SAMVAD (Together In Conversation)

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation).  In the last week of February 2026, I shared an excerpt titled ‘Ways to Think About Economy in the 21st Century’, which is from the book titled – ‘Doughnut Economics’ – Seven Ways to Think like a 21st Century Economist by Kate Raworth. It highlighted, “What if we started economics not with its long-established theories, but with humanity’s long-term goals, and then sought out the economic thinking that would enable us to achieve them?”. Now, SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation) to the ones paying heed, is where we try to draw your attention to things that matter and the importance of your attention, because, ‘Our life’s experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to’. Attention: is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. Once our attention is drawn to the mechanism of why and what we give attention to, it is as if a veil has been stripped off and we become freer in our action and choices. And that is our endavour. This week I bring to your attention an excerpt titled – ‘Thought, Perception and The Hidden Dimension’, which is from the book titled – ‘The Hidden Dimension’ by Edward T. Hall. The central theme of the book is social and personal space and man’s (Human being) perception of it. Thought, Perception and The Hidden Dimension Communication constitutes the core of culture and indeed life itself. Language, is more than just a medium for expressing thought. It is, in fact, a major element in the formation of thought. Furthermore, to use a figure from our own day, man’s very perception of the world about him is programmed by the language he speaks, just as a computer is programmed. Man’s mind will register and structure external reality only in accordance with the program. Since two languages often program the same class of events quiet differently, no belief or philosophical system should be considered apart from language. Cultural systems pattern (Human) behaviour in radically different ways, but they (Human behaviour) are deeply rooted in biology and physiology. He (Human) is distinguished from other animals by virtue of the fact that he has elaborated what I have termed extensions of his organism. By developing his extensions, man has been able to improve or specialize various functions. The computer is an extension of part of the brain, the telephone extends the voice, the wheel extends the legs and feet. Language extends experience in time and space while writing extends language. Man (Human’s) has elaborated his extensions to such a degree that we are apt to forget that this humanness is rooted in his animal nature. Man (Human’s) has elaborated and specialized his extensions to such a degree that they have taken over, and rapidly replacing nature. In other words, man (human’s) has created a new dimension, the cultural dimension. Man (Human’s) is now in the position of actually creating the total world in which he lives, what the ethologists refer to as his biotope. In creating this world, he is actually determining what kind of an organism he will be. Excerpt from ‘The Hidden Dimension’ by Edward T. Hall. I am sure that you will enjoy reading the book and find it thought provoking too; to buy your copy, you can click on the following link: https://humanjourney.us/books/the-hidden-dimension Enjoy reading it with your family, friends and near and dear one’s. Namaste.

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation).  In the last week of January 2026, I shared an excerpt from a reflective field note titled ‘What AI Can’t and Shouldn’t Replace’. The field note points out that, what we’ll give up for AI if we’re not careful is an essential degree of challenge and struggle in our pursuits which has a refining influence on our beings and defines us as humans. Therefore, we need to keep these systems as useful tools—and not more. Maintaining trust in human judgement is key to preventing them becoming insufficient replacements for our natural intelligence, as imperfect as it can be. Now, SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation) to the ones paying heed, is where we try to draw your attention to things that matter and the importance of your attention, because, ‘Our life’s experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to’. Attention: is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. Once our attention is drawn to the mechanism of why and what we give attention to, it is as if a veil has been stripped off and we become freer in our action and choices. And that is our endavour. This week I bring to your attention an excerpt titled – ‘Ways to Think About Economy in the 21st Century’, which is from the book titled – ‘Doughnut Economics’ – Seven Ways to Think like a 21st Century Economist by Kate Raworth, she is an economist whose research focuses on the social and ecological challenges of the 21st century. She is a Senior Visiting Research Associate at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute, and a Senior Associate of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. Ways to Think About Economy in the 21st Century “What if we started economics not with its long-established theories, but with humanity’s long-term goals, and then sought out the economic thinking that would enable us to achieve them?” The author uses a doughnut to illustrate this. The essence of the doughnut is a social foundation of well-being that no one should fall below, and an ecological ceiling of planetary pressure that we should not go beyond. Between the two lies a safe and just space for all. Economy is a dynamic network with myriads of interconnections and feedback loops, many of them in the insubstantial realm of ideas. We must recognize this dynamic complexity and design economic systems which are naturally regenerative. Moreover, that we must change our attitude to growth so as to avoid over-exploitation, while encouraging evolution where it is needed. Excerpt from ‘Doughnut Economics’ – Seven Ways to Think like a 21st Century Economist by Kate Raworth. I am sure that you will enjoy reading the book and find it thought provoking too; to read a detailed review and buy your copy, you can click on the following link: https://humanjourney.us/economy/doughnut-economics Enjoy reading it with your family, friends and near and dear one’s. Namaste.

