helps to eliminate the delivery of information that might not be useful.</p>
<p>2 - This leads to properly being aware of the information being shared and having sufficient knowledge about it before sharing it.</p>
<p>3 - This also includes putting the logic to work and adding your thoughts to support the idea.</p>
<p>4 - Moving on to the structure, a straightforward format should be followed without any self-important words or fashionable phrases.</p>
<p>5 - The writing must be aimed to inform and not to impress. The language used should be as clear and understandable as possible.</p>
<p>6 - It is always helpful to take constructive feedback from others and make the necessary improvements.</p>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-58556437875123873502021-06-27T00:00:00.014+05:302023-03-04T03:22:43.128+05:30#12 Insecure Leaders<p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VqJdcwfmEVDGqIm_ZvCpWMdGppkyIlyWsGXc7JxeCG83UDgb_gACQ_e2577DVlnCSQLa1Arw_YJJnYSTGDJfHhRuplvQcZsL0l6mir84bH6XjbwiIJgc6319ISHSULn5G7-NRggKqI6DxU365LN1mQNaLGXseQ9IOEDjm0I8szM6SquGWkhNbkCLrw/s730/the%20emperors%20new%20clothes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="730" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VqJdcwfmEVDGqIm_ZvCpWMdGppkyIlyWsGXc7JxeCG83UDgb_gACQ_e2577DVlnCSQLa1Arw_YJJnYSTGDJfHhRuplvQcZsL0l6mir84bH6XjbwiIJgc6319ISHSULn5G7-NRggKqI6DxU365LN1mQNaLGXseQ9IOEDjm0I8szM6SquGWkhNbkCLrw/w638-h490/the%20emperors%20new%20clothes.jpg" width="638" /></a></p><p style="clear: both;">This week’s newsletter issue is inspired by a story by Hans Christian Anderson. I recently re-discovered. If you’re not aware, he is a Danish writer famous for writing children’s literature. Most of his stories and poems have a healthy balance of light and dark subjects and convey important moral life lessons which makes them ideal for children to read.</p><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheEmperorsNewClothes_e.html">“The Emperor’s New Clothes”</a> is a short story by him that conveys an important lesson about insecure leaders and challenging the status quo. In this story, no one dared to speak the truth as they are scared of appearing unfit for their positions. Except for a little child who wasn’t afraid because he had no position to lose and when he said it, everyone joined him as if they were waiting to let it out.</p><p>“But he hasn’t got anything on,” a little child said. “Did you ever hear such innocent prattle?” said his father. And one person whispered to another what the child had said, “He hasn’t anything on”, a child says. “But he hasn’t got anything on!” the whole town cried out at last.</p><p>The Emperor shivered, for he suspected they were right. But he thought, “This procession has got to go on.” So he walked more proudly than ever, as his noblemen held high the train that wasn’t there at all.</p><p>One of the things that successful leaders have in common is that they want to take feedbacks and are constantly seeking to change and improve. The emperor in this story was insecure and fearful which lead to his ministers being insecure as well. It’s hard to challenge someone superior to you even if they are wrong. But ultimately change is absolutely necessary, especially in the cases where the leaders are wrong themselves.</p><p>John Lubans, Jr. is known for his relatively short yet informative essays on leading and leadership. Here’s an excerpt from his book, <a href="https://journals.tdl.org/llm/index.php/llm/article/view/1696/976"><i>Library Administration & Management</i></a> describing the insecure leader –</p><p></p><blockquote>“Some highly insecure bosses can be decisive and seemingly effective; they are successful at masking the most visible of their insecurities. And if they are in a tradition-bound business with low expectations for innovation, they can be seen as “successful.” However, over time, the less-secure boss tends to develop a largely reactive organization because, in my experience, he employs acquiescent people and avoids independent thinkers.”</blockquote><p></p><p>I found the last line of this passage particularly interesting, “He employs acquiescent people and avoids independent thinkers”. Acquiescent people are mere puppets nodding at everything the leader says. Hiring them is rather ineffective for the organization as there’s no constructive feedback when all employees agree to everything the leader says. Insecure leaders are biased towards them as they need people to confirm their actions whilst they’re unsure about it themselves.</p><p>The emperor cared too much about what people had to say about him and his clothes. Effective leaders are confident within themselves and learn from their mistakes. “Leadership is not the private reserve of a few charismatic men and women. It is a process ordinary people use when they are bringing forth the best from themselves and others.”</p>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-22998951155355795282021-06-22T00:03:00.044+05:302023-06-27T00:06:38.882+05:30Describing the block<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1X5WZ-MWuC4r2YcI4uAyb2TKRqn53938q1PEtb753rlIy2rPY1zZ-KTPu4q3f4RhXQDPIhLqOrRp-3BQXTrfRODhwE9nkmZxtPLa-JsB7Y1P_LN8KmgRBpHZlPN6kzpe7LqF7pjBJOey10mQ2jHNcYTstwmvUUbpp5OEL6qunIpy8hkxtkZkNF9E4VA/s650/benjamin-zanatta-WbkfJ2TmSug-unsplash.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1X5WZ-MWuC4r2YcI4uAyb2TKRqn53938q1PEtb753rlIy2rPY1zZ-KTPu4q3f4RhXQDPIhLqOrRp-3BQXTrfRODhwE9nkmZxtPLa-JsB7Y1P_LN8KmgRBpHZlPN6kzpe7LqF7pjBJOey10mQ2jHNcYTstwmvUUbpp5OEL6qunIpy8hkxtkZkNF9E4VA/w727-h484/benjamin-zanatta-WbkfJ2TmSug-unsplash.jpg" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">I recently came across an interesting piece of writing advice from author and essayist Kiese Laymon. In his <a href="https://lithub.com/kiese-laymon-recommends-describing-your-writers-block-to-get-through-it/">interview with Literary Hub</a>, he says, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>
"With my head down, like I’m trying to concuss myself. I try to describe the
“block” and once it’s described I decide what I need to go through it. Then
you have to turn around and describe the feeling of running through it.
We’re writers. We don’t run through anything without describing what we ran
through.”
</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Not just in writing, this appears to be a great problem-solving skill to have.
Describing an issue leads us to properly understanding what the issue is, we
discover something new in the process of putting it into words, which finally
leads us to find ways to fix the issue.
</p>
<p>
This is often in the destination - obstructions form but there several facts
associated with both that play an important role in the clear understanding of
the problem but go unobserved.
