S02 E01 – What is the purpose of Life, and how to find yours?

What you seek, is seeking you.

Rumi

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.

What is the purpose of Life? And how can you find your purpose and passion in Life? Join Chetan Narang as he dives deep into this question in the first episode of season 2 of The Unlearning Playground, a self improvement, spirituality & philosophy podcast.

00:00Introduction
02:50Why talk about this at all? The crisis of meaning today’s age
09:52The two modalities – being & becoming
10:51Being – life vs Life 
23:59Becoming
31:28How to find your purpose?
48:38Priorities
56:18Sacrifices & your soul’s calling
01:01:19Concluding thoughts

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The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Apple Podcasts

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang on Spotify

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Episode 40 – Powerful life lessons from the Jason Bourne movies (5 min)

BE HERE NOW.

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.

Until next time.
Peace out.

The Jason Bourne movies are not only some of the best action thriller movies in Hollywood, but also have some powerful life lessons for everyone. In this episode of The Unlearning Playground Podcast, Chetan Narang talks about the Jason Bourne movies and the life lessons therein.

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The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Apple Podcasts

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Episode 39 – What is equality & where is it going absolutely wrong in 2023 (19 min)

In terms of outcomes, nobody is equal to anybody.
Even the same man is not equal to himself on different days.

THOMAS SOWELL

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.

What is equality and where is it going wrong in 2023? This is one topic that everyone should understand properly, should be included in every education system too, especially the concept of equality vs equity. In this episode of The Unlearning Playground Podcast, Chetan Narang talks about this topic in some detail.

00:00Intro
00:51What is equality?
01:26How do you measure equality?
02:10Equality of opportunity
03:49Equality of outcome
04:52The gender pay gap
08:55Thomas Sowell, equity & equality
12:11Equality in absolutely stupid things
14:19Expecting equality where there can be none
16:22Equality in the Indian context
17:47Closing, with a Thomas Sowell quote

Check it out on your platform of choice.

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Apple Podcasts

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang on Spotify

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Stitcher

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang on Amazon Music

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Episode 37 – Apple vision pro launch | The good, the bad and the ugly (12 min)

There’s no wifi in the forest, but I promise you’ll find a better connection.

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.

Apple released a launch video for the apple vision pro just last week, and I could see 3 ways of thinking about it that are contrarian to what is the general theme of discussions I see happening around it. So, in this episode of The Unlearning Playground podcast, I, Chetan Narang, talk about this new "life-changing" technology and the good, the bad and the ugly parts of it.

<OUTLINE>
00:00The apple vision pro launch
01:03The “good” stuff
02:11The “bad” stuff
02:24The apple vision pro price considerations
03:32The “ugly” stuff
05:41Photos, videos, memories & technology
08:20Utility & corporate jargons
11:03An invitation, in closing

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The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Apple Podcasts

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang on Spotify

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Stitcher

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Episode 36 – Sleep tips from a sleep expert | Why we sleep by Matthew Walker book review (15 min)

“The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep.”

E. Joseph Cossman

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.

Why we sleep is an internally bestselling book by sleep expert Matthew Walker. In this episode of The Unlearning Playground podcast, Chetan Narang talks about 9 keys tips on how to sleep better.


00:00Intro
00:503 main learnings from this book
01:25It matters HOW MUCH you sleep. More than 5 hours daily?
03:09How much should you sleep?
04:09REM & Non-REM sleep – which is more important?
05:43It matters HOW we sleep
05:59Sleep only on weekends bio hack
07:11Alcohol and sleep. Does alcohol help in sleeping better?
08:20Exercise and sleep
08:44It matters WHEN we sleep
08:55Working late at night and cancer!
10:05Circadian rhythm explained
11:08Why your sleep cycle is messed up?
12:00How to fix your sleep cycle?
13:16Caffeine and sleep. How coffee disrupts sleep?
15:22Recap

Check it out on your platform of choice.

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Apple Podcasts

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang on Spotify

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Stitcher

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang on Amazon Music

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Episode 34 – 3 essential learnings the education system misses out (6 min)

“The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence.”

Rabindranath Tagore

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.

The education system is not perfect. This is a topic about which every adult holds very strong opinions, as they should. In episode 34 of The Unlearning Playground podcast, Chetan Narang talks about 3 life lessons that every education system must teach to everyone out there. These are must-haves for all - gen z, millenials, gen x and boomers alike.

<OUTLINE>

00:00Intro
00:20Life lessons #1
02:40Life lessons #2
04:02An invitation
04:25Life lessons #3
06:12Recap

Check it out on your platform of choice.

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Apple Podcasts

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang on Spotify

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Stitcher

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang on Amazon Music

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Google Podcasts

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Episode 33 – 24-year-old Bengaluru engineer earning 58 lakhs shares viral note on unhappiness [3-step guide] (18 min)

“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”

Jim Carrey

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)

A 24 year old Bengaluru software engineer recently shared a viral note about how despite earning a handsome salary of 58 lakhs per year, he is still unhappy with his life. In episode 323 of The Unlearning Playground podcast, Chetan Narang talks about how he can approach this problem with a 3-step guide

<OUTLINE>

00:00The original viral post
01:41How not to think about this
02:55What this episode is about
04:14Don’t #1
04:48Don’t #2
05:48Don’t #3
07:00Don’t #4
08:05Do #1
08:52Do #2
10:27Middleground #1
11:31Middleground #2
12:26Our obsession with happiness
14:07Self love, self acceptance and happiness
17:28An invitation


Check it out on your platform of choice.