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation).  In the last week of December 2025, I shared some excerpts from a message that I came across by Dr. Robert Svoboda. He is the first Westerner ever to graduate from a college of Ayurveda and be licensed to practice Ayurveda in India. The key message was – To remain awake without becoming overwhelmed, engaged without becoming entangled, serious without becoming grim. To keep our feet on the ground while the ground itself feels less stable. To remember that attention is a finite resource, and where we place it shapes not only how we see the world, but who we become inside it. Now, SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation) to the ones paying heed, is where we try to draw your attention to things that matter and the importance of your attention, because, ‘Our life’s experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to’. Attention: is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. Once our attention is drawn to the mechanism of why and what we give attention to, it is as if a veil has been stripped off and we become freer in our action and choices. And that is our endavour. As we embark onto a new calendar year, there is one thing that has been concerning and exciting to people who look at it accordingly and that is AI (Artificial Intelligence – Large Language Models – Neural Networks) and its effect on our lives. In this episode titled ‘AI US and The Road Ahead’ I would like to draw your attention to a reflective field note by Ella Jane Mortensen who, holds a BA in international studies, specialising in global health, the environment and Europe, with a minor in philosophy, titled ‘What AI Can’t and Shouldn’t Replace’ here she points to something important – like many things, the issue surrounding our use of AI comes down to one of degree. We should think carefully about what we delegate to the machines, and what we keep for the realms of human endeavor. AI US and The Road Ahead Most recently, Kristalina Georgieva; head of IMF told delegates in Davos (https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/23/ai-tsunami-labour-market-youth-employment-says-head-of-imf-davos) that the IMF’s own research suggested there would be a big transformation of demand for skills, as the technology becomes increasingly widespread. “We expect over the next years, in advanced economies, 60% of jobs to be affected by AI, either enhanced or eliminated or transformed – 40% globally,” she said. “This is like a tsunami hitting the labour market.” Now to what Ella Jane Mortensen draws our attention to – What we’ll give up for AI if we’re not careful is an essential degree of challenge and struggle in our pursuits which has a refining influence on our beings and defines us as humans. Therefore, we need to keep these systems as useful tools—and not more. Maintaining trust in human judgement is key to preventing them becoming insufficient replacements for our natural intelligence, as imperfect as it can be. In their book The Axemaker’s Gift, Robert Ornstein and James Burke remind us that the adoption of new tools and technologies has always come at a cost, “changing the way humans view their relationships to each other and to nature.” Whether it was the axe, the wheel, the printing press, or the car, these tools help us operate in the world with greater efficiency, while eliminating more basic skills, relationships, or engagements with the world that we used before that new technology came along. Excerpt from ‘AI Can’t and Shouldn’t Replace’ byElla Jane Mortensen. I am sure that you will enjoy reading this post and find it thought provoking too; to read you can click on the following link: https://humanjourney.us/field-note/what-ai-cant-and-shouldnt-replace Enjoy reading it with your family, friends and near and dear one’s. Namaste.

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation). Four weeks ago, I shared an excerpt titled – ‘Making Accurate Predictions and Uncertainty’ from the blog-post titled ‘Can We Make More Accurate Predictions in Economics?’ by Ayubkhon Azamov writer, translator and educator with a background in economics.In this episode we drew attention to the point that our true strength lies not in flawlessly guessing tomorrow, but in building systems capable of withstanding whatever tomorrow brings. And getting to the truth of what lies ahead is approached neither with blind faith nor with total skepticism, but with a reasonable balance. Now, SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation) to the ones paying heed, is where we try to draw your attention to things that matter and the importance of your attention, because, ‘Our life’s experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to’. Attention: is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. Once our attention is drawn to the mechanism of why and what we give attention to, it is as if a veil has been stripped off and we become freer in our action and choices. And that is our endavour. As we come to a close of another calendar year, I would like to share some excerpts from a message that I came across by Dr. Robert Svoboda. Dr. Svoboda is the first Westerner ever to graduate from a college of Ayurveda and be licensed to practice Ayurveda in India. During and after his formal Ayurvedic training he was tutored in Ayurveda, Yoga, Jyotish, Tantra and other forms of classical Indian lore by his mentor, the Aghori Vimalananda. He is the author of over a dozen books and has served as Adjunct Faculty at the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, NM, and at Bastyr University in Kenmore, WA. You can find out more about his work at www.drsvoboda.com and follow him on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. A Message for All times To remain awake without becoming overwhelmed, engaged without becoming entangled, serious without becoming grim. To keep our feet on the ground while the ground itself feels less stable. To remember that attention is a finite resource, and where we place it shapes not only how we see the world, but who we become inside it. Change that comes as a series of low-grade disruptions rather than a clear crisis can cause the nervous system to oscillate between two unhealthy responses. Disengage: Scroll past, numb out, pretend its background noise. Over-engage: Doomscroll, obsess, try to control it all. Both paths lead to burnout, neither brings true balance. Strange times test us both by what they demand we endure and how well we are able to maintain our balance within our endurance. The middle path is not passive. It is disciplined. It asks us to choose when to look, how to look, and how long to look. It asks us to stay present without being consumed, informed without being inflamed. Namaste, Wishing you A Happy New Year!

