Intro to Indian Culture in 20 minutes
By marissa | February 28, 2010
[See, I used to want to be a history teacher. I haven't taught much about history in quite a long time, but I thought I could put something together based on this video I found on line. Take 20 min out of your day and learn something.]
In January, I went on a trip to India for a few weeks. (You can read all about it here.) Before I left, many people asked me the same question: Why India? Well, the answer is that I was invited to go; but there’s a little more to it then that. I have always been interested in India. I studied a lot about it in college and I taught about it when I was student teaching. Does this make me an expert? By no means – but because of this interest, going to India was one of the things I hoped to accomplish before I died. So when the opportunity came along I jumped at it. I realize that I am in the minority, as many people that I talked to still questioned my wanting to go.
I found this clip on TED.com that really explains the difference between our two cultures – well as best as one can in 20 minutes – and might shed some light on that famous Indian head bob. The Western World operates with the belief that we only have one life to live, that’s it. While in Indian culture, a person has many lives to get it right. As a result each culture has developed their business models around their respective cultural view. I believe that each view can learn from each other. Take a look:
And just for fun, here are some questions I thought of while watching this presentation. Leave a comment if you want. It’d be fun to start a discussion. (Can you tell I miss intellectual discussions?)
- What do you think would happen to the American business model if individual thought was valued over institutional thought? Or do you think that Americans value institutional thought over individual thought to begin with?
- Which cultural view do you identify with most? How does this influence your behavior?
- Based on what you know about Indian culture, what aspects of American business do you think would benefit their business model?
- Thinking about what Pattanaik said about how mythology impacts business; what parts of American mythology impact American business?
- How would having a Chief Belief Officer change the American Business model?
I hope, if you took the time to watch the video, you learned something. If you made it to the end of this entry, thanks for reading the first lesson I put together in a long time. I guess I’ve still got it!
Class dismissed!
Topics: gotta love it | 1 Comment »
Why I Love The Olympics
By marissa | February 24, 2010
I love The Olympics.
This fact should come as no surprise to you. I love The Olympics so much that I started this tradition with some friends of mine where we cook the food of the host country during the Opening Ceremonies.
What may surprise you is why I’m such a fanatic.
I love the whole Olympic movement. I love that it is a GLOBAL event. I don’t know how many of you are aware, but during The Olympics all nations are supposed to call off all wars. This obviously isn’t the case any more, but I always thought that the idea was a great one. Furthermore, countries send their very best to compete in (mostly) honest competition. This are in many cases amateur athletes. Some have made it there by their own accord, others are part of a government program, but either way each one has a dream – to compete their best against the best for an Olympic medal. Maybe it’s the idealist in me, but there is just something so pure about it that I love.
Beyond that, I love seeing all of these sports that are not as well known in my neck of the woods – like curling. I mean I guess it’s sort of sweeping the nation now, but for the most part, I only get to see it during The Olympics. Then there’s bobsled, snowboard cross, speed skating, and that crazy skeleton. In the summer, it’s diving, all of the track events, and swimming. [Side Bar - I am one of the few that like the Winter Olympics more then the Summer Olympics. There's so much more danger involved. Also a lot of those sports involve a lot of speed. It's just more interesting to me.] The commentary for these sports is always great because it so unfiltered. The commentator is usually a past athlete who is very passionate about the sport; so it always amuses me to hear their reactions to things I don’t really know much about.
There only a few days left. I hope to catch as much coverage that I can.
Topics: as seen on TV, gotta love it | No Comments »
my six word memoir
By marissa | February 7, 2010
I saw this story on NPR about a book of six word memoirs and decided to write my own. So here is it is:
Constantly improving on awesome. Learning everyday.
Yeah, I think that sums it up best.
What would yours be?
Topics: blah blah | No Comments »
2010 Update
By marissa | February 2, 2010
So it’s already February! Crazy right? Since I last wrote, I’m year older and have been to 2 different countries. I’d say 2010 is off to a great start. I’ve gotta keep the momentum going.
You can read about my international travel here: Marissa’s Trip to India
About the year older part of my year . . . I actually feel older this year, but in a good way. I feel more comfortable in my own skin. It’s kinda awesome. I feel like I am ready to take the bull by the horns and conquer the world. Well, maybe I’ll start with something smaller, but that’s the idea.
So that’s what’s up here. I’m going to try and post more this year. I feel like blogging again. We’ll see how it goes.
Topics: gotta love it | No Comments »
2009: a retrospective
By marissa | December 15, 2009
Now is the time of the year when society looks back on the past year and reflects on the best and worst of the past 365 days. Most times, I don’t take the time to do the same for myself, but this year is one to document. I didn’t do that great of a job documenting what happened in 2009 in this blog, but I did keep pretty good track in my mind.
Every now and then, a year comes along that changes things and 2009 is one of those years. I didn’t get off to the best of starts, but in the end, this year shaped up to be a pretty awesome year. Here’s a list of things to remember about / things I’ve learned this year for me:
- Family can surprise you
- Friendships were made, lost, strengthened, reconnected or redefined
- Change can be scary but awesome at the same time
- Opportunities are made
- Summer was one of the best ever
- In the moment is a great place to live
- Photography rocks my world
- Good food was made and shared
- I saw two of my favorite bands in concert
- I’m pretty awesome – it is a pretty powerful realization
- Happiness comes from within, but is multiplied when shared with others
- Vacation time is a gift to be used up
- I 5K’d this year
Many of these things don’t mean much to you, but they do to me. And if you happen to have known me during this time. Thanks for being part of the journey.
Thanks 2009. You rock.
Topics: lists | No Comments »