Category: Everyday life advice – The UP Podcast episodes
S02E03 – How to Process Death, Grief & Moving On?
Dealing with the loss of a loved one is a profound and personal journey. In today’s heartfelt episode of The Unlearning Playground Podcast by Chetan Narang, we discuss practical and emotional tips to help you process grief and navigate the complex emotions that follow.
I feel that conversations around the topic of death are few & far compared to the emotional turmoil this event can cause in our lives, and hence this topic appears to me to be one of those non-negotiable ones that I should pick in this new series of podcast episodes. This is also an extremely personal episode for me, because I share some updates to my life that actually pushed me to sit in front of my mic with this subject, no matter how emotionally challenging.
From understanding the stages of grief to finding ways to honor and remember your loved one, this guide is here to support you at your own pace. Whether you’re seeking comfort, guidance, or simply a sense of connection, join me as I explore the path toward healing, acceptance and moving on. Remember, it’s okay to grieve and it’s okay to seek help. Let’s take this step together.
In sincere hopes that this lands. Until next time. Peace out.
00:00
Coming up next
00:35
How we usually think about Death – A Short Story
02:34
Why talk about this at all?
06:39
Mahabharata & Death
09:36
A personal realisation around the death of a loved one
13:07
Death & Shame
17:10
Death & Fear
20:33
The Grieving Process – How to heal from grief & loss
S02 E02 – How to live a better life by being more childlike?
A thought that every adult encounters ever so often is centred around the idea of how life was better when they were a kid, when they were more childlike. I think there are a lot of life lessons in this train of thought, and that is the epicentre of today’s episode of The Unlearning Playground.
Even The Bible reportedly says something to the tune of “No one enters the kingdom of God until he is childlike.” Please note that the call is to be childlike, not childish. There is a world of difference between the two words, and I explore that too in this episode.
I think that the various tips I give out here are central to living a good life as an adult, central to living your life to the fullest as a grown-up. The playfulness, spontaneity and flexibility of childhood is something that has captured the imagination of so many philosophers already – Alan Watts, Osho, Sadhguru, Jordan Peterson, Sandeep Maheshwari to name a few. So, here I am throwing my hat in the ring too on the same.
I hope this episode lands, and leaves you with a better life. Until next time. Peace out.
S02 E01 – What is the purpose of Life, and how to find yours?
One of the most fundamental questions every person asks at some point in their lives is – “What is the purpose of life?”. Not surprisingly at all, this is also one question that most of us learn to suppress very early on in our lives.
In this episode, the first of season two of the unlearning playground podcast, I dive into this question head on. I think that the modalities discussed here – of being & becoming, of life & Life, of priorities, of sacrifices and of our soul’s calling – are of utmost importance in truly grasping this ever-evasive question.
It is ok to feel lost sometimes, it happens to everyone. It is ok to feel stuck sometimes, it happens to everyone. It is ok to not know what to do next sometimes, it happens to everyone.
However, I have come to realise that we should not be ok with not doing anything about such feelings. Most of what needs to be done has more to do with the stance we approach them with.
As you will find it in this episode, this is not a direct invitation to change WHAT you do, in the sense of quitting your job and following your “passion”. Although there is something to be said about that being absolutely necessary at times.
Rather, this is an invitation firstly to change HOW you are going about your life – how you’re looking at your life, how you view your job, your relationships, your career, your purpose, your questions, your conversations and all the rest of Life.
This is an absolutely vital episode in the grand scope of all of my work at the unlearning playground I would say.
00:00
Introduction
02:50
Why talk about this at all? The crisis of meaning today’s age
Episode 40 – Powerful life lessons from the Jason Bourne movies (5 min)
There are some movies that sometimes, out of the blue, end up teaching you life lessons that stay with you forever. I understand it to be very unlikely that an action thriller movie franchise would make the cut to such a list, but it is what it is I guess.
What is Jason Bourne about? If you had asked me this question some years ago, my answer would have been very different than what I can say about it now.
Having recently revisited these brilliant movies, I can safely say that the perspective with which I watched Jason Bourne this time around really helped me catch the drift of the storyline much better than before. And one powerful life lesson came striking out at me, which is what this short video is all about.
I would really recommend everyone to watch all the movies again, and this time with the perspective I talk about in this episode.
So without further ado, let’s get into it. Let’s see what Jason Bourne has to teach us. And was he any good at it.
Episode 39 – What is equality & where is it going absolutely wrong in 2023 (19 min)
Equality is a topic that is central to any relationship, family, community and society.
And that makes it an extremely important subject to discuss, especially in today’s world where like anything else it is subject to a host of interpretations and biases and opinions.
In this episode, I delve into this topic in some detail.
