#67 - Notes on Romance, Reading and Rockstars
Education Coffee is 2xWeekly Newsletter on People, Ideas and Culture.
In each edition of this newsletter, I share five 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.
1. Learning from People
I came across this interview with the American writer, Toni Morrison who spoke about how her love for reading made her a better writer.
Interviewer: “Did you know as a child you wanted to be a writer?”
Toni Morrison: “No. I wanted to be a reader. I thought everything that needed to be written had already been written or would be. I only wrote the first book because I thought it wasn’t there, and I wanted to read it when I got through. I am a pretty good reader.
In 1988, Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize; in 1993, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. You can find her bibliography of novels, plays, non fiction, poetry and children’s books on the Nobel Prize Website at this link. Here is a profile about this inspiring writer and her legacy from the New York Times.
2. Learning from Ideas and Questions
King Sidharth is a product and UX designer. I interviewed him for an episode of Learning Stories. Here is a short clip from the episode where he spoke about the idea of learning vicariously, abundantly and freely on the internet.
3. Learning from Books, Websites and Blogs
Mark Manson wrote the above article where he shared thoughts on the history of romance. You can read the full article here. I was able to relate to a lot of points he presented in this piece especially this passage about how the real work of a relationship begins once the credits roll,
The painful truth about love is that the real work of a relationship begins after the curtain closes and the credits roll. The real work of a relationship is all the boring, dreary, unsexy things that nobody else sees or appreciates. Like most things in the media, the portrayal of love in pop culture is limited to the highlight reel. All the nuance and complexities of actually living through a relationship is swept away to make room for the exciting headline, the unjust separation, the crazy plot twist, and of course everyone’s favorite happy ending.
4. Learning from Films, Videos and Shows
Living with a Superstar is a documentary series on Discovery Plus, where cameras follow and give you a glimpse of the life of the Indian actor, Shah Rukh Khan. There are eleven episodes in the series and you understand his views on business, family, home, success, loss and appealing to the masses. I have loved his films growing up but slowly began to respect him as a person after watching this series. I learned that being a popular actor is hard work and includes a lot of sacrifices in terms of freedom and time with loved ones. You can watch the series at this link. Here is an adorable short clip of the actor spending some quality time with his daughter on vacation.
5. Learning from Podcasts and Music
I found Malte Matten through the Youtube recommendation algorithum. He is a musician who plays the windpan. Here are his thoughts on the instrument he plays and loves,
The handpan is a great tool to express feelings. Yet, the most beautiful quality of the handpan is that it connects us to the natural flow of life. No matter if we are listening or playing these magnificent instruments, we feel this peace inside. This is what I am here for. To reconnect me and others with the flow.
I listen to his videos when I just need to relax and calm my mind for some time. He has generously uploaded 200+ free videos of his music on his Youtube Channel. Here is one of my favourite videos from his collection
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 review the archive of Education Coffee for free at this link (66 past newsletters).
Please do send me your thoughts and resources on any edition of this newsletter through email at abhishekashokshetty@gmail.com, Linkedin or on twitter @AbhishekShetty_. You can find my work online at my website. 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