(Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash)
The passage of time is immutable, inevitable and imminent. So, what is 7 days in the grander scheme of the cosmos? But every day comes wrapped in its own contradictory package of surprises and mundane repetitions. So, here’s encapsulating the moments, memories and melodies of a week gone by:
Quote of the Week:
“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” – Marcus Aurelius
Song of the Week:
“Time” by Pink Floyd
One of my all-time favourite songs. A paean to the passage of time and a clarion call to shed off the last vestige of smugness and complacency, “Time” is one song that would stand the test of not just time but the dimension of space even.
Podcast/Talk of the Week:
“Scamanda” – A Lionsgate Sound Production
Amanda Riley is young, bustling, optimistic and a doting mother. But she is also afflicted by an insidious terminal illness, Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Funds pour in from friends, family and well-wishers alike as no one wants to see Amanda suffer. But is Amanda suffering? Is everything actually what it seems to be? One of the most devious scams of our time is exposed in a breathless fashion by Charlie Webster in this phenomenal podcast series.
Scamanda on Apple Podcasts
Movie/Show/Series of the Week:
“Pachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum” (Malayalam) on Amazon Prime
A comedy-drama-adventure fare starring the highly talented, Fahadh Faasil, Pachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum, tracks the adventures of Prashanth a.k.a. Pachu the owner of an Ayurvedic franchise as he battles chaotic circumstances and conniving characters in enabling a young girl secure her academic future. And in the process, Pachu discovers love….
Article/Longform Article/Blogpost of the Week:
“The story of the wobble-seam, the ball that changed cricket” by Ben Gardner writing for The Wisden Magazine
A riveting piece that elucidates how an innocuous sounding and seeming delivery, bereft of total aesthetic quality when released from the fingers of a bowler played havoc with batsmen spanning continents and across formats. If you don’t trust me, just ask either Stuart Clark or Alan Richardson!
The complete article can be accessed at:
Long read: The Story Of The Wobble-Seam, The Ball That Changed Cricket (wisden.com)
Book of the Week:
“Learned Optimism – How to Change Your Life and Your Mind” by Dr. Martin Seligman
Is pessimism a prelude to depression? Or is depression a trigger of pessimism? Dr. Martin Seligman, the founding father of positive psychology and the former President of the American Psychological Association, in a riveting book, “Learned Optimism”, posits that a positive perspective can be ‘cultivated’.
Introducing a concept which he terms “learned helplessness”, Seligman articulates that individuals are yoked to a belief that they are incapable of altering their circumstances after repeatedly experiencing a stressful event.
Learned helplessness can be fruitfully countered by learned optimism. But can this phenomenon be taught? Seligman says yes in a resounding manner! Recommending a technique called “ABC” pioneered by Dr. Albert Ellis, Seligman also informs us that three ognitive distortions tend to underpin the way we understand our experiences: personalization, pervasiveness, and permanence. By tackling these distortions, we can learn to be more optimistic.
The acronym ABC represents:
Antecedents/Adversity
Beliefs/Behavior
Consequences
Relearning one’s individualised ABC process instills an awareness of these cognitive distortions or pessimistic explanatory styles, tackles them head on, and replaces them with more optimistic and adaptive thoughts.
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