I talk about what is equality, how we are measuring it, how we ought to think about it and (I can’t stress enough how important this is) where we are going wrong with it as of 2023.
I think this is one topic that must be properly understood by everyone, especially in 2023. And what’s more, if misunderstood, it can lead to the divisions we find so prevalent in our society even today.
Let’s see if I can do justice to the claims above. Only one way to find out. Dig right in. Until next time. Peace out.
Episode 37 – Apple vision pro launch | The good, the bad and the ugly (12 min)
Just this last week (early-June 2023), Apple released a video introducing The Apple Vision Pro.
It is a first-generation AR/VR headset, and Apple claims that with this device, the era of spatial computing is here. They claim this to be a life-changing technology.
In this episode of The Unlearning Playground podcast, I decided to record my first impressions about this new device, which is a part of a booming field in technology now – Augmented reality and Virtual reality. My thoughts are divided into three broad categories – the good, the bad & the ugly.
I think what you are about to consume in this episode would serve to be a contrarian viewpoint, when compared to most other videos out there on the internet about the apple vision pro.
Also, consider it to be a genuine request from my side, I want you to stay with me till the ugly part of this episode. That is where the real nectar lies. Trust me.
Episode 36 – Sleep tips from a sleep expert | Why we sleep by Matthew Walker book review (15 min)
Why we sleep is an internationally bestselling book by Matthew Walker, an English scientist and professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is someone who’s widely regarded as one of the foremost sleep experts in the world.
In this episode, I talk about everything I learnt, and unlearnt, via this brilliant book. I can safely say that it is one of the best non fiction book recommendations of 2023 from me.
The amount of information he covers in this book is simply mind blowing. In close to 400 pages, he condenses close to twenty years of cutting-edge research on sleep and what every person should understand about it.
He talks about HOW MUCH one should sleep. He talks about HOW one should sleep. And he talks about WHEN one should sleep.
And of course, he touches upon various different aspects of these three massive areas – the role that caffeine plays in our sleep, the adverse effects of alcohol & smoking on a good night’s sleep, the positive effects of watching sunlight directly at sunrise & sunset, etc.
And what’s more – he also gives a bunch of real-life tips that you can directly apply to your everyday life as we speak. For instance, he talks in great detail about how to fix your sleep cycle in case it is messed up.
I think overall this is a brilliant book, and if you are one of those people who think they’ll never really get to reading it, you should check out this summary episode of mine where I cover 9 key tips that I learnt, or unlearnt, via it.
Episode 34 – 3 essential learnings the education system misses out (6 min)
What is wrong with our education system?
This is one topic that every adult has strong opinions on. And I think most of those opinions come from a place of genuine concern and good intention.
Growing up, the issues we faced – we do not want our children to bear the same burden, or rather, to be more aware of the burdens they are about to bear.
To improve the education system, while an endless process, is still one of the most critical pieces to solve for us as a community. In this episode of The Unlearning Playground Podcast, I am talking about 3 things that every education system should teach to everyone.
The points I cover here are not limited to any age. I definitely think all adults should know, understand and internalise these concepts, but I also think that everyone in today’s age should be aware of what I talk about here. Let me put it this way – everyone, whether they are gen z, millennials, gen x or boomers, all of them would benefit in one way or the other by internalising the 3 points that I cover here.
Additionally, I would love to hear from you on this topic. Hit me up in the comments section on YouTube and let me know what all do you think the education system, in your country or in general, must teach to everyone. Or should at least try to.
I’ll see you in the playground. Until next time. Peace out.
A few days back, a 24-year-old software engineer from Bengaluru took to Grapevine and penned down a note on how despite earning a hefty salary of 58 lakhs per annum, he is unhappy with his life.
The note has since then gone viral, having amassed a bunch of shares and comments from people talking about it from various different perspectives.
As someone who has been working in the Bengaluru software engineering industry for close to 10 years now, and as someone who went through and outgrew a similar phase in his own life, I think I have an understanding about this problem that most people tend to lack.
So, in this episode, I aim to provide a wholly different perspective on the problem this young man is facing (quite possibly along with a lot many others who simply haven’t asked the internet for a solution yet)
Episode 31 – The most common question that comes up in therapy, counselling & life coaching (9 min)
In this episode of The Unlearning Playground Podcast, I talk about the most common theme surrounding the questions that usually get asked in therapy, counselling and life coaching sessions.
Now I understand that there are no one-size-fits-all remedies, but what I talk about here is a powerful realisation that might land if you’re ready to receive it.
Big claims? I know. Do I do them any justice? Only one way to find out. Dig right in.
I’ll see you in the playground. Until next time. Peace out.