#100 - Notes on Mythology, Startups and Books
Education Coffee is a Newsletter on People, Ideas and Culture.
In each edition of this newsletter, I will share some inspiring web resources that I have curated after hours of research to ensure that you have the best education coffee in your inbox. In upcoming editions, I will focus on sharing insights, notes and realizations that I gather from people, ideas, books, films and podcasts. This month I have taken up a #30DaySubstackChallenge. I want to challenge myself to write a newsletter everyday for the next thirty days. I have really enjoyed writing this newsletter and this is a way for me to build my skill set as a newsletter writer. I will go back to writing a 2xWeekly Newsletter in January 2025.
1. Learning from People
Devdutt Pattanaik writes on relevance of mythology in modern times, especially in areas of management, governance and leadership. He defines mythology as cultural truths revealed through stories, symbols and rituals. In this insightful INK talk, mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik makes a charming connect, establishing how the four purusharthas - artha, kama, dharma, moksha – of Hinduism provide a framework to the order of the universe, centred around value creation for the self and other.
2. Learning from Ideas and Questions
How to Start a Startup is a series of 20 video lectures, initially given at Stanford in Fall 2014. It was created by Y Combinator, a startup fund and is astep by step guide on how to build a startup from ideation to execution. My favourite lecture in the series is this one by Paul Graham on what you need to do before you startup. Since 2005, Y Combinator has invested in over 5,000 companies that have a combined valuation of over $600B. You can find a list of all the companies here.
3. Learning from Books, Websites and Blogs
Book Talk is a short speech that aims to convince someone to read a book. As a teacher I often asked my students to speak about the books they are reading. Book talks are often performed in classrooms, but can be done in other settings and with different age groups. This is also a great way to discuss books as adults in social settings. Here is an example of a good book talk by Ashley Strausser.
4. Learning from Films, Videos and Shows
Olive Kitteridge (TV show) is a television miniseries based on Elizabeth Strout's 2008 novel Olive Kitteridge (Book). Olive Kitteridge is a retired schoolteacher who lives in the fictional seaside town of Crosby, Maine. She is married to Henry Kitteridge who runs a pharmacy downtown. They have a son named Christopher, who grows up to be a podiatrist. For 25 years, Olive has experienced problems of depression, bereavement, jealousy, and friction with family members and friends. This 4 episode series looks at her life from her perspective and from the perspective of other characters in her life.
5. Learning from Podcasts and Music
This was a song I recently came across about how past failures can hold you back from pursuing things you want in the future. It is was created by Michael Kiwanuka and is called Cold Little Heart. It was also the theme song for the HBO show, Big Little Lies.
Thank you for reading this edition of #EducationCoffee. I look forward to writing weekly editions of this newsletter this year. I hope to continue to share resources that will add value to your life. You can also review the archive of Education Coffee for free at this link (past newsletters).
Please do send me your thoughts and resources on any edition of this newsletter through email at abhishekashokshetty@gmail.com, Linkedin or Twitter. If you would like to read pieces in the future please do consider subscribing to this newsletter by clicking the button below. I love taking these discussions forward on those platforms and look forward to hearing your feedback.
Abhishek Shetty