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation). Last week, I shared an excerpt titled – ‘Conversations and Community’ from the book titled ‘The Argument Culture’ by Deborah Tannen, a distinguished university professor in the Linguistics Department at Georgetown University and author of many books and articles about how the language of everyday conversation affects relationships. In this episode we drew attention to the fact that in conversation we form the interpersonal ties that bind individuals together in personal relationships; in public discourse, we form similar ties on a large scale, binding individuals into a community. Community norms and pressure exercise a restraint on the expression of hostility and destruction. Now, SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation) to the ones paying heed, is where we try to draw your attention to things that matter and the importance of your attention, because, ‘Our life’s experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to’. Attention: is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. Once our attention is drawn to the mechanism of why and what we give attention to, it is as if a veil has been stripped off and we become freer in our action and choices. And that is our endavour. This week I bring to your attention an excerpt titled – ‘Making Accurate Predictions and Uncertainty’ from a blog-post titled ‘Can We Make More Accurate Predictions in Economics?’ Ayubkhon Azamov writer, translator and educator with a background in economics. In this post he points out that if we accept uncertainty as part of the game and combine forecasting with adaptability, critical thinking, and stress testing, then forecasting ceases to be about fortune-telling and instead becomes a tool for preparing for an uncertain future, with all its surprises. Making Accurate Predictions and Uncertainty From the first farmers who watched the skies for rain to modern analysts armed with complex macro models, humanity has always sought to glimpse the future. Yet, history has shown that even the smartest formulas can’t save us from errors, even though we’d like to think they can. Question the assumptions, look at the ranges, compare the sources, and always have an alternate plan. Then even the most imperfect forecasts will cease to be a source of frustration and will instead become a resource for resilient decision-making: whether in your personal budget, corporate strategy, or public policy. After all, our true strength lies not in flawlessly guessing tomorrow, but in building systems capable of withstanding whatever tomorrow brings. Getting to the truth of what lies ahead is approached neither with blind faith nor with total skepticism, but with a reasonable balance. Excerpt from ‘Can We Make More Accurate Predictions in Economics?’ Ayubkhon Azamov. I am sure that you will enjoy reading this post and find it thought provoking too; to read you can click on the following link: https://humanjourney.us/blog/can-we-make-more-accurate-predictions-in-economics Enjoy reading it with your family, friends and near and dear one’s. Namaste!

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation). Last week, I shared an excerpt titled – ‘The Power of Words – Rhetoric and Reality’ from the book titled ‘The Axemaker’s Gift’ – Technology’s capture and control of our minds and Culture by James Burke and Robert Ornstein. In this episode we drew attention to the fact about Rhetoric, the art of presenting an argument so as to convince the listener, this according to Plato could make “small things seem large and large things seem small by some power of language and new things seem old fashioned and vice versa.”. Another aspect that was highlighted in Georgias writing was, when we communicate, we never exchange the thing but only the word for it, which is always other than the thing itself. So, every word introduces falsification of the thing it refers to, and this means that one can never reproduce reality and that any claim to be able to do so is a deception. Now, SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation) to the ones paying heed, is where we try to draw your attention to things that matter and the importance of your attention, because, ‘Our life’s experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to’. Attention: is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. Once our attention is drawn to the mechanism of why and what we give attention to, it is as if a veil has been stripped off and we become freer in our action and choices. And that is our endavour. This week I bring to your attention an excerpt titled – ‘Conversations and Community’ from the book titled ‘The Argument Culture’ by Deborah Tannen, a distinguished university professor in the Linguistics Department at Georgetown University and author of many books and articles about how the language of everyday conversation affects relationships. This book is about a pervasive warlike atmosphere that makes us approach public dialogue, and just about anything we need to accomplish, as if it were a fight. It gives us new ways of resolving our differences and uncovering the honest truth. Conversations and Community In conversation we form the interpersonal ties that bind individuals together in personal relationships; in public discourse, we form similar ties on a large scale, binding individuals into a community. Community norms and pressure exercise a restraint on the expression of hostility and destruction. Many cultures have rituals to channel and contain aggressive impulses. In just this spirit, at a national convention of a political party in 1996 two politicians talked about growing up in small communities where everyone knew who they were. This meant that many people would look out for them, but also that if they did something wrong, it would get back to their parents. If a young person stole something, committed vandalism, or broke a rule or law, it would be reported to his relatives, who would punish him or tell him how his actions were shaming the family. Community is a blend of connections and authority. Excerpt from ‘The Argument Culture’ by Deborah Tannen. I am sure that you will enjoy reading this book and find it thought provoking, to read a brief overview you can click on the following link and subsequently buy your copy too: https://www.deborahtannen.com/the-argument-culture Enjoy reading it with your family, friends and near and dear one’s. Namaste!

