We become what we take in. Along the way, some more than others, have informed my tastes, perspectives, and attitudes. Here are some of these. I’m sure you might find some value in them too.
Brain Pickings
It is a fountain of wisdom through art, literature, philosophy, and science, curated by the wonderful Maria Popova. The tagline reads ‘An Inventory for the Meaningful Life’ and that is what Brain Pickings is. This is where I first came across Susan Sontag, Virginia Woolf, the importance of reading and libraries, and every other good thought in my head. In the beginning, Maria simply wanted to share all the interesting stuff she was reading with her colleagues and friends. Later, it became big and seems there were too many people who were looking for some meaningful content on the internet.
The School Of Life
If Brain Pickings developed a taste in me for a certain kind of wisdom, it was The School of Life that helped me to develop my faculties more fully. They started with a YouTube channel that put out short videos examining things that were essential to a good life but not spoken about in our culture. Later, they published a blog ‘The Book of Life‘ with a series of articles on important aspects of life, and a books series with some interesting themes like How to Think More About Sex, On Being Alone, Emotional Health, among others. It was self-help with a new touch. I developed my taste for philosophy, literature, art, and the general intellectual life from here. I’m a big reader Alain de Botton’s (philosopher and founder of The School of Life) books, which have considerably shaped my worldview.
People
There are some humans who’ve influenced me. A few months ago, I made a list of five people who magnified my spirit. They are Barack Obama – politician and former US President, William Dalrymple – travel writer and historian, Rose Ellen Dix – YouTuber, Daphne Kapsali – writer, and AR Rahman – music composer. I’ve come to understand that whom we look up to change as we evolve. But that’s alright.
Curator of Life Affirmingness 