Hi [FORMATTED_FIRST_NAME GOES HERE],

Happy Tuesday :)

My birthday is coming up this Saturday (30th) and I’d love to spend it with you if you’re available. I’m hosting a virtual get-together for just the newsletter community, between 9-10 AM PST. Want to join me and the others? Simply click here! 🎉

In 2020, I spent my 24th birthday alone in a new, strange apartment editing my book Admitted and getting the manuscript ready. In 2021, I spent my 25th birthday by throwing a big, crazy party and inviting over 40 people at my then community house.

This year, I’m hoping to keep it in the middle. I want to spend my birthday intentionally, with people I care about. As a newsletter reader, you’re one of them, [FORMATTED_FIRST_NAME GOES HERE]. :)

Now, onto the newsletter.

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Amusing Ourselves To Death

Two great novels were published in the 20th century: 1984 by George Orwell and A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

Both prophesied a dystopian future where we’re oppressed, depraved, and shackled. Except, the paths they charted were different.

One prophesied that we would be oppressed by a hateful external tyrant, called Big Brother. The other prophesied that our autonomy would be deprived not by something we hate, but by the technology we will come to love.

One feared a world where our oppressor would ban books. The other feared a world where there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.

One feared a world that would deprive us of information. The other feared a world where we will be drowning in a sea of information rendering us numb and indifferent.

One of these novels in fact, did manifest itself into our current world.

But it wasn’t the novel that most people feared would come true.

Amusing Ourselves To Death by Neil Postman

I just finished reading a book titled Amusing Ourselves To Death by Neil Postman. In it, Postman begins the book by talking about the irony between the aforementioned two novels, and how the one whose story most people didn’t pay attention to (A Brave New World) has in fact come true.

In his book, Postman primarily focuses on the impact of television on our minds and our culture (which becomes clear when you learn that he published this book in 1985, before the internet and social media). Postman fears that we’ve willingly walked into a future where television has become the portal through which we learn about the world. He laments the decline of the written word, and calls for us to question the medium through which we consume our information.

Reading Amusing Ourselves To Death in 2022 feels like reading the script for a movie that you’ve already watched, and acted in.

It feels banal for me to tell you that we’re drowning in a sea of irrelevant information and distractions. Or that entertainment is cutting into our lives at a level that’s scary.

I knew this already. You knew this already.

Yet, reading Amusing Ourselves To Death was worthwhile for me, because it gave me a chance to sit down and think about the following questions:

• What does my current information diet look like?
• How has my relationship with my phone and social media changed over the years? Is it for the better or worse?
• What role does a “medium” play in the information it’s conveying?
• Where am I consuming my content from? Is it time to revisit and “revamp” this pipeline?
• Finally, what important questions are being shoved aside by all the distractions?

Neil Postman predicted in 1985 (and Aldous Huxley in 1932) that we’re heading towards a future where we will love the thing that controls us and keeps us captive. Like victims of Stockholm syndrome, this has indeed come true.

But I believe, that just by the act of recognizing the power that technology, entertainment, advertisements, and social media have on our attention, we can diminish it. By sitting down to think about our information diet, we’ve put up our shields. And by pondering upon the role that mediums of information play in our lives, we’re taking back our control.

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Project: Balance behind-the-scenes

Physicists define escape velocity as the speed that an object needs to be traveling to break free of a planet or moon’s gravity well and leave it without further propulsion.

When you’re writing a book, there is a certain point after which the momentum of the book gains enough velocity to reach escape velocity after which intentional effort is not required for it to continue the momentum.

Not surprisingly, the book on immigration (that I shared with you two newsletters ago) has reached escape velocity. Because it has a clear path ahead – in terms of the content required, financial return, and audience’s appetite – I’ve reached a stage where the book has gained enough momentum.

I have (a) created an outline and a chapter-by-chapter summary for the book, (b) shared it with close friends for feedback, and (c) begun building partnerships with lawyers and legal-tech startups. The book has a clear timeline for publishing and a niche audience. It’s broken free of the writers’ block gravity, for now.

On the other hand, Project: Balance is still circling the orbits of the planet.

I’m disappointed in the progress (or lack thereof) that I made last week, as I was focused on the immigration book more. However, I know the problems, and am currently thinking about how to tackle them.

This week, my goal is to (a) finish the chapter-by-chapter summary for the book, (b) have a long brainstorming call with my friend Rishabh on next steps, and (c) perhaps finalize on a writing program / find a person who can work with me on it.

When I began this journey of Making Of A Book, I promised to share with you the “sandwich-making” process, however ugly (and slow) it is. So as much as it pains me to say I’ve not made any substantial progress, it’s true.

But I’m positive this can be figured out. :)

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That’s it for now, [FORMATTED_FIRST_NAME GOES HERE].

I really hope you can make it for the birthday get-together Saturday morning :)

Thank you for being part of this newsletter. And if you enjoyed reading this issue, forward it to a friend (and get rewarded for it!).

Until next time, take care.

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Yours truly,

Soundarya Balasubramani 💚

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🤔 Feeling more curious?

[Book] Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman: (a few hours) If you'd like to think deeply about information and your relation to it in your life, pick up this book. It won't be a cheery read, but it'll be a worthy one.

[Short Note] The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living: (3 min) Socrates uttered that phrase ~2500 years ago. But what does it really mean? And why did he say it? I finally explored.

[Short Note] A Primer on Burnout, Its Causes, & Prevention: (10 min) Most people think burnout = exhaustion from too much workload. This guide a level deeper to show the nuance of how and why burnout happens. And how to prevent it.

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🎁 Reward Program

The next time you meet your friend, what if you could have a conversation on mimetic theory, how stress affects your body, or what balance means to you?

If you're enjoying this newsletter, referring your friends to it ([RH_REFLINK GOES HERE]) is a no-cost way to improve conversations and get little rewards.

Begin by bringing in just 3 friends and get my Weekend Inspiration checklist. 😁

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