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation). Last week, I shared an excerpt titled – ‘The Power of Words – Do We Use Language or Is Language Using Us’ from the book titled ‘The Argument Culture’ by Deborah Tannen. In this episode we drew attention to the fact that when we think we are using language, language is simultaneously using us and it invisibly molds our way of thinking. Now, SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation) to the ones paying heed, is where we try to draw your attention to things that matter and the importance of your attention, because, ‘Our life’s experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to’. Attention: is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. Once our attention is drawn to the mechanism of why and what we give attention to, it is as if a veil has been stripped off and we become freer in our action and choices. And that is our endavour. This week I bring to your attention an excerpt titled – ‘The Power of Words – Rhetoric and Reality’ from the book titled ‘The Axemaker’s Gift’ – Technology’s capture and control of our minds and Culture by James Burke and Robert Ornstein. This book is about the people who gave us the world in exchange for our minds. The gifts we accepted from them gave us the power to change the way we lived, but doing so also changed the way we thought. It is a stunning account of how scientific thinking and technology have gained control over the way we perceive and value the world. The Power of Words – Rhetoric and Reality Georgias of Leontini, was born shortly before 480 B.C.E. in Leontini, in what is now Sicily. Georgias placed into the Greek theatre of ideas some of the fundamental issues in philosophy, with which we still grapple today. His subject matter has an unusually modern ring. One of the Sophists special skills was rhetoric, the art of presenting an argument so as to convince the listener. Georgias invented a lecturing style that involved conducting his lectures in the form of a debate. He would take first one side, then the other, and then give a supporting speech for either side, emphasizing the arbitrary, cut-and-combine nature of language. Plato complained that Georgias’ speeches could make “small things seem large and large things seem small by some power of language and new things seem old fashioned and vice versa.” But this emphasis that Georgias and the other Sophists placed on rhetoric was not just related to swaying political opinion. It came from a realization that the relationship between speech and “truth” is far from simple. Speech is not just a matter of presenting the facts, since considerable reorganization of the “facts” is involved in the way they are selected and sequenced. It was this difference between rhetoric and reality that lead Plato to contrast rhetoric with philosophy and to condemn it. Georgias held that when we communicate, we never exchange the thing but only the word for it, which is always other than the thing itself. So, every word introduces falsification of the thing it refers to, and this means that one can never reproduce reality and that any claim to be able to do so is a deception. But since this is exactly what all words claim, then all words are deceptions. If this is so, then the person who communicates best deceives most. While in the modern world this thought has a faintly political ring to it, the ancient Greeks lived in days before television. Excerpt from ‘The Axemaker’s Gift’ by James Burke and Robert Ornstein I am sure that you will enjoy reading this book; you can buy your copy from the following link: https://humanjourney.us/development/the-axemakers-gift-james-burke-robert-ornstein Enjoy reading it with your family, friends and near and dear one’s. Namaste!