</p>
<p>As it's rightly said, "a problem well stated is half solved."</p>
Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-10106838027454350792021-06-20T06:59:00.021+05:302023-03-04T03:22:43.126+05:30#11 Inflated Praise<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4MgmQjci63j_axMW_Ftbb_Bi8K3xZIoUhnwFsYh-50ENEYMsIY9XCjdLbew_hEbLhQboQf67VQY3UUcl6yTxZxGyTxTOFCRnC6zLvObKM-k49_1R_C3QQlH1t3g-xXSMxUSDDdoQM61rjLUQxdzq_r1BWuQTLqlXFVrTlb-UVpj69w2e8Bx2PDu1Sw/s637/i%20am%20a%20star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="637" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4MgmQjci63j_axMW_Ftbb_Bi8K3xZIoUhnwFsYh-50ENEYMsIY9XCjdLbew_hEbLhQboQf67VQY3UUcl6yTxZxGyTxTOFCRnC6zLvObKM-k49_1R_C3QQlH1t3g-xXSMxUSDDdoQM61rjLUQxdzq_r1BWuQTLqlXFVrTlb-UVpj69w2e8Bx2PDu1Sw/w645-h478/i%20am%20a%20star.jpg" width="645" /></a></div><span style="text-align: justify;"><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This week’s issue is about Inflated Praise which comes from the same place as bad feedbacks. Inflated praise is very unhelpful, especially for children. You’re telling them they’ve done the “best” in something which leads to unrealistic expectations they create for themselves.</p><div style="text-align: left;"><span>“Adults may also try to raise children’s self-esteem by giving inflated praise. Instead of telling children they did well, adult may tell them they did incredibly well. In one study, adults read scenarios involving children with high or low self-esteem, then wrote down the praise they would give. Adults gave children with low self-esteem more inflated praise (33%) than they gave children with high self-esteem (18%). These findings were replicated in in-home observations of parent–child interactions.” – </span><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/297591098_The_Praise_Paradox_When_and_Why_Praise_Backfires_in_Children_With_Low_Self-Esteem">Child Development Perspectives, Volume 10</a></div></span></div><p>The fascinating thing here is that inflated praise mainly has two effects on children with low self-esteems – Some of them are able to perform better as the praise might be a form of motivation for them. It creates an incredibly protective surrounding for them where they don’t feel down but rather are supported and encouraged to do better.</p><p>The second one is more common, the inflated praise creates large amounts of unnecessary pressure on a child who’s already struggling with low self-esteem and ends up feeling like they have to perform in a certain way to live up to the high standards assigned for them.</p><p>An <a href="https://behavioralscientist.org/the-praise-paradox/">article</a> by Eddie Brummelman on Behavioral Science gives an interesting example: “A teacher told me about a boy in her class, whose mother gives him lots of inflated praise. One day, as the boy was making a drawing, he took a close look at his own drawing, then at the other children’s drawings, and said, “I’m not an amazing drawer… My mom tells me I am, but I know others are better than me.”</p><p>Telling someone they’re “extremely” good at something would usually be a false statement which is the reason inflated praise should be avoided while giving feedbacks. It is not realistic and might end up backfiring.</p>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-28098733410774876632021-06-13T07:07:00.052+05:302023-06-27T15:06:28.336+05:30#10 Being Average<p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6z4tGrjTu2DRdbtSUxRhDwdIuX9hWcI-QvNWz9DcjoWcWoWTpEM0V8vpDTRaCr0xoH0g1gjM5GqAVIBwxnatwAl00Gsbjcw71G8C1Ig6gXdBawLunuUk6zpZL2U0ERF9DbJSG-L4MHq1C6sGpDQVnuFzHtzOHzrkYSvoONewR8y7u4_1HZb-eRhhsA/s800/Random_rhymes_and_odd_numbers_(IA_randomrhymesoddn00irwiiala).pdf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="535" height="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6z4tGrjTu2DRdbtSUxRhDwdIuX9hWcI-QvNWz9DcjoWcWoWTpEM0V8vpDTRaCr0xoH0g1gjM5GqAVIBwxnatwAl00Gsbjcw71G8C1Ig6gXdBawLunuUk6zpZL2U0ERF9DbJSG-L4MHq1C6sGpDQVnuFzHtzOHzrkYSvoONewR8y7u4_1HZb-eRhhsA/w388-h580/Random_rhymes_and_odd_numbers_(IA_randomrhymesoddn00irwiiala).pdf.jpg" width="388" /></a></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This issue is inspired by one of the poems I recently read called <a href="https://www.bartleby.com/260/67.html">“To the Average Men”</a> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Irwin">Wallace Irwin</a>. Wallace is known for his clever and humorous writing and this was the first poem in his book called <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Random-Rhymes-Numbers-Wallace-Irwin/dp/1163466352">Random rhymes and odd numbers</a>. It describes the life of an average man, with average circumstances, average expectations and average results. In this poem, he goes from writing:</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote>“Statistics declare that the Average Man<br />Finds the Average Woman and mates;<br />That the Average Family, children all told,<br />Is something like two and three-eights.<br />(Though fractional children disturb and appal,<br />The Average Man isn’t worried at all.)”</blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">to –</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote>to “But deep in the breast of the Average Man<br />The passions of ages are swirled,<br />And the loves and the hates of the Average Man<br />Are old as the heart of the world<br />For the thought of the Race, as we live and we die,<br />Is in keeping the Man and the Average high.”</blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">I believe that there are two opinions on this. There’s a set of people who feels that being average makes you happier and more grateful as Wallace writes in most of this poem. It keeps you stress-free as you’re mediocre in everything and aren’t setting unrealistic standards for yourself.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The other point of view is more common – Being average restricts you and deprives you of the greater things you want to achieve. Being average makes your life boring and makes you less ambitious as you start settling with the result you get. I recently overheard someone say, “Aim for higher than you want, this way you’ll be able to at least get what you want.”</p><p style="text-align: left;">I understand both the viewpoints here and there’s a considerable amount of evidence to support both of them. Some <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00898/full">studies</a> even suggest that the ‘Better than Average Effect’ is observed because “average” is often construed as the below-median ability:</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: left;">“[..]when assessing self-enhancement bias in comparative judgments of ability, it is important to ascertain how the judges interpret “average ability” and accordingly interpret the results with caution. When asked to compare their ability to an average person, some people may not grasp the intended meaning of the comparison target (e.g., median ability). Indeed, as studies have shown, when people are asked to compare their abilities to those of a vivid and specific, rather than general, comparison target.” </p></blockquote>In my opinion – no one is completely average. The ‘average man’ Wallace describes in this poem doesn’t actually exist. It depends on the choices you make and how you measure being “average”. Choosing mediocrity is restrictive as you’re choosing to remain stagnant. There’s always a difference between who you are and who you want to be.Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-71870088745654751982021-06-12T12:56:00.021+05:302023-06-27T15:18:00.143+05:30Completed Proverbs"Opportunity knocks once at every man's door," but often makes sure the man is out before knocking.<br />"It takes two to make a quarrel." How about husband and wife, who are one?<br />"A fool and his money are soon parted," when the fool has friends.<br />"Whatever man has done man can do" better.<br />"Look before you leap" out of the frying-pan into the fire.<br />"Honesty is exact to a penny," but not always to larger amounts.<br />"The best things are not bought and sold" ; they are stolen and kept.<br />"Pity is akin to love," but kinship does not always signify friendship.<br />"The second blow makes the fray," but not if the first is well placed.<br />"There's many a slip 'twixt" the cradle and the grave.<br />"Everything comes to the man who waits," except that for which he waits.<br />"A fool is never wrong" ; few of us are.<br />"No fool like an old fool" in the toils of a woman.<br />"He who hesitates" when lying "is lost."<br />"Until a man finds a wife he is only half" ; thereafter he is still less.<p>— From "Completed Proverbs" by <span class="author notFaded">Lisle de Vaux Matthewman</span></p><p>What I really liked about this piece of writing from 1904 is how clever and succinct is. The way writers like Matthewman used to play with words and incorporate puns in their writings has changed over time. It was much easier back then, much better too.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clare_Victor_Dwiggins">Clare Victor Dwiggins's</a> illustrations in this book make it even more interesting. Some works like this remain relevant forever.</p><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdc2kQPxLFlstCjwc8uK5BRemUPkFQTI5yNM5bDZeHWG8ojou-i_cEkbdEEWnESnmm9qfsKKP67Ek7GjxHNEn5w2ZFu3dQVlmZMLxClKKVseUJ-alM-_JbNluz_bXiUrGgw40sq6wDgqnU5XTHlUhoO-6OeKqs8wHr6uZapsYZfTRD5WSVfEGG_mE7qQ/s500/completed-proverbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="500" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdc2kQPxLFlstCjwc8uK5BRemUPkFQTI5yNM5bDZeHWG8ojou-i_cEkbdEEWnESnmm9qfsKKP67Ek7GjxHNEn5w2ZFu3dQVlmZMLxClKKVseUJ-alM-_JbNluz_bXiUrGgw40sq6wDgqnU5XTHlUhoO-6OeKqs8wHr6uZapsYZfTRD5WSVfEGG_mE7qQ/w640-h365/completed-proverbs.jpg" width="640" /></a></p>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-60111125629101175772021-06-06T02:43:00.001+05:302023-03-04T03:22:43.129+05:30#9 Golden Mean<p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGgk90dS_VuRo5B0CzqvtYnk_mgm8Jx1dSLc8Rk7qxXBmJ-qbHufCIZGWpKJstp7Yy37isvKH0_3SHn3ay2Q6L8bwMn1FBVjH_ktwnNfd0KeRD7VB6wi4o7IcfCACxMH-QwK0RdxNobNGgITijVLVVYa2PKQjoZ0JMxUezhnTu6Wu4WxMBMbifuvCvLQ/s1402/aristotle.