Stop Reading The News

 

I had stopped watching news channels more than a decade ago. So, thankfully I have been spared of the cacophony of news debates for quite some time. I can't recognize the current opinion makers and influencers. Pity me.   

Fulfilling my new year resolution, I uninstalled the Twitter (sorry X) app on January 1st this year. So, I don't receive my news every minute anymore. What's the current trend,  what a politician tweeted, when an actress is pregnant, how an influencer slapped another, where an accident has happened, which social media celebrity made a gaffe  --- I have no clue since many days. Oh! My daily life is so peaceful now. 

I have understood, consuming news daily or staying updated by the minute is no longer a priority. If the news is important enough, I would know it anyway. I am not socially cut-off. I still talk to my friends. Daily. Multiple times. 

When I was reading the book by Rolf Dobelli (the author of The art of thinking clearly), I realized I am not alone in such a thought. The book "Stop Reading the News" bolsters my confirmation bias. 

P.S. Well, I don't exactly follow this advice to the letter. I still read News, that get delivered everyday outside my front door, printed on paper, but mostly confines itself to Business and micro and macro Economics. 

Motivation

ପ୍ରେରଣା  - ସବୁ ମୂଳରେ ଥିବା ଦରକାର ଗୋଟେ Why. 

If you don't know why you are doing something, it would be difficult for you to carry on. A success may not motivate you. A failure will crush you. 

But if you know the why, you won't stop, even after achieving the original intended result.

ପ୍ରେରଣା ହିଁ ସବୁ କିଛି। 

Neitzsche said - He who has a why to live for, can almost bear any how. 

I am still searching for my motivation...

Perspectives - Black and White

I love watching Black and White movies. 

Cause, the focus is on the story, on the plot, on the dialogues and not on visual effects whatsoever.

As I was watching the movie, "It's a wonderful life" (what a beautiful movie it is),  a thought crossed my mind - We see them black and white and shades of grey perhaps.... But, they? They don't see each other like that. They see them as colourful as we see anything today. 

So, how one sees oneself or others is independent of how others see them. Isn't it? 

Happy New Year

A new calendar.

Anything changes? Probably not. It's the same me. It's the same everything. 

Still, feels it is a new start. A new dawn. To change. To be changed. 

Let's see.... 

 

Audio Books

Why haven't I discovered the joy of listening to audiobooks before? 

I have successfully avoided the bug of KINDLE so far. For me, it has always been the physical copies of books, preferably hardcover. 

All the advantages of using the KINDLE (which easily outnumber that of the physical books) fall shy in front of my pet vanity project - having a big physical library to boast of after retirement. 

But, of late, I noticed that reading books taking a hit because of professional obligations and digital distractions ( will talk about the digital distraction some other day). I have been into podcasts for quite some time now, but that also losing its sheen, because of the problem of plenty. 

Three months back, don't know why, I started a free trial of Audible. And Boy a Boy!!! I have been hooked to audiobooks ever since. 22 books in last 3 months. 

I can listen to audiobooks, while I walk, work, shop and browse stuff. When I realized that I could read more books in a year through this channel, my joys are in no bound. Especially, I loved listening to Hindi books, which I would have struggled to read. And even if I could have, I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as most narrations reflect the accent with which it was intended to be read. 

Thank You Audible!!!       

Cricket

It is more than 10 years since I have stopped watching cricket. It's not that I haven't watched any cricket at all since then. Some overs in this match, some balls in that, I've watched. But, I don't remember when I watched a match from start to finish. Probably the one when India won the world cup in 2011. 

I had never been a cricket-crazy guy. May be because, I never played the game. The only occasion I played was during my Infosys training days. I was included in the team because they didn't have enough players that day. I was the 11th batsman in the team. The bowler was on hat-trick, and I had to face the last ball of the over. I was pleaded by the non-striker to block the ball any which way, so that he could bat the next over. The bowler came charging along. It was a slow ball. I closed my eyes and with all my might swung the bat. When I opened my eyes, I saw the bowler and the wicket keeper celebrating. The hat-trick was complete. The non-striker batsman was giving me a look mixed of anger and frustration. That was the beginning and end of my cricketing career. 

Like any other Indian kid I had been an avid watcher of cricket during my childhood days. Was a big fan of Sachin. I think, death of my interest in cricket and Sachin's retirement are deeply connected. 

I still remember the day India won the world cup in 2011. After the match, we drove around the city in our car. There was tens of thousands of people on the road, celebrating, bursting crackers....and there was only one slogan on every mouth - Sachiiiin Sachinnn.  The atmosphere was exhilarating. 

I wish we will have similar celebration this time.

Today is India's semi-final against New Zealand. 

P.S. India WON! We are in the finals...Sunday gonna be fun!

P.P.S. India lost to Australia in the finals. Sad, but not heartbroken. Am I too old to be emotionally attached to things? 

     

Bibliophilia

I can't resist buying books. 

I have now, in my possession, more books than I can read in next 10 years. Yet, there is not a single week where I don't add more books in my wishlist, not a single month where I don't convert some of those to actual purchases, not a single year where I haven't added more books than I have read that particular year. 

Today, I bought yet another 10 books (I had bought 50 odd just last month during Amazon sale). Most of today's purchase are for my daughter though, I consoled myself. Knowing very well that, I only bought the ones that I am going to read as well, adding those to "Read with Daughter" shelf. 

Buying books has become a compulsive obsession. Sigh!