WorldView Good Reads: Off the Press for March 2020
Published: March 3, 2020
"Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure." Henri Nouwen
Here are good reads from around the globe that have caught our attention for the month of March.
A Gloriously Wild Childhood. Cressida Cowell, author and illustrator of the How to Train Your Dragon and The Wizards of Once series of children’s books, writes that she wrote these books because of how she grew up with nature and the wild. She argues that we must give children the opportunity to interact with the wilderness, so that they learn to preserve the natural world and to lead a richer life.
On Listening. When was the last time you listened to someone? Really listened, without thinking about what you wanted to say next, glancing down at your phone, or jumping in to offer your opinion? And when was the last time someone really listened to you? Was so attentive to what you were saying and whose response was so spot-on that you felt truly understood? Kate Murphy, author of You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters, offers tips from really good listeners – a C.I.A. agent, a bartender, a focus group moderator, and more – to help us reclaim the lost art of listening.
Human connections will always beat Google Translate. Technology is near to the point where simultaneous computer-driven translation of speech will be possible. Some say that we will no longer need to learn other languages; let the computer do it for us. Not so fast, writes Michael Skapinker of the Financial Times. The value of learning other languages is not just what it does for your ability to communicate. It's in what it does for you. Neil Kenny and Harriet Barnes spell out the many ways languages enriches one’s life.
A Few Etiquette Tips for Getting Around Japan. Heading to Tokyo for the 2020 Summer Olympics? Here are some lesser-known tips on avoiding faux pas and other cultural missteps while there. Japanese society is heavily dependent on unspoken understandings and behavior aimed at maintaining the “wa”—the idea of social harmony.
Breaking Down Boundaries. We live in a time where we quickly put people in boxes. Maybe we have more in common than what we think? This Danish ad emphasizes what we share, rather than what divides. There is always more work to be done. That work is likely to be easier if we can focus on what brings us together, not just what drives us apart.
The Power of Bildung. How did Scandinavia get to be so great? David Brooks of the New York Times attributes it to Nordic efforts to educate the whole person. Lene Rachel Andersen and Tomas Bjorkman tell us that the Nordic “secret” is Bildung: “the way that the individual matures and takes upon him or herself ever bigger personal responsibility towards family, friends, fellow citizens, society, humanity, our globe, and the global heritage of our species, while enjoying ever bigger personal, moral and existential freedoms.” The German word they used to describe their approach, Bildung, doesn’t even have an English equivalent. It means the complete moral, emotional, intellectual and civic transformation of the person.
Each for Equal. March 8, 2020 is International Women’s Day. An equal world is an enabled world. How can you help forge a gender equal world? Celebrate women's achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality. Many tips here.
Inspiring Courageous Global Citizens. How can education systems across the world build not just ardent workers or citizens who can keep the system running, but citizens who will not only look after themselves but also be actively concerned for the welfare of others and the planet as a whole. In India, UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) has created a Global Citizenship Curriculum that seeks to develop and inspire courageous global citizens.
When Working Across Borders, Emotional Intelligence Needs Cultural Intelligence. We’ve all heard about how EQ—Emotional Intelligence—is vital for success. EQ is a key competency, now and even more so as automation takes hold in the workplace. But EQ alone won't guarantee success when working globally, because what works well in one culture may not work well in another. To be most effective when working across borders, we need to add another kind of intelligence—Cultural Intelligence—writes Darren Menabney in Forbes.
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