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="1402" height="433" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGgk90dS_VuRo5B0CzqvtYnk_mgm8Jx1dSLc8Rk7qxXBmJ-qbHufCIZGWpKJstp7Yy37isvKH0_3SHn3ay2Q6L8bwMn1FBVjH_ktwnNfd0KeRD7VB6wi4o7IcfCACxMH-QwK0RdxNobNGgITijVLVVYa2PKQjoZ0JMxUezhnTu6Wu4WxMBMbifuvCvLQ/w641-h433/aristotle.webp" width="641" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;"> This week had been exhausting. I missed a few deadlines and couldn’t write one blog post a day like I wanted to. This inspired me to write this newsletter issue about Aristotle’s theory of the Golden Mean which is about finding balance in various aspects of life.</p><p style="text-align: left;">In his philosophical work <a href="https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/The_Nicomachean_Ethics/Mb7WAAAAMAAJ">Eudemian Ethics</a> Aristotle constantly uses the phrase “… is the Middle state between …”, he is referring to the idea of moderation and a finding a desirable middle ground between the extremes.</p><div style="text-align: left;"><p>In his <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:The_ethics_of_Aristotle.djvu/64">notes on virtue</a> he writes, “Virtue is a state apt to exercise deliberate choice, being in the relative mean, determined by reason, and as the man of practical wisdom would determine. It is a middle state between two faulty ones, in the way of excess on one side, and defect on the other: and it is so moreover because the faulty states on one side fall short of, and those on the other exceed, what is right, both in the case of the feelings and the actions; but Virtue finds, and when found adopts, the mean .”</p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">This theory is seen everywhere in life, even in the modern world and is so simple yet significant to understand. He states that the middle ground is usually closer to one extreme than the other and that happens for it’s own good. An example being courage (response to fear), the two extremes are recklessness and cowardice. Here the “golden mean” could be being closer to recklessness than the deficient cowardice.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Similarly, I believe that finding the sweet spot and balance is important in most places like professional work, creative practices, communication and relationships. Locating the golden mean is not something that comes from studying the principles theoretically or reading books about it. We learn more about it with trial and error, practice and experience – just like other things in life.<br /></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92g8ClOIvA25NbjiVJs1vYlUQ6lIdsSSwIlQMhCGlCVRyrwImh9l9xHtxCaDzfbeEFJbL5lTK1x0E_NNLSRZ1r7m56KFqbaP8_7tkRHhN00rb75_vEuE-d_pTOPCaJhhizWd3kMPlBLG4q5kCFpbTfOcj5SHi5thnOPOEZqU475ZrLnAoto-LPzD6Pg/s850/golden%20mean.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="850" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92g8ClOIvA25NbjiVJs1vYlUQ6lIdsSSwIlQMhCGlCVRyrwImh9l9xHtxCaDzfbeEFJbL5lTK1x0E_NNLSRZ1r7m56KFqbaP8_7tkRHhN00rb75_vEuE-d_pTOPCaJhhizWd3kMPlBLG4q5kCFpbTfOcj5SHi5thnOPOEZqU475ZrLnAoto-LPzD6Pg/w632-h187/golden%20mean.png" width="632" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">Many people have summarised the means of moral virtues in tables like this and they are quite perfect. For instance, modesty is one of the virtues given here. It’s in the mean between shamelessness (deficiency) and shyness (excess). Most of Aristotle’s virtues are still relevant and I suppose they’ll always stay relevant as they’re spheres of feelings that are a part of human permanence.</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote>“The people in modern society need to overcome their pride and arrogance and look in nature for guidance because we all depend on it. Staring into the sky and imagining ourselves in heaven will not accomplish anything; it is better instead to accept our role in the world and appreciate the beauty of life, and death, which gives meaning to it. We don’t need “new” and “progressive” ways of life when the ancient wisdom of the world’s greatest thinkers is in front of us, forgotten in the dusty shelves in some crumbling library. The balance, the golden mean of which Aristotle talked about must be recognized as beneficial and important, as it is in nature itself.” – <a href="http://www.anus.com/zine/articles/draugdur/golden_mean/">American Nihilist Underground Society</a></blockquote><a href="http://www.anus.com/zine/articles/draugdur/golden_mean/"></a><p></p>I agree with everything they’ve said here. In the busy work-life, there needs to be a golden mean between the things you have to do and the ones you want to do. And it doesn’t need to be in the middle ground, it can shift towards the more significant duties from time to time. When nothing goes left, don’t go right – stay in the middle!</div>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-4117474514388132102021-05-30T02:51:00.055+05:302023-03-04T03:22:43.125+05:30#8 Without Society’s Soundtracks<p style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-M0_jJVXUxWg0qt7AjciFsx7dgtN-yGT3C7IUoBR0nUFZCP1W69a8-xU09cA_h7ZDJ8SeVxzI6yqziBy26FU-6WCLzYl-ByWomZzQfMRjxcd9WHRw0b7S6Do7Z2L0Q-XM3eyZqDLpJqgoh4oyT7YVzKyaGdwi_0PMWIf8opjyFVyRh630vE-y5RIMQ/s1402/beethoven.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="1402" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-M0_jJVXUxWg0qt7AjciFsx7dgtN-yGT3C7IUoBR0nUFZCP1W69a8-xU09cA_h7ZDJ8SeVxzI6yqziBy26FU-6WCLzYl-ByWomZzQfMRjxcd9WHRw0b7S6Do7Z2L0Q-XM3eyZqDLpJqgoh4oyT7YVzKyaGdwi_0PMWIf8opjyFVyRh630vE-y5RIMQ/w643-h383/beethoven.webp" width="643" /></a></p><p style="clear: both;">This week’s newsletter is about the story of one of the most known and admired composers in classical music, Ludwig van Beethoven and about how he became so deaf to the point he couldn’t hear the notes of his instruments or the singer’s voice and how it later impacted his personal life and career as a musician.</p><p style="text-align: left;">As many of us might know, Beethoven was surprisingly stone deaf. It’s important to know that he wasn’t always deaf, it’s something that developed slowly. The cause is unknown but it is believed that his deafness was caused by syphilis, lead poisoning, typhus, or possibly even his habit of plunging his head into cold water to keep himself awake.</p><p style="text-align: left;">It started when he was just 26 with a buzzing and ringing sound in his ears that started irritating him. It steadily grew and became more and more noticeable even though he tried to keep it a secret. By 1812 when he was 44, Beethoven had gone completely deaf. His hearing ability had deteriorated so much that he couldn’t hear the sound of the instruments playing or the singers singing. Here’s an extract from a <a href="https://www.beethoven.de/en/media/view/4862695861911552">letter</a> Beethoven wrote in 1801 to Dr Franz Gerhard Wegeler, one of his close friend.</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote>“… For two years I have avoided almost all social gatherings because it is impossible for me to say to people “I am deaf”. If I belonged to any other profession it would be easier, but in my profession, it is a frightful state…”</blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">He had to start using notebooks as a way to communicate with visitors who wrote down what they wanted to tell or ask him. And in the same way, Beethoven replied by writing his response in his notebook. These are now known as the “<a href="https://boydellandbrewer.com/blog/music/beethovens-conversation-books/">Conversation Books</a>“.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Okay, so here’s the obvious question – if he was couldn’t hear at all then did he stop writing and composing music? – No. In fact, Beethoven created his greatest works including the Moonlight Sonata, his only opera Fidelio and six symphonies during this period.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The deafness worked as a gift for Beethoven musically because he couldn’t hear the “prevailing compositional fashions.” It was entirely him and his imaginations that led to his greatest pieces. Arthur Brooks, while discussing this in an <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/this-holiday-season-we-can-all-learn-a-lesson-from-beethoven/2019/12/13/71f21aba-1d0e-11ea-b4c1-fd0d91b60d9e_story.html">article</a> published in the Washington Post writes</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote>“It seems a mystery that Beethoven became more original and brilliant as a composer in inverse proportion to his ability to hear his own — and others’ — music. But maybe it isn’t so surprising. As his hearing deteriorated, he was less influenced by the prevailing compositional fashions, and more by the musical structures forming inside his own head. His early work is pleasantly reminiscent of his early instructor, the hugely popular Josef Haydn. Beethoven’s later work became so original that he was, and is, regarded as the father of music’s romantic period.”</blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">He ended up wrecking pianos by banging on them so hard to hear the notes. Beethoven had to go through a lot of struggle, frustration and isolation to achieve greatness and influence. His deafness forced him to become very private and only allowing selective friends to meet him.