Book Review: How to Change Your Mind

“…the mind is vaster, and the world ever so much alive, than I knew when I began”

Michael Pollan’s How to Change Your Mind, is first a recording of how one can grow if only they keep an open mind and second is a personal telling of the history, science and predictions of psychedelics. Pollan describes how whispers of nascent (personal and) professional research about psychedelics contributed to him deciding to review them intimately. He adopts an open but questioning approach to the topic, thus embarking on an intellectual and unexpectedly transforming journey. It is a journey that many readers of the book will find themselves partaking in.

Pollan begins at the very beginning, with very little scientific knowledge of substances collectively known as psychedelics and with the memory of the dramatic end to the psychedelic 60s. A beginning that many readers might mirror. He goes on the meticulously review both of these areas. Pollan describes the chemicals behind popular psychedelics such as LSD, MDMA and psilocybin (mushrooms) and their history of discovery. He does so, inquisitively, posing questions to understand why evolution supported naturally occurring psychedelics. In doing so, he uses intellectual legitimization to chip away a bit at the negative imagery behind psychedelics, leveraging the benefits of being open-minded.

Pollan does not stop there. Through his own psychedelic experiences, his inquisitiveness and his meticulous story-telling, Pollan shines a light on the positives of psychedelics. He interviews researches who are believe that psychedelics can help with the treatment of depression and PTSD based on recent trials. He describes how neuroscientists posit that psychedelics provide evidence of a model of the brain which isn’t bounded just by our sense of self. He echoes the thought of some that this could imply that everyone could benefit from experiencing this other view of our brain. Benefits that have so far been experienced by those who meditate and young children, apart from those who have ingested psychedelics.

Pollan pushes the boundaries of thought with contemplative questions about the nature of consciousness shared by plants and animals and what it means to be one with the universe. The most admirable aspect of the book is Pollan’s restraint. He begins the book with some skepticism and little knowledge of psychedelics. He ends the book with a lot of scientific and spiritual questions and a lot of knowledge of psychedelics. He strives to provide the facts, provides his opinions and shares his reservations. The promise of the book is an honest attempt at providing an unbiased opinion on psychedelics.

Book Review: Someone Destroyed My Rocketship

“Regardless of how seriously we take things, the truth is life is more than anything the art of going nowhere”

Some level of adventure is experienced by anyone who has been assigned a task by themselves or someone else, however big or small. Some tasks require a lot of extrinsic motivation, some require none, others lead down a rabbit hole and still others end in the satisfaction of a job well done. As different as these tasks can be, all of them share the thread of introspection. Being assigned a task makes you think and feel. Dushka Zapata addresses some of these thoughts and feelings associated with completing an assigned task, especially in the workplace in Someone Destroyed My Rocketship.

Zapata’s words are unfailingly soothing and gentle, although their underlying message is determined and at times fiery. Such as when Zapata states that disappointing people when being true to yourself is okay and often necessary. Or when she explains how working on your weaknesses might not be the best way to grow. The book isn’t a nod to various forms of self help, it is a collection of curated workplace experiences with a definitive message. It provides helpful and clear answers to questions such as - what is the best time to leave my current job? Can procrastination be good for me? How can become a success? Like Zapata’s other works, it is designed to make you think about where you would like to be and to provide a bout of courage when you would like to be isn’t exactly where you currently are.

Someone Destroyed My Rocketship is a book for everyone who has ever been assigned a task, by themselves or someone else. The book is both, the patient ear for the worst thoughts and feelings associated with tasks and the guiding hand towards the best thoughts and feelings associated with tasks.

Home

Brick walls glowing an earthy red from the warmth of the messy familial embrace

Large windows invite the light in, to feed the lush souls within

The garden is overrun by flowers - unfettered & wild

The brook at the edge babbles in tandem to the lively discussions within

The spritely breeze brings with it the seeds of change - unfreezing time

The material house stands proud in the open expanse - unprotected

The home within & beyond diffuses from the heat of the effusive love within - ever spreading

The material house is a fortress built to hold change out

The diffusive home is a flame ignited to grow with change

Book Review: Nudge

“So to put it simply, forcing people to choose is not always wise, and remaining neutral is not always possible.”

Nobel Laureate Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein present a compelling argument for using choice architecture to nudge people into making the better choice from amongst the available options. More broadly the authors advocate for libertarian paternalism; the idea that people should be free to make decisions for themselves (libertarian) conditional on providing a nudge for the more ideal decision (paternalism).

The paternalism part of their philosophy originates from the observation that people are not perfectly rational. They are prone to biases, such as the self-serving bias, the money illusion, the tendency for collaborative filtering and much more. These biases prevent people from making the best available choice for themselves across all aspects of life, from retirement planning to preventing environmental damage. The authors caution that in the absence of paternalism practicing libertarianism could lead to bias-influenced ineffective decisions, thereby rooting the need for paternalism.