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation). Last week, I shared an excerpt titled – ‘Do Arguments Resolve Anything’ from the book titled ‘The Argument Culture’ by Deborah Tannen. In this episode we drew attention to the fact that when you’re having an argument with someone, you’re usually not trying to understand what the other person is saying, or what their experience leads them to say it. Now, SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation) to the ones paying heed, is where we try to draw your attention to things that matter and the importance of your attention, because, ‘Our life’s experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to’. Attention: is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. Once our attention is drawn to the mechanism of why and what we give attention to, it is as if a veil has been stripped off and we become freer in our action and choices. And that is our endavour. This week I bring to your attention an excerpt titled – ‘The Power of Words – Do We Use Language or Is Language Using Us’ from the book titled ‘The Argument Culture’ by Deborah Tannen, a distinguished university professor in the Linguistics Department at Georgetown University and author of many books and articles about how the language of everyday conversation affects relationships. This book is about a pervasive warlike atmosphere that makes us approach public dialogue, and just about anything we need to accomplish, as if it were a fight. It gives us new ways of resolving our differences and uncovering the honest truth. The Power of Words – Do We Use Language or Is Language Using Us When we think we are using language, language is using us. As linguist Dwight Bolinger put it (employing a military metaphor), language is like a loaded gun: It can be fired intentionally, but it can wound or kill just as surely when fired accidentally. The terms in which we talk about something shapes the way we think about it and even what we see. The power of words to shape perception has been proven by researchers in controlled experiments. Psychologists Elizabeth Loftus and John Palmer, for example, found that the terms in which people are asked to recall something affect what they recall. The researchers showed subjects a film of two cars colliding, then asked how fast the cars were going; one week later, they asked whether there had been any broken glass. Some subjects were asked, “About how fast were the cars going when they bumped into each other?” Others were asked, “About how fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?” Those who read the question with the verb “smashed” estimated that the cars were going faster. They were also more likely to “remember” having seen broken glass. (There wasn’t any.) This is how language works. It invisibly molds our way of thinking about people, actions, and the world around us. Military metaphors train us to think about-and see everything in terms of fighting, conflict, and war. This perspective then limits our imaginations when we consider what we can do about situations we would like to understand or change. Excerpt from ‘The Argument Culture’ by Deborah Tannen. I am sure that you will enjoy reading this book and find it thought provoking, to read brief overview you can click on the following link and subsequently buy your copy too: https://www.deborahtannen.com/the-argument-culture Enjoy reading it with your family, friends and near and dear one’s. Namaste!

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation). Last week, I shared an excerpt titled – ‘Culture of Argument’ from the book titled ‘The Argument Culture’ by Deborah Tannen. In this episode we drew attention to the fact as to what argument culture urges us to do and that conflict can’t be avoided but surely can be resolved in constructive ways. Now, SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation) to the ones paying heed, is where we try to draw your attention to things that matter and the importance of your attention, because, ‘Our life’s experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to’. Attention: is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. Once our attention is drawn to the mechanism of why and what we give attention to, it is as if a veil has been stripped off and we become freer in our action and choices. And that is our endavour. This week I bring to your attention an excerpt titled – ‘Do Arguments Resolve Anything’ from the book titled ‘The Argument Culture’ by Deborah Tannen, a distinguished university professor in the Linguistics Department at Georgetown University and author of many books and articles about how the language of everyday conversation affects relationships. This book is about a pervasive warlike atmosphere that makes us approach public dialogue, and just about anything we need to accomplish, as if it were a fight. It gives us new ways of resolving our differences and uncovering the honest truth. Do Arguments Resolve Anything With most arguments, little is resolved, worked out, or achieved when two people get angrier and less rational by the minute. When you’re having an argument with someone, you’re usually not trying to understand what the other person is saying, or what their experience leads them to say it. Instead, you’re readying your response: listening for weaknesses in logic to leap on, points you can distort to make the other person look bad and yourself look good. Excerpt from ‘The Argument Culture’ by Deborah Tannen. I am sure that you will enjoy reading this book thought provoking, to read brief overview you can click on the following link and subsequently buy your copy too: https://www.deborahtannen.com/the-argument-culture Enjoy reading it with your family, friends and near and dear one’s. Namaste!