</p><p style="text-align: left;">This seems to be a very important lesson. Sometimes eliminating what society has to say from your ears does wonder. Beethoven proved that the outcomes of creative processes are better without the worldly clutter, even though it might take a toll on an individual’s mental health.</p>Deafness granted Beethoven complete artistic freedom – not being influenced by what other musicians are producing, not considering people’s comments about his work, just creating sound without even listening. Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-17600068578451415462021-05-24T13:07:00.009+05:302023-02-13T00:24:22.913+05:30Same Eyes, Different Directions<p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTdzrncpgVkiR6a65xCH_3V6U4RrIyFnZ6K01tBpGmJRiqsQanc1PZ1Wr_N39geEdRhSIyZvgRosnqgjN3eQf6j1jrfeA3j0KRtU9QWGlYNKXwK3WgCZLyXkFgGnBd3Oy4zs4k812pEWkLJwb_tHb-WWblAByuqmg7rmm9Uouh9KzeHawx-dSJifeMQ/s6000/nadine-shaabana-anXB3AhQcJ0-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTdzrncpgVkiR6a65xCH_3V6U4RrIyFnZ6K01tBpGmJRiqsQanc1PZ1Wr_N39geEdRhSIyZvgRosnqgjN3eQf6j1jrfeA3j0KRtU9QWGlYNKXwK3WgCZLyXkFgGnBd3Oy4zs4k812pEWkLJwb_tHb-WWblAByuqmg7rmm9Uouh9KzeHawx-dSJifeMQ/w631-h420/nadine-shaabana-anXB3AhQcJ0-unsplash.jpg" width="631"></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">Perspective matters. The way you look at something differs from the way I look at it. You may be able to see something that I can't see, even if I stare at it for hours. We often assume people to have the same level of knowledge and interest as us in a given subject. However, everyone has their own realities and experiences. This isn't something bad as it leads to unique conceptions that are valuable.</p><p>These days when I get stuck with something, I force myself to ask someone to review it and give their opinions on it. Insights from others are always helpful as they make us think things from a broader view and realise something new that we wouldn't think of otherwise.</p><p>Taking other people's perspective is also significant for building constructive relationships. People respect you more when you show eagerness to understand things from their point of view. Everyone has the same set of eyes, it's the direction they're looking at that makes a difference. Usually, there's no right or wrong it's only different. </p>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-54154830158906646672021-05-23T23:31:00.049+05:302023-06-27T15:26:32.599+05:30Notes on Habit Formation<p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryB8A3YoBYMjZWcKFqeKcenKN-9cg5NX1Kps1TVUMOQ5_ljcYkFjJPIiV2ToTGpBhmZ5YPcYfbH4W3fP9Bv5JqxbF7eCHfhIjtcJ4VrlH2RTy29izMTLtRM_0ECZbvt6sWG2tV-nb2P22Qj4wU9tOP5mHAopA5cZ1NebE1wh5nplIGNdNZXx-UJPDkQ/s649/shiromani-kant-mo3FOTG62ao-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="649" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryB8A3YoBYMjZWcKFqeKcenKN-9cg5NX1Kps1TVUMOQ5_ljcYkFjJPIiV2ToTGpBhmZ5YPcYfbH4W3fP9Bv5JqxbF7eCHfhIjtcJ4VrlH2RTy29izMTLtRM_0ECZbvt6sWG2tV-nb2P22Qj4wU9tOP5mHAopA5cZ1NebE1wh5nplIGNdNZXx-UJPDkQ/w653-h435/shiromani-kant-mo3FOTG62ao-unsplash.jpg" width="653" /></a></p><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Moulding Habits and the Loop</span></h2><div><p>In '<a href="https://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/">The Power of Habit</a>', Charles Duhigg lays down the principle of moulding habits in three simple components - Cue, Routine and Reward. Together these three stops form what he calls the Habit Loop.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Cue </b>- the reminder that prompts us to start the habit.</li><li><b>Routine </b>- the habit in its active stage, taking place.</li><li><b>Reward </b>- essentially, the satisfaction we receive once we've completed the habit loop. It is the thought in the brain that tells us if the habit is worth remembering or not.</li></ul><p></p><p>The first step to mould habits is to identify the cue, routine and reward by writing them down. If it's a good habit that needs to be adopted in the routine, we can try experimenting with the reward. The rewards are powerful as they make us crave them more by sticking to the routine. On the other hand, if it's a bad habit - the practical way is to isolate the cue. If there is no cue, the loop doesn't start.</p><p>Still, I feel that a tremendous amount of self-discipline is required to mould habits. There's no way to 'hack' the loop, it's all about knowing what's good for you and having a plan accordingly.</p><span></span><span></span><h2 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Mindless Repetition and Deliberate Practice</h2><p>While mindlessly practising something, I'm doing it again and again without proper concentration. It's similar to being a factory worker who is carrying out the same action repeatedly and can do it blindfolded after some mindless sessions practice. This type of practice is seen in passive actions like tying shoelaces and folding clothes.</p><p>There's a big problem with mindless repetition, it's a waste of time and makes you dull. Thinking about the number of pages your read or the number of hours you spend on doing something makes you outcome-oriented. The short-term payoffs of careless repetition are far less valuable than those of doing it with full attention and mindfulness.</p><p>Here's where deliberate practice kicks in. It's the act of practising something repeatedly while being completely present in the situation. Sticking to something with engrossment is hard but that's what makes it worth it.</p><p>Deliberate practice is often useful for people training in music. Musicians often find themselves practising the same chords again and again mindlessly and end up being frustrated when they can't play them properly. Here's an insightful extract from a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254734259_Research_on_expert_performance_and_deliberate_practice_Implications_for_the_education_of_amateur_musicians_and_music_students" rel="noopener" target="_blank">research</a> two professors, Andreas C. Lehmann and K. Anders Ericsson conducted to describe the implications of deliberate practice for music students:</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: left;">"Deliberate practice in music typically refer to individuals' solitary efforts to improve a particular aspect of their performance. However, the concept of deliberate practice includes any training activity for which goals have been defined and feedback is available. Each learning activity in turn promotes the acquisition of an associated skill; all these skills together lead to a structure which supports a particular performance.</p><p style="text-align: left;">To become creative improvisers, jazz musicians imitate models, listen to recordings, and try to understand the style of a given performer. Chess experts spend large amounts of time studying published chess games by masters, predicting the next move and then comparing their predicted move to what the master actually did. Discrepancies between a chosen chess move and the master's move then are analyzed. Assuming that the master's move was indeed the best choice, this activity combines goal setting and instant feedback."</p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"></p></div>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-37257621524131220082021-05-16T03:09:00.048+05:302023-03-04T03:22:43.127+05:30#7 Counting Blessings<p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWB-0LLte-CcThwxaMnHmr4Fy0U3aK7J_Ad53is2S28X-H5KrYN9NGxtnmnLxWdtxusJS7D_Z-fuPUtgVRZdd1Cpn0eTvrAnSh7eRg5avvpNLtf1LRjzGxu-N__ONSYzBqTxnfbbONx9Cxwhf5nWjOJPCviYvEEJSqOX_pl6zgXeRcxYezraZjaK7LXA/s3600/illiya-vjestica-j4dD5iLp78Y-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="2400" height="943" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWB-0LLte-CcThwxaMnHmr4Fy0U3aK7J_Ad53is2S28X-H5KrYN9NGxtnmnLxWdtxusJS7D_Z-fuPUtgVRZdd1Cpn0eTvrAnSh7eRg5avvpNLtf1LRjzGxu-N__ONSYzBqTxnfbbONx9Cxwhf5nWjOJPCviYvEEJSqOX_pl6zgXeRcxYezraZjaK7LXA/w629-h943/illiya-vjestica-j4dD5iLp78Y-unsplash.jpg" width="629" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">I recently read some articles written by Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at the University of California who is one of the most well-known experts on Gratitude. In this week's issue, I’ll be sharing a <a href="http://local.psy.miami.edu/faculty/mmccullough/Gratitude-Related%20Stuff/Emmons_McCullough_2003_JPSP.pdf">research and social experiment</a> he conducted in 2003 with the help of Michael McCullough, the professor of psychology at the University of Miami and an author.</p><p style="text-align: left;">As a part of the experiment, 192 undergraduate students were given a packet of 10 weekly reports. These participants were then divided into three groups who were asked to reflect upon three major types of conditions respectively: Gratitude, Hassles, and Life Events. Now, here’s the interesting part –</p><div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>The participants of the <b>Gratitude Conditions </b>wrote things like – waking up this morning, the generosity of friends, to God for giving me determination, for wonderful parents, to the Lord, and to the Rolling Stones</li><li>In the <b>Hassles Condition</b>, the students wrote things like – hard to find parking, the messy kitchen no one will clean, finances depleting quickly, having a horrible test, stupid people driving, and doing a favour for an ungrateful friend.</li><li>The participants of the<b> Life Events Conditions</b> wrote things like – talked to a doctor about medical school, learned CPR, cleaned out my shoe closet, flew back to Sacramento, and other circumstances and events that affected them in the past week.