The authors provide a curated reading experience. Slowly building the tempo. They start with some less controversial fields such as 401 contributions and organ donation, wherein libertarian paternalism has yielded positive results. Having laid some credibility, they build up to more controversial fields such as privatizing marriage and modifying doctor-patient relationships under the tenet of libertarian paternalism. Finally, they defend their stance against some counter-arguments point by point. The book is a great example of literary swordsmanship.

Nudge is a book replete with knowledge and ideas. It provides an interesting insight into the current inefficiencies, a plausible explanation and solution for it. The concepts introduced in Nudge are applicable across many, if not all spheres of life. In addition, the book has some useful everyday tips, on topics ranging from buying warranty to investing in index funds. As such, everyone can gain something by experiencing the literary swordsmanship of Nudge.

Raw

The wilderness beckons,

it beckons with the crisp wind carrying the scent of the birches,

it doesn’t mask it’s call behind a manicured flower wall,

It states it desire, simply;

The open sky embraces the Earth,

its embrace shielding Earth from the coldness of space,

It doesn’t hide the heat at the very center of a molten core,

It lets the sparks fly, vividly;

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody

Book Review: The Undoing Project

“The big choices we make are practically random. The small choices probably tell us more about who we are.”

Michael Lewis narrates the emotionally and intellectually engaging tale of how Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky presented the researched, highlighted and presented the oft ignored role of bias in human decision making in The Undoing Project. Lewis presents this academic pinnacle through a personal lens, describing the breakthrough as a product of a poetic friendship. The mix of poetry and scientific prose makes The Undoing Project a unique read.

Kahneman and Tversky famously formulated prospect theory which postulates the biases that lead to seemingly irrational decisions. Concepts such as the isolation effect, loss aversion, risk seeking in the domain of losses, framing effects, which are now well-known and applied across many fields, were born out of the experiments, experiences and discussions of Kahneman and Tversky. Lewis presents his retelling of how this came about. He spends considerable time describing the formative experiences themed around the anti-Semitic movement in Europe and then in Israel, which contributed differently to the lives of both.

Having set the stage, the builds up the scientific and emotional tempo as he narrates how the melding of these two minds led to the discovery of biases. Lewis emphasizes the importance of their work by highlighting how professions ranging from medicine to professional basketball were impacted for the better by it. The book culminates by describing how Kahneman heard the news of being a Nobel prize recipient for his work on prospect theory.

The undoing project forms a gripping read. However, those who are looking at the book for an academic understanding of how the prospect theory came to be, might be a bit disappointed. Overall, The Undoing Project is almost certain to leave you with a lot of food for thought. It could be about the beauty and unpredictability of human relationships or about the predictable errors in human perception and decisions.

Book Review: The Sirens of Titan

“…everything that ever has been always will be, and everything that ever will be always has been”

Kurt Vonnegut reveals great ambition The Sirens of Titan. He strives to explain the physical, political and emotional laws that govern the Universe without losing the reader’s attention. Vonnegut comes closer than most in realizing his ambition.

At it’s heart The Sirens of Titan is a philosophical venture. One that is described by war and whimsy. Vonnegut spins an intriguing tale, promising within the first chapter a voyage to Mars, Mercury and Titan along with an unlikely coupling. From there, he rarely breaks a step, delivering one interesting twist after another to his tale. He steers clear of seeming too crazy, by providing a keen observation at every turn, making room to pontificate. The Sirens of Titan provides meaningful insight to the heart of leadership, friendship and spaceships. A difficult and enjoyable feat.

The Sirens of Titan has something for everyone - adventure, romance, battle and meaning. Despite all of this, the book is lighthearted and flows seamlessly. I enjoyed reading the book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a relaxing read.

Book Review - Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much

"The problem is not the person but the context of scarcity"

Mullainathan and Shafir introduce a new way of thinking about the impact of scarce resources in Scarcity. The book is explains how having less to accomplish a certain goal forces us to ignore other goals. The compounded effect of this ignorance leads to a lifestyle defined by lesser resources for all goals, at all times. If this resource is time, it describes the busy, if this resource is money, it describes the poor. Both conditions lead to ignoring other goals, ones that are not immediate. The authors emphasize how irrespective of whether the initial scarce resource is time, money or something else, it leads to a scarcity of bandwidth for other priorities, this in turn leads to inefficiencies and threatens to trap the individual in their busy or poor state.