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation). Last week, I shared an excerpt titled – ‘Frame of Mind’ from the book titled ‘Think Again – The Power of Knowing What you don’t know’ by Adam Grant. In this episode we drew attention to the fact that being a scientist is not just a profession. It’s a frame of mind, a mode of thinking that differs from preaching, prosecuting, and politicking and like scientist, business executives while taking some important business decisions take their time so they have the flexibility to change their minds. Now, SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation) to the ones paying heed, is where we try to draw your attention to things that matter and the importance of your attention, because, ‘Our life’s experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to’. Attention: is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. Once our attention is drawn to the mechanism of why and what we give attention to, it is as if a veil has been stripped off and we become freer in our action and choices. And that is our endavour. This week I bring to your attention an excerpt titled – ‘Culture of Argument’ from the book titled ‘The Argument Culture’ by Deborah Tannen, a distinguished university professor in the Linguistics Department at Georgetown University and author of many books and articles about how the language of everyday conversation affects relationships. This book is about a pervasive warlike atmosphere that makes us approach public dialogue, and just about anything we need to accomplish, as if it were a fight. It gives us new ways of resolving our differences and uncovering the honest truth. Culture of Argument The argument culture urges us to approach the world and the people in it, in an adversarial frame of mind. It rests on the assumption that opposition is the best way to get anything done: The best way to discuss an idea is to set up a debate; the best way to cover news is to find spokespeople who express the most extreme, polarized views and present them as “both sides”; the best way to settle disputes is litigation that pits one party against the other; the best way to begin an essay is to attack someone; and the best way to show you’re really thinking is to criticize. Our public interactions have become more and more like having an argument with a spouse. Conflict can’t be avoided in our public lives any more than we can avoid conflict with people we love. One of the great strengths of our society is that we can express these conflicts openly. But just as spouses have to learn ways of settling their differences without inflicting real damage on each other, so we, as a society, have to find constructive ways of resolving disputes and differences. Public discourse requires making an argument for a point of view, not having an argument as in having a fight. Excerpt from ‘The Argument Culture’ by Deborah Tannen. I am sure that you will enjoy reading this book thought provoking, to read brief overview you can click on the following link and subsequently buy your copy too: https://www.deborahtannen.com/the-argument-culture Enjoy reading it with your family, friends and near and dear one’s. Namaste!

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation). Last week, I shared an excerpt titled – ‘Intelligence and Rethinking’ from the book titled ‘Think Again – The Power of Knowing What you don’t know’ by Adam Grant. In this episode we drew the attention to the fact as to how people reflect on what it takes to be mentally fit and that Intelligence is traditionally viewed as the ability to think and learn and reconsidering something we believe deeply can threaten our identities, making it feel as if we’re losing a part of ourselves. Now, SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation) to the ones paying heed, is where we try to draw your attention to things that matter and the importance of your attention, because, ‘Our life’s experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to’. Attention: is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. Once our attention is drawn to the mechanism of why and what we give attention to, it is as if a veil has been stripped off and we become freer in our action and choices. And that is our endavour. This week I bring to your attention an excerpt titled – ‘Frame of Mind’ from the same book titled ‘Think Again – The Power of Knowing What you don’t know’ by Adam Grant, author and professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. This book looks at the areas in our lives where we routinely fail to reassess in light of changing conditions and feedback: from our beliefs, to our undertakings and pursuits, to our standard operating procedures, interpersonal relationships, and to the counsel we receive. Frame of Mind Being a scientist is not just a profession. It’s a frame of mind, a mode of thinking that differs from preaching, prosecuting, and politicking. We move into scientist mode when we’re searching for the truth: we run experiments to test hypotheses and discover knowledge. Scientific tools aren’t reserved for people with white coats and beakers, and using them doesn’t require toiling away for years with a microscope and a petri dish. Hypotheses have as much of a place in our lives as they do in the lab. Experiments can inform our daily decisions. That makes me wonder: is it possible to train people in other fields to think more like scientists, and if so, do they end up making smarter choices? Evidence reveals that when business executives compete in tournaments to price products, the best strategists are actually slow and unsure. Like careful scientists, they take their time so they have the flexibility to change their minds. Just as you don’t have to be a professional scientist to reason like one, being a professional scientist doesn’t guarantee that someone will use the tools of their training. Excerpt from ‘Think Again – The Power of Knowing What you don’t know’ by Adam Grant. I am sure that you will enjoy reading this book, to read book report you can click on the following link and subsequently buy your copy too: https://humanjourney.us/mind/think-again-adam-grant-review Enjoy reading it with your family, friends and near and dear one’s. Namaste!

