Being Zen, bad charity, psychosomatics
RWL #439
Greetings from The University of New Hampshire!1 Penguins are awesome. They are goofy and fun. I may do some more images based on penguins at some point. I’m not sure why “group of penguins” popped into my head the other night when I was thinking about what I would do for that day’s project, but it was fun. This is a bookmark - 2”x6”. The hardest thing about this sketch-a-day project is just coming up with something every day and not constantly repeating myself. Today is day 85. I have no idea what I will do tonight. Or the next 280 nights. It gets a little overwhelming when I think, “I have to come up with 280 more ideas and execute them. How the hell am I going to do that?” But that is part of the zen of this project. You have to stop thinking and just do.
We got word this week that our Bachelor’s of Public Health program was officially approved by the University System board, and will be available for students starting in the fall semester. I am really pleased by that outcome. I can’t wait to see how this program matures over the next few years. Ooops - I apparently didn’t learn my lesson from above! I’m excited to be in the moment with this program, even at this early stage.
Be in the moment, friends. And get pumped about the future! As usual, willing good for all of you!
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Read
What:
Why: The Economist, Aid cannot make poor countries rich
Why: I came across this article courtesy of John Cochrane’s Grumpy Economist blog. If you are furious about the shut down of USAID like I am, this is a useful article for you to read. It doesn’t justify the ham-fisted approach, but it gave me pause. If you teach a man to fish, he learns a trade and becomes independent. If you teach a man to plead for fish, he gets really good at being dependent. Give it a read. It might move you over to the hard hearted economist camp. Maybe a little Grumpy.
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Watch
What: Master the Art of Questions to Unlock Meaningful Conversations (13 min)
Why: This was a fun clip. He highlights the value of asking questions and listening, and the importance of practice. It was very zen.
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Listen
What: People I (Mostly) Admire, We’re Not Getting Sicker — We’re Overdiagnosed (64 min)
(link)
Why: A remarkably empathetic look at psychosomatic illness. I am guilty of looking at psychosomatic illness as a flaw of character, in myself and others. But Dr. Suzanne O'Sullivan presents the complexity of the experience of illness, and the fact that psychosomatic illnesses are real, just driven by different pathologies.
It occurred to me, after nearly 10 years of writing this newsletter, that when I write my “greetings from UNH" that people might think I am speaking on behalf of the institution. That is very funny. I’m not sure that the UNH president could pick me out in a line up. So please understand that all opinions expressed here are my own, and do not represent the institutional positions of UNH. It’s akin to me writing, Greetings from America! And someone saying I am writing on behalf of the US government. As much as I might want it to be so, no one of reasonable judgement is going to believe it to be so.