Scarcity is about familiarizing the reader with some of the mechanics of a mind faced with shortage of a resource. The authors demonstrate how the cognitive performance of an individual changes with their financial state. This leads to individuals taking higher risks, borrowing and planning less for the future. They emphasize how this is a generic human behavior, not a phenomenon endemic to a subsection of the population. The poor are not necessarily bad at managing their finances, they just don’t have the mental bandwidth to take the longterm view of their finances. Similarly, the busy are not bad at prioritizing, they just don’t have the mental bandwidth to take stock of all their current and future priorities. Adopting this attitude can help provide more effective improvements to the situation of the poor and the overly busy.

Scarcity proposes to a new way to look at age-old issues. It suggests that maybe what we deigned as causes (lack of analytical and cognitive skills) are in fact the symptoms of these issues. Therefore, we should seek a solution for them instead of blaming them. The authors bring together the perspectives offered by economics and psychology, to present a more holistic picture of a mind living in scarcity.

Maybe

Deep in the changeling universe,

there lies a volcano,

simmering and seething,

I stand at its edge,

enclosed in the warmth,

my feet burnt.

Below, lies the ocean, cool and open,

Maybe I should leap into the ocean,

leave behind the demons I have known and grown,

without me, they will die

they were mine,

without me, a part of me will die too.

Maybe I should leap into the ocean,

frolic with the waves,

heal the burning,

there won’t be any ground beneath my feet,

the warm embrace will cease too

without ground, a part of me will cease too.

The wind tousles my hair,

teasing me, inviting me impatiently,

part of me is convinced,

I want to leap,

to feel something new,

part of me stays on the volcano - clinging to the burnt bits.

Book Review: When Things Fall Apart

“However, no matter what the size , color, or shape is, the point is still to lean toward the discomfort of life and see it clearly rather than to protect ourselves from it”

When Things Fall Apart, is a comforting and substantial guide for anyone who has ever felt at odds with life. Pema Chödrön patiently walks the reader through the idea of embracing uncertainty with compassion. Her advice is gentle and rooted in the realities of life.

Chödrön begins her book by explaining that the moments when the ground is pulled from beneath our feet bring with them an opportunity to grow. She urges the reader to grab this opportunity instead of running away from it. This will mean facing the discomfort and fears of groundlessness, Chödrön contends that this is the essence of living. Therein lies the comfort of the book, the acknowledgement that tough times are an integral part of the human experience. They should not be hidden away and associated with a sense of shame. Instead, if we embrace them we can learn to stay calm, productive and kind through the storms.

Chödrön’s writing is grounded in the practical experience of being in a tough spot. Her advice is not abstract even if it is alluding to spiritual concepts and/or Buddhist principles. She guides the reader through the steps of meditating and of practicing compassion. Chödrön discusses how we might forget some of these learnings when the next moment of groundlessness strikes. She leaves the reader with a sense of forgiveness, compassion and direction. In sum, giving them with a set of tools and insights to accept the uncertainties of existence with grace and maitri (Loving-Kindness)

The book is simultaneously comforting and actionable. This makes it appealing to everyone seeking some gentle but effective insights. Chödrön’s words communicate a sense of empathy and conversation. They helped me identify with various situations in the book and realize that her advice was more of an invitation to practice than a quick-fix pain killer. I would recommend this book to anyone who is seeking to learn or to develop their perspective of the human experience.

Book Review: How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big

“Persistence is useful, but there’s no point being an idiot about it.”

Scott Adams, the man behind the famous Dilbert comic, has an honest conversation about the pursuit of a healthy and successful life in his book How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big. Adams describes his many failures and how they paved the way for him to become the successful speaker, author and cartoonist that he is today.

Adams explicitly lists his many failures and describes his successes, especially in the first part of the book. He does so brilliantly, being sagacious without belittling himself. Thus, reeling in his reader. His advice is thought provoking and rarely prescriptive. He focuses on describing what works for him and why he thinks that it can work for the reader as well. This lends a conversational flow to the book.

Adams is also very comprehensive in his advice. He does not limit himself to professional or academic situations, his winning strategy encompasses the pursuit of happiness, food & exercise habits, affirmations, party-conversations and behavioral observations as well. On each topic, he is succinct, thorough and frank. He is very clear about when he is describing something that works for him and might work for the reader (such as affirmations and food habits) and when he is stating a rule that can be reasonably generalized (such as behavioral observations and the importance of correct grammar). As a reader, this leaves you with many different ways in which you could learn from Adams’ intelligence, observations and experiences.

Personally, I found the book to be compelling and engaging. I would recommend it to anyone looking for some practical motivation. The book reminded me that working towards maintaining a healthy, introspective and ambitious lifestyle will drastically increase my likelihood of success, something that can be forgotten if the daily humdrum takes over.