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation). Last week, I shared an excerpt titled – ‘Creatures of Habit Resistant to Change’ from the book titled ‘Think Again – The Power of Knowing What you don’t know’ by Adam Grant. In this episode we drew the attention to the fact that we are afflicted with cognitive laziness, preferring the ease of hanging on to old views over the difficulty of grappling with new ones and in this age of social media, what fuels so much contention and discord between people.  Now, SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation) to the ones paying heed, is where we try to draw your attention to things that matter and the importance of your attention, because, ‘Our life’s experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to’. Attention: is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. Once our attention is drawn to the mechanism of why and what we give attention to, it is as if a veil has been stripped off and we become freer in our action and choices. And that is our endavour. This week I bring to your attention an excerpt titled – ‘Intelligence and Rethinking’ from a book titled ‘Think Again – The Power of Knowing What you don’t know’ by Adam Grant, author and professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. This book looks at the areas in our lives where we routinely fail to reassess in light of changing conditions and feedback: from our beliefs, to our undertakings and pursuits, to our standard operating procedures, interpersonal relationships, and to the counsel we receive. Intelligence and Rethinking When people reflect on what it takes to be mentally fit, the first idea that comes to mind is usually intelligence. The smarter you are, the more complex the problems you can solve-and the faster you can solve them. Intelligence is traditionally viewed as the ability to think and learn. Yet in a turbulent world, there’s another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink and unlearn. Some psychologists point out that we’re mental misers: we often prefer the ease of hanging on to old views over the difficulty of grappling with new ones. Questioning ourselves makes the world more unpredictable. It requires us to admit that the facts may have changed, that what was once right may now be wrong. Reconsidering something we believe deeply can threaten our identities, making it feel as if we’re losing a part of ourselves. Rethinking isn’t a struggle in every part of our lives. When it comes to our possessions, we update with fervor. We refresh our wardrobes when they go out of style and renovate our kitchens when they’re no longer in vogue. When it comes to our knowledge and opinions, though, we tend to stick to our guns. Psychologists call this seizing and freezing. We favor the comfort of conviction over the discomfort of doubt, and we let our beliefs get brittle long before our bones. We laugh at people who still use Windows 95, yet we still cling to opinions that we formed in1995. We listen to views that make us feel good, instead of ideas that make us think hard. Excerpt from ‘Think Again – The Power of Knowing What you don’t know’ by Adam Grant. I am sure that you will enjoy reading this book, to read book report you can click on the following link and subsequently buy your copy too: https://humanjourney.us/mind/think-again-adam-grant-review Enjoy reading it with your family, friends and near and dear one’s. Namaste!

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation). Last week, I shared an excerpt titled – ‘Focus on the useful, the true and Connections’ from the book titled ‘Fluke’ – Chance, Chaos and Why Everything We Do Matters by Brian Klaas. In this episode we drew the attention to the fact that as modern humans though we have mastered a tiny slice of the world but by coordinating our efforts and putting those slices together, we’ve unlocked potential that was previously unimaginable. It has helped us forge breathtaking scientific progress. But we’ve focused so much on what is useful that we’ve forgotten what is true. Connections matter as much as, if not more than, components. The more modern science puts individualism under the microscope, the less it stands up to scrutiny.  Now, SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation) to the ones paying heed, is where we try to draw your attention to things that matter and the importance of your attention, because, ‘Our life’s experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to’. Attention: is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. Once our attention is drawn to the mechanism of why and what we give attention to, it is as if a veil has been stripped off and we become freer in our action and choices. And that is our endavour. This week I bring to your attention an excerpt titled – ‘Creatures of Habit Resistant to Change’ from a book titled ‘Think Again – The Power of Knowing What you don’t know’ by Adam Grant, author and professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. This book looks at the areas in our lives where we routinely fail to reassess in light of changing conditions and feedback: from our beliefs, to our undertakings and pursuits, to our standard operating procedures, interpersonal relationships, and to the counsel we receive. Creatures of Habit Resistant to Change In this book the author reveals the many ways in which we all buck the necessity of changing our minds or otherwise unlearning what is no longer helpful. He points out that we are afflicted with cognitive laziness, preferring the ease of hanging on to old views over the difficulty of grappling with new ones. Doubting ourselves can have the effect of making the world feel less predictable, thus undermining the brain’s schema of personal stability in which commitment and consistency of thought are cornerstone strategies. All of us at one time or another have suffered from a cognitive bias (known as the so-called Dunning-Kruger Effect) in which some knowledge and experience in a specific area causes one to overestimate their competence in that area. In the age of social media, it’s what fuels so much contention and discord between people: because we all read about world events and take in certain points of view on our feeds, we become so certain in our knowledge that we stubbornly champion them, free of any doubt. Excerpt from ‘Think Again – The Power of Knowing What you don’t know’ by Adam Grant. I am sure that you will enjoy reading this book, to read book report you can click on the following link and subsequently buy your copy too: https://humanjourney.us/mind/think-again-adam-grant-review Enjoy reading it with your family, friends and near and dear one’s. Namaste!