</li></ol><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Overall, it was noticed that the participants in the gratitude condition were more satisfied with their lives as a whole, felt more optimistic about the upcoming week, and felt more connected with others than did participants in the control or events condition.</p><p style="text-align: left;">It takes equal effort to record the things you are grateful for as it takes for the things that you’re annoyed by. But it’s more about how the reflections impact you and your perception of life. It’s clear that gratitude manipulation increases the positive effect as well as helps in reducing the negative effect. It totally depends on what you’re focusing on – the blessings or the burdens. The two psychologists open their report with a Charles Dickens quote that conveys the message accurately – “Reflect on your present blessings, on which every man has many, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”</p><p style="text-align: left;">Personally, I had never reflected on such stuff properly but this week I decided to give it a try. I wrote a log every day (morning and evening) using the <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/5-minute-journal-self-care/id1062945251">5 Minutes Journal app</a> by Intelligent Change.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Just within a few days of writing these entries, I found myself making notes on little things that would usually go unnoticed. Doing a decent amount of reflection daily makes you think about time on earth with a broader perspective. You actively get forced to answer those prompts. I have noticed that maintaining a daily log helped me to stay mentally clear and have a more optimistic attitude.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Journaling is something worth giving a try, five minutes a day with a pen and paper is enough if you focus on the right stuff. Think about it this way – People celebrate Thanksgiving once a year but what if it was extended as a daily thing? </p><p style="text-align: left;">A Year-Long Thanksgiving!</p></div><div><p></p></div>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-60933873238767782592021-05-09T12:39:00.050+05:302023-06-27T15:37:52.744+05:30#6 Learning Loop<p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVhfClDDyvjLWCDmgaw50LgoWB1g334LttT7LpKt56YTDbOq3mkAAXg4EzUTkNhIZfzfVzRPlLVkhHkP8rdz8Ha88Tr11ELGjgCxK5h2vBEyaVAg76Ga2UZEvfolzXssJeK2iPZX1nJbGjnEaXPI6b0zq-i7mmSkdk9koXRJ4EJGOij8aTmyw1odlew/s639/kier-in-sight-2TwvNp2kw78-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="639" height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVhfClDDyvjLWCDmgaw50LgoWB1g334LttT7LpKt56YTDbOq3mkAAXg4EzUTkNhIZfzfVzRPlLVkhHkP8rdz8Ha88Tr11ELGjgCxK5h2vBEyaVAg76Ga2UZEvfolzXssJeK2iPZX1nJbGjnEaXPI6b0zq-i7mmSkdk9koXRJ4EJGOij8aTmyw1odlew/w639-h479/kier-in-sight-2TwvNp2kw78-unsplash.jpg" width="639" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">Recently one of the highlights has been learning content through online mediums and finding effective ways to do so. Here's an interesting concept I came across recently called the Learning Loop. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><strong>The Learning Loop is based on the idea that to accelerate learning it needs to be implemented in our day to day life. It’s easier to learn things from actual experiences that run in a loop than the basic conceptual understanding.</strong></p><p>A great part of this is based on taking reflections and feedback from yourself. When something less or more effectual happens, a concise reflection increases the quality of the learning and impacts how long it sticks with you. </p><p>While discussing this concept in an <a href="https://every.to/superorganizers/the-truth-about-mental-models-with-shane-parrish" rel="noopener" target="_blank">article</a>, Shane Parrish, the founder of <a href="https://fs.blog/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Farnam Street</a> writes,</p><p></p><blockquote>“Think about a clock: at twelve o’clock on the dial, you have an experience. At three o’clock, you reflect upon that experience. At six, that reflection creates an abstraction—a mental model—and at nine, you go on to take action based on that. Draw little arrows between them, and you can visualize this loop of learning. Mostly we skip the reflection part. We just want to get to the point. We want the answer so we gloss over the experience and the reflection to get to the abstraction, which answers the question what should we do.”</blockquote><p></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiaY5wmiH99s4HXc8usd6jJrLBpLxF2Xu3mLiXtseroscRkx1COKX_-8k8XcMNY9o7EdoxSptoX4sw3_Mhb65Uft6-SVdRbx66s_JEFuqf-JjvY0vk0KbPh5eAxCfEghfWBUvBclFvENbRxDjDOAVr2qwc2Vi_Ez3WaVxoI_NNmxDO8f5lujnRcVKyPw/s438/learning-loop-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="438" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiaY5wmiH99s4HXc8usd6jJrLBpLxF2Xu3mLiXtseroscRkx1COKX_-8k8XcMNY9o7EdoxSptoX4sw3_Mhb65Uft6-SVdRbx66s_JEFuqf-JjvY0vk0KbPh5eAxCfEghfWBUvBclFvENbRxDjDOAVr2qwc2Vi_Ez3WaVxoI_NNmxDO8f5lujnRcVKyPw/w483-h260/learning-loop-1.jpg" width="483" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">This is usually where a problem arises, it’s the difference between Single and Double-loop learning method. The practitioners of Single-Loop Learning follow a short-term approach. It’s meant for learning things, getting the result and hopping onto the action associated with it. The problems and their solutions here are too close to each other.</p><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKl2BOGt7GVbAvi8lLPd_zoncT44ZPxLczviqFMzL_IfEDbKb3s6s0HrcJDc9n6CZr8R_KdUdG08MUbm0tuUuNX9cpGbQbtugz8l2qohDe06nH8Wj0a-r5W-lMsipsq0S5Q3UHNd2eN-moxsqXYXKC-5-bdP_aJ6BXxUGJaFN3G3UBl25FdCusJ-Xkg/s541/learning-loop-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="541" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKl2BOGt7GVbAvi8lLPd_zoncT44ZPxLczviqFMzL_IfEDbKb3s6s0HrcJDc9n6CZr8R_KdUdG08MUbm0tuUuNX9cpGbQbtugz8l2qohDe06nH8Wj0a-r5W-lMsipsq0S5Q3UHNd2eN-moxsqXYXKC-5-bdP_aJ6BXxUGJaFN3G3UBl25FdCusJ-Xkg/w568-h294/learning-loop-2.jpg" width="568" /></a></p><p></p><p>The Double-Loop Learning often follows a longer line of action but is more effective. The key features of this organizational system involves assumptions and self-awareness. In the Double-Loop Learning, making assumptions about the material helps to incorporate it in an established manner. </p><p>While having a solitary loop does work but transitioning it out into actual learning is based on multiple loops of repetition and reflection than just consuming information for the result.</p><p>Asking questions like “What are the patterns?”, “What are the details?”, “What did work and what didn’t?”, “What do I need to do in order to keep moving forward?” and answering them helps to increase the clarity of the abstractions in our mind. Usually, consuming content alone isn’t enough, a dedicated learning loop if required for effective learning. That’s all I wrote for this issue. I hope you learnt something new. :)</p><p></p><p></p>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-82778464007262998032021-04-28T23:16:00.008+05:302023-02-06T23:22:55.266+05:30The Red Queen Effect<p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwk9TodmnyEZhi7Kz6xFoF88YgXAlwqgUJQCYfX0vtxpe810ucvQlc6R-XfW1VQ7Xka4tr5c0S8kNUGeD9FvU5J9lbrS9RH2jAn32DZiVrGmqORPnR0TZhkuFAwAfi7UZHPSR0N6QN75_aPlQVqQ56cBli8cltZ1uZAaa98uIIkJl6JvEX_aK2uqeD5A/s275/1565780720158.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwk9TodmnyEZhi7Kz6xFoF88YgXAlwqgUJQCYfX0vtxpe810ucvQlc6R-XfW1VQ7Xka4tr5c0S8kNUGeD9FvU5J9lbrS9RH2jAn32DZiVrGmqORPnR0TZhkuFAwAfi7UZHPSR0N6QN75_aPlQVqQ56cBli8cltZ1uZAaa98uIIkJl6JvEX_aK2uqeD5A/w489-h325/1565780720158.jpeg" width="489" /></a></p><p>In <em><a href="https://g.co/kgs/tZ7D2b" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Through the Looking Glass</a></em>, the second sequel of the famous novel <em><a href="https://g.co/kgs/1d2QX2" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</a></em> by Lewis Carroll, Alice realizes that she is running as fast as she can but she's still fixed at the same place.</p><p>She is constantly trying to run but it has no effect as her surroundings remain stationary relative to her body. During this time, the Red Queen teaches Alice an important lesson. While explaining the nature of Looking-Glass Land she says,</p><blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>“Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote><p><a href="https://g.co/kgs/GvyVUi" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Leigh Van Valen</a>, an evolutionary biologist used this analogy and his interpretation to illustrate The Red Queen Effect. This hypothesis is based on the idea that we all need to run in order to move ahead in life with the changing society, otherwise, we will stay trapped at the same spot or start falling behind. A tremendous amount of hustle with a sense of ambition is required to grow and overcome this friction that detains you.</p><p>The only instruction given by the Red Queen to escape this effect is - <em>"work harder, faster"</em> and then after escaping it, <em>“If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!” </em></p><p>