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Apple Podcasts

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang on Spotify

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Stitcher

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang on Amazon Music

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Here’s the original viral post

Episode 31 – The most common question that comes up in therapy, counselling & life coaching (9 min)

We do not lack ability. We just lack courage. It all comes down to courage.

Ichiro Kishimi (The Courage to Be Disliked)

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.

What are the most commonly asked questions in therapy, counselling and life coaching sessions? Everyone should know about this Understanding. Let's talk about all of this in episode 31 of The Unlearning Playground podcast by Chetan Narang

00:00Intro
01:46The question(s)
03:41The answer
05:08The core Understanding
07:50What’s there to gain? Or lose?

Check it out on your platform of choice.

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Apple Podcasts

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang on Spotify

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Stitcher

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang on Amazon Music

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Google Podcasts

Episode 29 – Understanding free will with Dumbledore & Sachin Tendulkar (4 min)

Man can do what he wills but he cannot will what he wills.

Arthur Schopenhauer

Do we humans have free will?
Can we really choose to act?
Do our choices matter eventually?
Is there an easy-to-understand answer to these questions?

I delve into these questions in this short and meaningful episode via a quote that, for me, defines the legacy of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies.

I also take the example of an interview that Harsha Bhogle did on Sachin Tendulkar a while back.

I think this is a very moving intersection of two seemingly dissimilar topics to drive home a point about free will that I find to be very important in our day and age.

Do I do all of this any justice?
Only one way to find out.
I’ll see you in the playground.
Until next time.
Peace out.

What can we learn from Albus Dumbledore and his legacy in the Harry Potter movies | What does Harsha Bhogle say about Sachin Tendulkar that teaches us an important lesson about free will | The Unlearning Playground podcast by Chetan Narang

<OUTLINE>

00:00Dumbledore & the magical quote
00:35Where can we be better than animals?
02:03Harsha Bhogle on Sachin Tendulkar
03:00Free will

Check it out on your platform of choice.

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Apple Podcasts

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang on Spotify

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Stitcher

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang on Amazon Music

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Google Podcasts

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Episode 27 – 1 powerful tip to improve your people skills | Regression to the mean (18 min)

“Data is the sword of the 21st century, those who wield it well, the Samurai.”

Jonathan Rosenberg

Let’s talk about people skills. And let’s use stats in this episode to improve them.

Has it ever happened with you that people tend to quite often disappoint you right after you’ve just appreciated them?

Either it has, or you don’t appreciate the people in your life often enough. 🙂

In this episode of The Unlearning Playground Podcast, I talk about one powerful tip on better understanding this dynamic of dealing with people using a statistical fact that goes by the name regression to the mean.

Stay with me till the end of this episode to actually improve upon your people skills multifold.

Do I deliver on the promises?
Only one way to find out.
Dig right in.

Until next time.
Peace out.

Use the statistics concept of regression to the mean to improve your people skills | Check out in episode 27 of The Unlearning Playground podcast by Chetan Narang

<OUTLINE>

00:00Intro
01:33Rewards vs punishments – What works better?
04:44The core concept – Regression to the mean
06:16Luck and exams
09:20The sports illustrated jinx
12:12Why this is hard to understand
14:53Key takeaways from this episode

Check it out on your platform of choice.

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Apple Podcasts

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang on Spotify

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Stitcher

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang on Amazon Music

The Unlearning Playground Podcast, a popular philosophy and spirituality podcast by Chetan Narang, on Google Podcasts

Or listen on the custom player below

People skills are an important part of any job we humans do.

Now that’s another advantage our brand new toys, the AI bots, would have over us.

For the time being, of course.

People skills, in fact, play a fundamental role in all aspects of our lives, not just our jobs.

Being a good parent, a worthy partner, a dear friend, a reachable relative, a loving sibling, a caring child – we get better at all of these and many more roles we play in our everyday lives if we are good at our people skills.

And one thing I usually find fundamentally lacking in a lot of people is the ability to understand other people around them and also to understand the bigger picture concerning the situation around them.

This was the key motivation to stitch together this particular episode of The Unlearning Playground podcast.

It was a difficult episode to design, because I wanted to cover a rather tough concept in a manner that’s easy to understand and at the same time, I wanted to be a bit esoteric too so as to help put forward a contrarian point of view, something that I consider to be a hallmark of my content.

The thread I pull on, in this episode, is of understanding and reading our expectations from people around us better.

And to build on it, I use the concept of “regression to the mean”

Regression to the mean is a well known statistical fact. Well known of course only in circles that study and/or use mathematics regularly. And well understood only in circles that love it. Each of these circles only keeps getting smaller and smaller.

I personally think that it is one of those facts of nature that can be used to explain a whole lot of things not concerning maths per se, but concerning our everyday lives in general.

It helps to explain why, even though rewarding people for improved performance works better than punishing them for not doing so well, we lack the motivation to appreciate when people around us do good but never need an external push to voice our disappointments.

It helps to provide a better and a more practical explanation for stuff like jinxes or that hindi version of them – “nazar lag gai“.

I think it’s time you get going to the playground. This is easily one of the most impactful episodes I have done on the podcast so far, and I know there are better ones coming.

You can catch up on all the episodes from our playlist here.

For this current episode, get into it here.