3 Benefits of Reading and listening Podcasts.

 

NEERAJ MAHAJAN

                                                       HOUSE SPARROW COUPLE

As a kid, I grew up in Delhi watching the innocuous pretty house Sparrow chirping all day long over me, home, and the family. To save its life, many times we had to switch off the ceiling fans in grueling summers till she was chased out. Then iterate the same idea when she reappeared. It was never-ending. But it was fun. My kids aren't privy to such lovely experiences as the house sparrow has all but disappeared from urban homes in the highly polluted environs of Delhi. If environmental degradation continues unabated at this pace, I am worried our progeny will be deprived of many more such experiences that are priceless. We have to take responsibility in whatever little way to stop it.

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT

I came across The Butterfly Effect in Taleb's Incerto series. It simply states if a butterfly flaps its wings in India, it can cause a storm in the Pacific thousands of miles away. It may read weird but it is true. We can't escape the consequences of anything that happens on earth. That's how interconnected we earthlings are and so damn fragile. To do our bit in today's busy life, we can make a big difference by doing small things like planting trees, dispersing fruit seeds in the parks nearby, avoiding plastics, walking/cycling wherever possible to reduce our carbon footprint, and many many more. It will help in creating a healthy ecosystem and a tree will come up for sure from seeds dispersed by us somewhere on our planet. This will outlive us. The moot point is are we willing to take responsibility, understand the butterfly effect to leave a healthy Earth behind to our progeny?. In jest, how many of us can afford to relocate our home to Mars ?. I cant at least. I keep doing my bit as penned in The price of Non-Innovation blog. It is a work in progress.

SETH GODIN 

I was fascinated to listen to Seth Godin in The North Star podcast. He is a huge disrupter in the education industry. It was hosted by the one and only David Perell in an impeccable way. It is unbelievable how much value young Perell packs in his podcasts. Although I understood before, after listening to it I am able to see clearly the difference between education and learning. While the former is based on compliance and authority, the latter thrives on freedom and responsibility. In our schools and colleges, we are educated like we are a part on the conveyor belt of a factory, and every part that comes out of the production line as a finished product is awarded a degree. In the virtual world, Seth says, it will be a disaster if such a nerve-wracking process is replicated. We need our kids to learn and not be better educated. It means taking responsibility to effect a meaningful change in society. I hardly know any school/ college that embraces this philosophy. As Parents, we are best positioned to do just that. Let's be healthy skeptics and filter umpteen number of so-called online educators coming up in dozens. Be wary of them and don't rush to write cheques.

BIKING IN THE MOUNTAINS

Inspired, I experienced bicycling in the mountains in Kumaon, Uttarakhand. Tough to describe. It felt I was flying going downhill at a brisk speed. Mind you this is a very risky business and one should abstain from it unless you are an expert rider. One mistake and the game is over as the valleys all around are very deep. While riding back, it was a huge effort climbing uphill but I managed it anyhow and felt elated.

As Always thanx for reading me.

PHOTO CREDIT UNKNOWN.