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<!-- /wp:paragraph --></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-49739478192173740282021-04-26T23:44:00.014+05:302023-06-27T15:46:09.645+05:30Practice and Repetition<p>While listening to the podcast episode on the <a href="https://tim.blog/2016/02/10/seth-godin/">Tim Ferris Show with Seth Godin</a> as the guest, I made a note of a small piece of practical writing advice Seth gives. He says,</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote>“This is easy. Write poorly. Continue writing poorly. Write poorly until it’s not bad anymore and then you’ll have something you can use. People who have trouble coming up with good ideas, if they’re telling you the truth, will tell you they don’t have very many bad ideas. But people who have plenty of good ideas, if they’re telling you the truth, will say they have even more bad ideas. So the goal isn’t to get good ideas; the goal is to get bad ideas. Because once you get enough bad ideas, then some good ones have to show up.”</blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">This is the opposite as we're taught 'quality over quantity' but usually for any skill development, the aim should be 'quantity over quality'. The more you practice, the more you'll be making mistakes, the more you'll be learning from them and ultimately the more you'll improve.</p><p>Waiting for the perfect time to do the perfect work is stupid and unrealistic as the perfect time doesn't exist. Starting it and gradually making things better and better with each step seems like the practical way out.</p><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtMSMN_LoLbu0dbQS71VdYpDeTU3r-3a6XzHosj04JpvPLgXnDJ7dlN6peyDpoOz4y6rYy5d1wHMSBiMPSIrKpQxxR3jWDNg03pWG7U0BaqgVMqLKwBOm6Laj9z1WRFK04YESXWGrUcIvkxuG-mfoofBOUVygMcVxWstXME9crIp7KMcE-VcO7h3y8w/s633/andy-kelly-P21tYLUo_PI-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="633" height="443" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtMSMN_LoLbu0dbQS71VdYpDeTU3r-3a6XzHosj04JpvPLgXnDJ7dlN6peyDpoOz4y6rYy5d1wHMSBiMPSIrKpQxxR3jWDNg03pWG7U0BaqgVMqLKwBOm6Laj9z1WRFK04YESXWGrUcIvkxuG-mfoofBOUVygMcVxWstXME9crIp7KMcE-VcO7h3y8w/w665-h443/andy-kelly-P21tYLUo_PI-unsplash.jpg" width="665" /></a></p><p>To add, here's a famous parable from the book <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Art and Fear</a></em> by David Bayles and Ted Orland that gives a real-life example of this,</p><p>"The ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of work they produced, all those on the right solely on its quality.</p><p>His procedure was simple: on the final day of class he would bring in his bathroom scales and weigh the work of the “quantity” group: fifty pound of pots rated an “A”, forty pounds a “B”, and so on. Those being graded on “quality”, however, needed to produce only one pot – albeit a perfect one – to get an “A”.</p><p>Well, came grading time and a curious fact emerged: the works of highest quality were all produced by the group being graded for quantity. It seems that while the “quantity” group was busily churning out piles of work – and learning from their mistakes – the “quality” group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay."</p><p>The lesson here is to never wait for the perfect timing. Just start it and figure out things as you go. Keep making clay pots until you're satisfied, have some bad ones, make some mistakes and use them as your learning curves. The key is to never stop or get discouraged by your early attempts. This is how practice and repetition together help in skill development.</p>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-20720507705464842122021-04-25T03:45:00.039+05:302023-03-04T03:22:43.126+05:30#5 Vaccine Hesitancy<p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p></p><p></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAfJuwlctf1O4uBNKN26Si0nWAMDU7GyL2h_yX_ck3tyCJoHJb_3qmrAt3Za-xKEi5WsnAz350S1-c0rPQoebJiA-EnJqrN2RKq_g4IqHKLR2lFVFujdZpgKXnpq_BVDF_7i3cw7kVGHBXepHpNuV8vL0TanUcjdhM5me0C58K7HgZgNofN1Lp9p_Ew/s3474/hakan-nural-Z2n-r7pg6kM-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3042" data-original-width="3474" height="527" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAfJuwlctf1O4uBNKN26Si0nWAMDU7GyL2h_yX_ck3tyCJoHJb_3qmrAt3Za-xKEi5WsnAz350S1-c0rPQoebJiA-EnJqrN2RKq_g4IqHKLR2lFVFujdZpgKXnpq_BVDF_7i3cw7kVGHBXepHpNuV8vL0TanUcjdhM5me0C58K7HgZgNofN1Lp9p_Ew/w602-h527/hakan-nural-Z2n-r7pg6kM-unsplash.jpg" width="602" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">This week has been overwhelming with the second surge of Covid in India. And even though the vaccines are being made available for people to get and India being one of the fastest vaccine producers, there has still been a surge in the country because of the large masses of unvaccinated people.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Some folks are getting affected after getting the vaccine which discourages others. Do vaccines work? Is it safe to go to the vaccination centers? The only way out of the covid spike at the moment are the vaccines, not just for India but for the whole world.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The covid vaccines do work and researches have shown that it’s quite rare to get the virus after you’ve been vaccinated and even if you do, there are very few chances of it being life-threatening. It is important to know that only <a href="https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/only-two-four-people-out-10000-tested-positive-after-vaccination-indian-govt-147584/">two or four people</a> out of 10,000 can get covid after vaccination and the number of breakthrough infections are very small in number and are not worrisome.</p><p>Even after getting both doses, wearing masks and following the guidelines is essential until the majority of the country gets vaccinated. Its due to this surge that the vaccination process will be delayed and affected. India not only needs to get more vaccines but also, needs to make the process faster. In an <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2101220">article</a> disusing this, Dr Rosenbaum writes,</p><p></p><blockquote><p>“Of course, people who are determined to undermine confidence in vaccines will always find ways to spread misinformation. But a much larger proportion of the population may be willing to get vaccinated given the proper reassurances, and dismissing their concerns often leaves them seeking someone to validate them.</p><p>I suspect that’s one reason why correcting misinformation often falls short. Some people, for instance, may truly believe that vaccines cause autism. But for others, this ostensible fear may mask less easily expressed needs such as maintaining one’s identity, belonging to a group, or simply being heard. And yet respecting these more basic instincts also raises an uncomfortable question: At what point does empathy sacrifice scientific truth?”</p></blockquote><p>Now personally, I know that vaccines are not 100% effective but it does prevent people from being hospitalized. And the surge is caused by fewer beds in hospitals and more infected people. At least 80 -85% of the people need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity and places being close to normal. The good news is that the hesitancy rate in India now down to 23%.</p><p>Still, many people need to be educated. At this stage, it’s significant to overcome any vaccine hesitancy and participate in protecting yourself and the people around you.</p>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-9694420828145393162021-04-11T03:57:00.014+05:302023-03-04T03:22:43.125+05:30#4 When I Grow Up<p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1yIslnu3HMoW6gtVr2q6svwvDeySsZIbx1HFfsQ9p1Hb5g9njZTxZdfFY9hAODRpD4EmdiIlTnuuxv8ClhTgw_l947_05BwmQsf50WoVq_ydV7BEPGRFNR4CvGi5gcoXww0zcNu8NBjIfBb_r3su7Y69jghO07IXIFc7YQnsQPvzIX_QCPqXhfCzORw/s695/9780061926914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="695" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1yIslnu3HMoW6gtVr2q6svwvDeySsZIbx1HFfsQ9p1Hb5g9njZTxZdfFY9hAODRpD4EmdiIlTnuuxv8ClhTgw_l947_05BwmQsf50WoVq_ydV7BEPGRFNR4CvGi5gcoXww0zcNu8NBjIfBb_r3su7Y69jghO07IXIFc7YQnsQPvzIX_QCPqXhfCzORw/w650-h297/9780061926914.jpg" width="650" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the highlights of my week has been making the important life decision of which profession I want to take up as an adult. And honestly, I don’t know myself. I see my interests as subjects, not as careers. I know that I like science, math, history, English literature, computer science but does that mean I’ll have to become a doctor, historian, writer, engineer or computer scientist?</p><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Some people have their aims clear but it isn’t for me. I am bad at setting long term goals and I don’t understand how people are expected to decide what they’ll be doing for thirty or forty years when they’re just inexperienced teens.</p></div><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://austinkleon.com/2018/11/09/we-are-verbs-not-nouns/">Austin Kleon</a> says, <i>“<b>We are not nouns, we are verbs</b>. I am not a thing – an actor, a writer – I am a person who does things – I write, I act – and I never know what I am going to do next. I think you can be imprisoned if you think of yourself as a noun.” </i></p><p style="text-align: left;">This is exactly what I’m trying to convey. Thinking about sticking to one thing seems boring and risky. What if it’s tedious? What if I figure out I don’t find it enjoyable halfway through?</p>It seems that “when I grow up” isn’t a small decision, it requires a very careful thought and a lot of planning. It’s something you’ll be dedicating your whole life to and that’s some pressure. While discussing this subject in an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/careers/young-people-take-career-decisions-too-early">article</a>, Abigail Lane writes –<br /><div><p></p></div><blockquote>“With the retirement age rising to 67 by<a href="https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensions/article-1679780/New-state-pension-age-retire.html"> 2026-28</a>, young people will soon work for 50 years or more. I realise that choosing the profession I want to follow and university courses that will get me there – is a decision of paramount importance. But I can’t help thinking that it’s too much for an inexperienced seventeen years old to make. With students choosing careers that may not suit them, a worrying scenario could emerge: we could be stuck in careers like round pins in square holes. This is detrimental for the students because reconsidering a career is an enormous decision.”