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation). Last week, I shared an excerpt titled – ‘Intertwined World’ from a book titled ‘Fluke’ – Chance, Chaos and Why Everything We Do Matters by Brian Klaas. In this episode we highlighted that reality, for better and for worse, isn’t terrifying, but wondrous, giving every moment of life potentially hidden meaning. It flips the individualist worldview on its head.  Now, SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation) to the ones paying heed, is where we try to draw your attention to things that matter and the importance of your attention, because, ‘Our life’s experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to’. Attention: is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. Once our attention is drawn to the mechanism of why and what we give attention to, it is as if a veil has been stripped off and we become freer in our action and choices. And that is our endavour. This week I bring to your attention an excerpt titled – ‘Focus on the useful, the true and Connections’ from the same book titled ‘Fluke’ – Chance, Chaos and Why Everything We Do Matters by Brian Klaas. In his book Brian points that Contrary to our instinctive beliefs, cause and effect are never simple and easy to understand: any specific outcome is dependent not only on what appear to be the major events leading up to it, but also on an array of seemingly insignificant, arbitrary, easily overlooked factors, “flukes”—some under our control, but countless others not. Focus on the useful, the true and Connections Modern humans master a tiny slice of the world. But by coordinating our efforts and putting those slices together, we’ve unlocked potential that was previously unimaginable. That was the great triumph of reductionism, in which it’s assumed that complex phenomena can be best understood by breaking them down into their individual parts. Understand the parts, understand the system. But the more you focus on systems as separable parts, the easier it is to ignore intertwined connections. Reductionism has proven astonishingly useful. It has helped us forge breathtaking scientific progress. But we’ve focused so much on what is useful that we’ve forgotten what is true. Connections matter as much as, if not more than, components. The more modern science puts individualism under the microscope, the less it stands up to scrutiny. Even the scientific concept of what it means to speak of “an individual” is being revised. Some systems biologists, recognizing the interconnected, interdependent nature of our existence, have stopped referring to humans as individuals and have started referring to each person as a holobiont, which includes a core host (in our case, a human) as well as the zoo of organisms living in or around us. It may sound strange, but we are not just ourselves, but are rather a collection of human cells combined with our associated microorganisms, including fungi, bacteria, archaea, and viruses. The best estimates suggest we have roughly 1.3 bacterial cells inside us for every human cell. As the biologist Merlin Sheldrake put it, “There are more bacteria in your gut than stars in our galaxy.” Fresh evidence is emerging that viruses affect our biological clocks, parasites alter our thoughts, and our microbiome can cause mood disorders. Scientifically, we have never been singular, though that has been impossible to know until quite recently. The individualist mindset, of independent, authoritative control over a tamable world, makes less sense if we know that our thoughts are partly influenced by the tiny, invisible organisms that live within us. Bewildering, but true. Excerpt from ‘Fluke’ – Chance, Chaos and Why Everything We Do Matters by Brian Klaas. I am sure that you will enjoy reading this book, to read book report you can click on the following link and subsequently buy your copy too: https://humanjourney.us/mind/fluke-brian-klaas-summary Enjoy reading it with your family, friends and near and dear one’s. Namaste!

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation). A month ago, I shared an excerpt titled – ‘Why Everything We Do Matters’ from a book titled ‘Fluke’ – Chance, Chaos and Why Everything We Do Matters by Brian Klaas. In this episode we shared a real tale that was reported in news in Greece in the   →

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation). Almost a fortnight ago, I shared an excerpt titled – ‘Knowing the Social media Algorithm’ from an article titled ‘Algorithmic Gatekeepers’ by Shawn Fuller. In this episode we briefly discussed as to what these algorithms are and what are the different types currently in use by various social   →

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation). A week ago, I shared an excerpt titled – ‘Gatekeepers and Our Perception’ from an article titled ‘Algorithmic Gatekeepers’ by Shawn Fuller. In this episode we briefly highlighted as to how we “Make Sense” of the world around us using our natural faculties of perception and what happens   →

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation). More than a week ago I shared a story titled – ‘The Frogs that rode Snakeback’ from the book ‘The Panćatantra’ tradition ascribes this fabulous work to Vişņu Śarma (“Preserver of Bliss”), prompted by a thought ‘what are we riding on?’. Now, SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation) to the   →

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation). Last week I shared an excerpt titled – ‘Reciprocation’ from a book titled ‘Influence – The Psychology of Persuasion’ by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D. This excerpt pointed to “Web of Indebtedness” – a unique adaptive mechanism of human beings and its role in our evolutionary history as a society.   →

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation). Last week I shared an excerpt titled – ‘Shortcuts and Decision Making’ from a book titled ‘Influence – The Psychology of Persuasion’ by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D. The excerpt pointed to the need and pitfalls of shortcut methods that we use in our decision-making process. Now, SAM-VAD (Together In   →