5 Things I Consumed Last Week (🔍 your spirit)

on option B, 16 years of learnings, scenius, in praise of gods and the playlist (also, we are 500)

Mural at The Mango Stationery Store, Mumbai

Dearest reader,

I feel like a proud mommy saying this with glittering eyes, that we are a community of over 500 readers now. I set this milestone when I started writing on Substack 5 months ago only to motivate myself to keep at it. This newsletter is a result of many influences, stealing like an artist, reconditioning the spirit and relentlessly modifications.

I have undermined feedback for the most part of my life but I am trying to take everything as serious as possible this year. I promise to keep improving and introducing you to the jewels of internet but if you have any feedback, feel free to reach out. Cheers to 500!

For the visual ft. puppy eyes OG - Shinchan

---

16 Life-Learnings from 16 Years of The Marginalian | Maria Popova

Who are the people, ideas, and books that magnify your spirit? Find them, hold on to them, and visit them often. Use them not only as a remedy once spiritual malaise has already infected your vitality but as a vaccine administered while you are healthy to protect your radiance. ~ Patti Smith

Popova has been the greatest influence for me to start writing including Haley Nahman who influenced the name and also one lazy afternoon in South Goa. Every year she posts about her life learnings from years of writing. It is a goldmine to deep dive further into each of these lessons. Popova is ultra-immensely-brilliant at cohesively linking writing from different authors in one single topic. If you haven’t checked her blog yet - it’s never too late. Tap tap!

Comic by Alison Bechdel

---

Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy | Sheryl Sandberg, Adam M. Grant

After I listened to Sheryl Sandberg’s (ex- COO of Facebook) podcast (in previous issue), I had to read her book. She suffered a tragic and unthinkable loss when her husband died on vacation. Her personal story of overcoming grief and dealing with loss is honest, devastating and inspiring as she is. The book has expertly woven Sandberg’s personal stories with a more technical approach to grief.

Psychologist Martin Seligman found that three P’s can stunt recovery:

(1) personalization—the belief that we are at fault; (2) pervasiveness—the belief that an event will affect all areas of our life; and (3) permanence—the belief that the aftershocks of the event will last forever. The three P’s play like the flip side of the pop song “Everything Is Awesome”—“everything is awful.”

---

The Playlist | Story of Spotify | Documentary | Netflix

My association with Daniel Ek (founder of Spotify) started with listening to him on The Tim Ferriss Show. I learnt a fun translation of his Twitter Handle @E-L-D-S-J-A-L.

Daniel Ek: The Swedish pronunciation is eldsjäl. It’s a very special Swedish word. I actually don’t think that the word exists in English or any other language. The direct translation is, “A fiery soul,” and it means someone who’s intensely passionate about something and is there in the good and the bad times and perseveres.

The Playlist follows the journey of the music streaming platform Spotify which changed the music industry forever. This drama is told from different perspectives of people integral to Spotify’s journey (from coder to corporate lawyer)which helps in connecting the dots. The drama undoubtedly raises many reflective questions about the current music industry and its future. It does a decent job of combining reality with fiction.

---

Scenius or Communal Genius | The Technium | Kevin Kelly

I have always believed great ideas are a mix of influences, much like this newsletter, magic happens when the ecology of talent —artists, curators, thinkers, theorists, and other tastemakers work in union.

Musician Brian Eno refers to this as “scenius.” Scenius acknowledges that good work isn’t created in a vacuum, and that creativity is always, in some sense, a collaboration, the result of a mind connected to other minds. Not that I am against organizational hierarchy but I do believe there has to be an outlet for collaboration.

Illustration by Austin Kleon

---

In Praise of the Gods | The Map is Mostly Water | Simon Sarris

No, this is not another lecture on worshipping dieties. This is an intersection of the roots of religion fused with art, architecture, the impediments of rationality and the cogency of stories.

A mythological education is distinct from the common school subjects. Myths give us shared art and common culture—a set of characters with which we can play in and enjoy together. In any culture rich with myths, their vocabulary is enlarged far beyond words, to allegories and metaphors.

In Praise of the Gods

To argue proofs of religion is to miss the point of religion. What matters is if one’s sense of gratitude and wonder are fitting responses to our world.

---

On an unrelated note

If you enjoy reading comics, check this podcast cum comic on NPR: How paying attention can help you appreciate what's right in front of you

---

Things I’m doing lately

I finished watching this movie.

I am reading this book.

I watched this short animated film.

Hope you had a fantastic Diwali, here’s to taking it easy in the last two months of 2022 🙆🏻‍♀️

---

Wondering how you can support me? 

If you are a friend of this newsletter, show some love here.🐼

---

Thanks again for subscribing. As a curator, it has been immensely gratifying to scroll through hundreds of links before finalizing 5 Things. Hope you enjoyed all these issues as much as I did.

It would mean the world to me if you share it with more readers, more the merrier. I am trying to figure out a platform for us to interact and make the experience more immersive, stay tuned :)

You can write to me on dearhummingbird1@gmail.com. or connect with me on IG at _i__cook or use the comment section!

With gratitude,

The Hummingbird🌺

---