</blockquote><p style="text-align: left;">Now personally, I think that at this stage it is more important to perfect your skills than eyeing a definitive profession that may or may not be in demand in future. With new personality based careers emerging, it’s important to study the subjects you’re interested in (in the best way you can) but not assuming a permanent career for yourself.</p>For instance – I like science and I’ll study science. I’ll give it my best but I’m not hoping for a specific science-based career (like a doctor). After studying the basics, I can decide which science-based career I’ll be pursuing based on the future circumstances.<br /><p style="text-align: left;">Also two decades back, <a href="https://www.diygenius.com/high-paying-careers-of-the-future/">professions </a>like Digital marketer, Youtuber, App Developer, Data Scientist didn’t even exist. These terms had never been heard of and the people who practice these careers today didn’t aim for these certain careers when they were teenagers.</p><p style="text-align: left;">They chose them because of their skills not because of a set of memorized knowledge. When I grow up, I want to do something worthwhile for work with a bunch of side hustles to moderate it. We are verbs, not nouns. I am a person who has certain interests that I want to gain more knowledge on. Hopefully while studying them I’ll be able to figure out the particular profession.</p>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-82799005235690986442021-04-04T04:18:00.028+05:302023-03-04T03:22:43.130+05:30#3 Value of Simplicity<p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNPDdJW1qrWht6IUuKRVmr8uM9Rk95hgkAxPYfNm4iHQfL1LWVUVpGYvv8oZhIVAEP8T2XWRL-499AWyFANi1ctDgy_asQxI7_etA4jiIhbQuRJKFD4bchTlC8rgSroJTrOmD2yWuPQZZ2fcca2DoXWuyKL4Ya8Bm2jj7pVT5WFnpEhwVv0_Zz3xpjbw/s2442/isaac-benhesed-onLbXleIkds-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1628" data-original-width="2442" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNPDdJW1qrWht6IUuKRVmr8uM9Rk95hgkAxPYfNm4iHQfL1LWVUVpGYvv8oZhIVAEP8T2XWRL-499AWyFANi1ctDgy_asQxI7_etA4jiIhbQuRJKFD4bchTlC8rgSroJTrOmD2yWuPQZZ2fcca2DoXWuyKL4Ya8Bm2jj7pVT5WFnpEhwVv0_Zz3xpjbw/w642-h427/isaac-benhesed-onLbXleIkds-unsplash.jpg" width="642" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">Recently, one of the highlights of my life has been making things simpler and easier to manage. When things start piling up, the ones at the bottom start disappearing. At this point, it seems important to remove the clutter.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Something I have noticed is that we live in a world full of procrastinators. We don’t do the things that we don’t have to. This week, I had been hunting to find the most basic note-taking app that’s straightforward and just does the job of taking notes. No unnecessary features, just a simple app where I can write drafts and meeting notes. I found the one called <a href="https://simplenote.com/">Simplenote</a> (it’s named appropriately).</p><p style="text-align: left;">While writing using this software, you can’t make things bold, italic or underline them. You can’t add photos, videos or tables. It’s interactive and syncs across all my devices. I don’t always use the several features Microsoft Word offers. In fact, many people never use most of those features. Steve Jobs, the late CEO of Apple, once said that –</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: left;">“That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” </p></blockquote>The one takeaway from this issue is to remove clutter and keep what you need. It saves time and increases the clarity of mind. Otherwise, the brain has fifty tabs open and you don’t know where the music is coming from.Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-54630725805118892672021-04-01T23:13:00.004+05:302023-02-09T12:50:52.540+05:30Notes on the Flynn Effect<p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIP7F3GPvHuc2sRrsx_YHFhgLaBN592rBZNJCgOapvP3r9hdA0RfP98JV5VvpznLcsgBul_UgA_x1BpCkaS9HX1sJHE6injttFAC-wngtZfqFi3dtjYqmoLhOog1D-xClJs7jHBsmaJqIaKspTXbuW4t0TkVo8Qc6-hcxxScmbd945f2JBa085GEK-Q/s3978/shot-by-cerqueira-HEMgXMFpsAw-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3002" data-original-width="3978" height="489" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIP7F3GPvHuc2sRrsx_YHFhgLaBN592rBZNJCgOapvP3r9hdA0RfP98JV5VvpznLcsgBul_UgA_x1BpCkaS9HX1sJHE6injttFAC-wngtZfqFi3dtjYqmoLhOog1D-xClJs7jHBsmaJqIaKspTXbuW4t0TkVo8Qc6-hcxxScmbd945f2JBa085GEK-Q/w649-h489/shot-by-cerqueira-HEMgXMFpsAw-unsplash.jpg" width="649" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">The Flynn Effect theory suggests that the IQ scores of the general population are rapidly increasing over time. With more researches being conducted, it's believed that the Flynn Effect has already ended and has gone into reverse. This is an overview with more information to help you understand the Flynn effect theory, some causes and how the IQ scores once rose and have started declining now with the use of technology.</p><h2><span>What is the Flynn Effect?</span></h2><p>Flynn Effect is a theory that describes how over the last sixty years there has been a substantial rise in the IQ scores of the general population. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Flynn_(academic)">James Flynn</a>, a social scientist at the University of Otago, in New Zealand, documented this in 1984 and wrote a variety of academic books on it.</p><p>The first question that comes to our brain is "why? what's the reason behind this?" James Flynn lists several explanations to explain this but the major ones are based on how health, nutrition and education have improved. Even the more developed IQ testing system could be a reason. The education system is conducting frequent tests to make the younger generations more familiar with the competitive environment. The curriculum is constantly developing making the human IQs better and better.</p><h2><span>The Rise in IQ Scores</span></h2><p>The rise is intriguing because it occurred in those tests that aren't easy to learn. The verbal intelligence has remained relatively flat but the non-verbal scores continue to rise. The figures could not be overlooked because it's massive. In a 2013 <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/james_flynn_why_our_iq_levels_are_higher_than_our_grandparents">TED talk</a> Flynn mentions that "We don't just get a few more questions right on I.Q. tests. We get far more questions right on I.Q. tests than each succeeding generation back to the time that they were invented. Indeed, if you score the people a century ago against modern norms, they would have an average I.Q. of 70. If you score us against their norms, we would have an average I.Q. of 130."</p><p>Recently, the new evidence shows something that's been coming from the opposite end. A reverse of the Flynn Effect is being observed in certain locations which leads to a decline in the IQ score of the population. Currently, this has been named the ‘Negative Flynn Effect.’ Nine reports have been found suggesting this in seven countries across the world. The major causes being immigration, maternal age, sex ratio and Dysgenics. A <a href="http://digamoo.free.fr/dutton2016.pdf">literature review</a> from 2016 mentions that "There are a number of limitations to this analysis. Ideally, in order to establish and understand the causes of the negative Flynn Effect, we need large samples, annual cohorts over a longer period of time, and, where possible, the ability to rule out potential confounding factors such as sex and immigration."</p><h2><span>Why did the Flynn Effect happen?</span></h2><p>The education system and technique play an important role in the intelligence value of common people. The manner in which children are being evaluated presently is more developed and holistic. Flynn writes about the questions the state of Ohio gave to 14-year-olds in 1910 were about socially valued concrete information. They were things like, <em>what are the capitals of the 44 or 45 states that existed at that time?</em> But when they looked at the exams of the state in 1900, they were all about abstractions. They were things like, <em>why is the largest city of a state rarely the capital?</em></p><p>Another reason that contributes to the Flynn effect is the generally more stimulating environment. Learners these days are supposed to read books and watch movies like Harry Potter and derive sense out of them whereas they were just means of entertainment in the older times. Information is more widely available. People are having diverse interests which promote curiosity and leads to more learning. With the use of technology, knowledge is easy to consume through visual and audio forms which weren't necessarily available in the past as it is today. The brain has a short term capacity to learn things. In the earlier times, people memorized information for learning but these days, schools are focusing more on making learners know the reasoning to consolidate it for long-term memory.</p><p>A popular example Flynn gives is the question, What do a dog and a rabbit have in common? A modern respondent might say they are both mammals whereas someone a century ago might have said that humans catch rabbits with dogs. People were pragmatic back a century ago. They weren't interested in hypotheticals or in classifying things together.</p><p>Lastly, nutrition and healthcare improved and resulted in better IQ scores. The fewer members a family has, the better nutrition the children get. The nutritional improvement affects their intelligence positively and equally, which would be reflected in an overall mean IQ change. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect">Wikipedia</a> explains this by stating, "Today's average adult from an industrialized nation is taller than a comparable adult of a century ago. That increase of stature, likely the result of general improvements in nutrition and health, has been at a rate of more than a centimetre per decade. Available data suggest that these gains have been accompanied by analogous increases in head size, and by an increase in the average size of the brain."</p><h2>The Reverse of Flynn Effect</h2><p>People weren't mentally retarded back in 1900. They were able to perfectly adapt to the circumstances they had, they could earn a living and you'll probably not even able to comprehend the information in their 8th-grade textbook as it was so complicated. They were able to achieve great things in their circumstances which we can't despite having the equipment.</p><p>But intelligence has adapted over time, we can tackle problems better today because we know more (because of them). Flynn Effect did happen and the IQ has definitely evolved if not increased. The question is, is it still happening? Are we still getting smarter and smarter?</p><p>It's predicted that the Flynn Effect might have stopped in the 21st Century. More researches are being conducted about its reverse or the so-called "Negative Flynn Effect". The Flynn effect theory was proposed in 1984 and technology has developed immensely in the last two decades.</p><p>While discussing the Negative Flynn Effect, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/04/29/technology-is-on-the-rise-while-iq-is-on-the-decline">Will Conaway</a> wrote, "Technology is changing our concept of time, and we are getting the brunt of the abuse. There's an expectation to solve problems at the same speed as clicking through websites. Additionally, the amount of information online can give those working on a project a false sense of expertise; they read a few lines on a blog and often take action in the wrong direction."</p><p>Albert Einstein famously said, "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity." With many new distractions that didn't exist back then, there's no guarantee if we will keep getting smarter and if it will keep rising (or decline) in future.</p>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-3289510380016703992021-03-28T04:35:00.066+05:302023-03-04T03:22:43.124+05:30#2 Sleep to Remember<p style="text-align: left;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-C2wqb-I60v5C1V8Ln0tzSwchmlsruYVanqLbZ1Zi5fZJh2MKDV1X9ctaTrJoc0LiWvnUp_U0MDstHMak8US89_qTEagMrj10LPOPG_FufhuS7aZighjxfuzn9L7pht9i3B-C3vb9nvVtKnDNsl1FzPPkKYljyPZkyzvwx0jSStHpJ0xsgnB3lSpIw/s3999/birmingham-museums-trust-p00MgXaa6as-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3322" data-original-width="3999" height="555" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-C2wqb-I60v5C1V8Ln0tzSwchmlsruYVanqLbZ1Zi5fZJh2MKDV1X9ctaTrJoc0LiWvnUp_U0MDstHMak8US89_qTEagMrj10LPOPG_FufhuS7aZighjxfuzn9L7pht9i3B-C3vb9nvVtKnDNsl1FzPPkKYljyPZkyzvwx0jSStHpJ0xsgnB3lSpIw/w667-h555/birmingham-museums-trust-p00MgXaa6as-unsplash.jpg" width="667" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Travelling Companions, 1862 by Augustus Leopold Egg</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">One of the highlights of my life recently has been ‘sleep’. Sleeping on time leads to waking up on time and sleeping late leads to waking up late. I’ve realised is that – every human being needs 8 hours of sleep even if you don’t want it. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Early birds or Night owls – everyone needs to sleep, those who work till late at night payback by sleeping during the daytime and the others sleep during nights (the normal people) and work during the daytime. There is no <b>escaping sleep.</b></p>Side note – This week, my sleeping routine thrived as it had never before, I slept at 10 or 11 pm and wake up at 6 am! And it was great! There’s a research paper called <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bjoern-Rasch/publication/6833256_Sleep_to_Remember/links/0fcfd5129fb4beccc2000000/Sleep-to-Remember.pdf">Sleep to Remember</a> which talks about how a healthy sleep cycle has positive impacts on your learning and memory power.<br /><p style="text-align: left;">I have realised that sleeping to your stumbling blocks is an effective technique, the next day you wake up with a fresh attitude and a new state of mind to tackle it. The basic explanation for this is that when we’re asleep, there’s a loss of consciousness. This gives time to the newly encoded information to get absorbed in our long term memory. If you need to learn something properly, sleep is an essential factor (otherwise you’re cramming it for short term use).</p><blockquote>“Sleep has been identified as a state that optimizes the consolidation of newly acquired information in memory. There is also evidence that sleep after learning can provide a qualitative change to memories. Learning-activated engram neurons play a critical role in memory recall and selective sleep-associated reactivation of learning-activated sensory populations serves as a necessary instructive mechanism for memory consolidation.”</blockquote><p style="text-align: left;">Apart from brainpower, I’ve also observed that poor sleep quality leads to me waking up in a bad mood. And to avoid anger and mood disturbances I need to have a proper sleep pattern. Avoiding sleeping does add some extra hours for work but it takes away the quality and causes many serious health problems if it becomes a regular thing. Sleep runs in a circle, you just need to make the effort of joining the circle and it becomes normal and once you’re off the circle, it starts going anti-clockwise.</p>The one key takeaway from this issue is to <b>remember to sleep and sleep to remember</b>. Sleep, Learning and Memory are correlated and important for a healthy and productive life. Don’t play with your sleep.Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181555208418943736.post-9784314435198846422021-03-21T01:28:00.012+05:302023-06-24T01:37:15.743+05:30#1 Introduction to Sunday Scribbles<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCRcPj_kctdRH8ImnQvz1URz2976aNlA4Q8TzdU80c36_tFlykdaSovPlIqvMbtiLFDjn54nI46_YqidQim9P3hkW3yAUDg-OvNrHcOOVpf-kHsDP29k08NAAzCv6BzGdM8MiocPzph7OlzQRbYOGZvHSG1iSLE723Sdi2vgjfyOFZLrPi7NU6cK6kYEB/s682/Untitled%20design.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="682" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCRcPj_kctdRH8ImnQvz1URz2976aNlA4Q8TzdU80c36_tFlykdaSovPlIqvMbtiLFDjn54nI46_YqidQim9P3hkW3yAUDg-OvNrHcOOVpf-kHsDP29k08NAAzCv6BzGdM8MiocPzph7OlzQRbYOGZvHSG1iSLE723Sdi2vgjfyOFZLrPi7NU6cK6kYEB/w657-h335/Untitled%20design.png" width="657" /></a></p><p>Recently, I felt the need to do something consistently for mental clarity. In the internet age just like everyone else, I consume a ton of content online – from tweets to articles, videos and podcasts. The question is – Am I really able to incorporate the information I consume into my life? Consumption overload is useless especially when I wasn’t able to put the ideas and inspirations to use.</p><a href="https://twitter.com/fortelabs">Tiago Forte</a>, the founder of <a href="https://fortelabs.co/blog/basboverview/">the Forte Labs</a> has introduced something impactful to my life. It’s the concept of building a <b>Second Brain</b>. It ideally means a place where you compile all your highlights from various places for your future self. A brain outside your body where you store the insights. Here’s how he explains this:<br /><p></p><blockquote>“Building A Second Brain is a methodology for saving and systematically reminding us of the ideas, inspirations, insights, and connections we’ve gained through our experience. It expands our memory and our intellect using the modern tools of technology and networks. This methodology is not only for preserving those ideas but turning them into reality. It provides a clear, actionable path to creating a “second brain” – an external, centralized, digital repository for the things you learn and the resources from which they come.”</blockquote><p></p><p>This inspired me to start this newsletter. I’m not an expert but I believe in sharing what I know and what’s a better way to do that than a personal newsletter? I decided to call this “Sunday Scribbles” because I'll be sharing my scribblings — a collection of thoughts, personal anecdotes, and musings from the past week and the name because it's meant to be a casual project. </p><p>Also, just like people cut out useful clippings from publications and store them for future reference, I want to compile clippings and insights from various articles, podcasts and books that I found worth sharing during my Internet explorations in this newsletter.</p><p>Another purpose of this newsletter is to make me more consistent with writing online. I want to take writing more seriously, not for anyone else but myself and the best way to do so is to keep writing. Excuse me if some weeks I just decide to share a random quote or a tosh palaver. My goal right now is to stick to this habit with discipline and improve over time. Growth is slow but consistency is the key.</p>The newsletter will ideally start with a letter-style essay letting you know some cool learnings that you might find useful. In this essay, I’ll also be adding the links to any new articles or book notes I have published during the week.<br /><p>This issue was just an introduction to the series of emails you’ll be receiving every week since you’ve decided to subscribe (Thank you very much!). I’d love it if you shared this newsletter with a friend who would find it interesting.</p>Vedant Khandujahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911556163123652016noreply@blogger.com