Life Experiences

Issue 7: Choosing Our Attitude

“Our greatest freedom is the freedom to choose our attitude.” – Viktor E. Frankl Choosing Our Attitude Over the weekend, my classmate Dicky and I reminisced about our time at the Madras School of Social Work, where we pursued our Master’s in Social Work, specializing in medical and psychiatric social work. We recalled our long…

Life Experiences

Issue 6: The Anxious Generation

“The most important things in life are the connections you make with others.” – Tom Ford The Anxious Generation In The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt explores how the “great rewiring” of childhood is fueling a mental health crisis. He describes a fundamental shift from a play-based culture—where children engaged in face-to-face interactions, physical activities, and…

Work/Human Capital

Stuck in the Middle – Issue 4 – Anxiety

Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, compellingly explores how to reclaim life for people across all generations. These powerful insights form the basis of Episode 7 of our podcast, Stuck in the Middle. We engaged in a thought-provoking discussion with psychiatrist Dr. Mastura Romly, Dean of…

Life Experiences

Issue 5: A Garden of Thanks

“As one lamp lights another, nor grows less, So, nobleness enkindleth nobleness.” – James Russell Lowell A Garden of Thanks In the lives of many of us, we experience defining moments—turning points that shape our destiny and ignite our inner fire. Think of the words of Dr. Phillip McGraw, best known as Dr. Phil, in…

Life Experiences

Issue 4: A Magic Word – Thank You

A Magic Word – Thank You “Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.” — G.B. Stern In a world that moves at breakneck speed, we often forget the simple yet profound acts that nourish the soul and strengthen our connections. Gratitude is one such act—a universal language of the heart, and at the center of…

Life Experiences

Issue 3: 2025 – Let Gratitude Guide our Actions

“Life is not about finding yourself; it’s about creating yourself.” George Bernard Shaw Thought leaders often emphasize living life by design or on your terms. Living by design is having a life plan and making that plan work. Four decades ago, the late Revered Father Royce Wenceslaus Macedo, a Jesuit priest and an exceptional English teacher,…

Life Experiences

Issue 2: A 5-minute shock in a 5000-minute escape from reality

A 5-minute shock in a 5000-minute escape from reality. It had been a long time since I allowed myself some time to be alone, taking a chance to reconnect with the person I had become, distant from the chaos of modern life. Switching between reflection, resting, and reading gave me a profound sense of calm—a…

Life Experiences

Issue 1: Gratitude is a choice

Human nature seems wired to express dissatisfaction rather than appreciation or gratitude. The default seems to be to complain rather than to appreciate and show gratitude.  But why is this the default, and how can we change it? As I reflect on my life’s journey, I realise that I’ve spent far too much time focusing…

Work/Human Capital

Stuck in The Middle With Palan (EP 3 – Part 1) – Specialisation Vs Generalisation

In a world that strongly believes specialisation and starting early are the routes to achieve success, David Epstein’s book Range is a refreshing departure from prescriptive decisions and clichéd stories. His argument that having a variety of skills and interests—taking the time to sample a variety of things — is better that choosing a specialisation…